Abstract

Experiments were carried out to optimize the nutrients for hybrid maize through nutrient sorption study and green house experiment during 2007- 2008 at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. A systematic procedure for optimum nutrient treatment (ONT) as the basis for formulating the treatment structure for field experiments for fertilizer response studies was tested in the present investigation in two soil series belonging to Mayamankuruchi (Typic Haplustepts and Madukkur (Udic Haplustalfs). Nutrient sorption studies were conducted in these soils for P, K, S, Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn and B. The critical level of nutrients for these soils were fixed prescribed by Portch and Hunter. The sorption curves were used to formulate Optimum Nutrient Treatment (ONT). The validity of these ONTs was verified in a green house experiment using the same soil. The two experimental soils were found to deficient in N, P, K and Zn, and their optimum amounts varied between the soils. The optimum nutrients for hybrid maize var. COHM5 were formulated for these two soil series from this study.

Keywords: Green house study, Mayamankuruchi, Madukkur, Soil series, Nutrient sorption, Optimum nutrient treatment,