Tillage, residue and nitrogen management influences growth attributes, biomass production and yield of maize in the Trans-Gangetic Plains of India

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during kharif season of 2023 at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to investigate the effects of different tillage and residue management practices (TRMs), and nitrogen management practices (NMPs) on the growth, development and yield of maize. Results showed that zero tillage with residue retention (ZT+R) consistently led to superior growth metrics including plant height, dry matter accumulation (DMA), leaf area index (LAI), crop growth rate (CGR), and root parameters by 15-22% higher than conventional tillage (CT). The LAI was the highest under ZT+R, 26.8% greater than CT at 30 DAS. The NMP1 (33% basal N + 33% N as surface placement at 25-30 and 45-50 DAS) initially had the highest plant height and DMA. However, at later crop stages, NMP3 (33% basal N + 42% N as sub-surface band placement 25-30 DAS + 3% urea spray at 45-50 and 60-65 DAS) outperformed with a 36.3% increase in DMA over the control at 90 DAS. Crop growth rate (CGR) and relative growth rate (RGR) were also higher under ZT+R and with NMP3. Root parameters including root density and weight were significantly improved under ZT+R as well as with NMP3. The ZT+R increased grain yield by 31.2% than CT while NMP3 yielded significantly higher yield owing to better root development. It was concluded that combining zero tillage + residue retention with improved nitrogen management practices could be used for enhancing growth and yield of maize in Western Indo -Gangetic plains of India.