Comparative study of organic and inorganic fertilizers on forage corn (Zea mays l.) Grown on two soil types

Abstract

Two pot experiments were conducted in 1995/96 and 1996/97 to investigate the interactive effects of organic and inorganic fertilizers applied to two soil types on the performance of corn (Zea mays L.). The soil types were Vertisols from Gezira scheme and Aridisols from West of Omdurman. The organic fertilizers were green manure and chicken manure; the inorganic fertilizers were: urea (N), superphosphate (P), potassium sulphate (K) and combination of NPK. The treatments were replicated thrice in a completely randomized design and the means were separated by Duncan's multiple range test (DMRT). The results of the two experiments showed that the treated plants were significantly different from the non-treated plants in both soils. The fresh weight was significantly higher due to the application of organic fertilizer especially chicken manure compared to inorganic fertilizers in the examined soils. The leaf nitrogen and phosphorous contents were significantly increased by chicken manure fertilizer compared to other fertilizer treatments in both soils. The leafpotssium content of chicken manure treatment was higher compared to the other treatments in both soils. Plant growth in Vertisols was generally superior to that in the Aridisols due to the application of organic fertilizers. Confirmation of these results under filed conditions may suggest using different ratios of organic and inorganic fertilizers for the two mentioned soil types.