Optimizing Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Maize Yield under Varying Fertilizer Rates in Kenya
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Date
2020
Authors
Nduwimana, Desire
Mochoge, Benson
Danga, Benjamin
Masso, Cargele
Maitra, Sagar
Gitari, Harun I.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Association for Agriculture, Environment and Biotechnology
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is a paramount macronutrient for plant growth, development and production. This study was carried out to determine the effect of N fertilizer at different rates on maize crop yield, N content and N use efficiency (NUE) in Rongo sub-county (Kambija and Koderobara sites), Western Kenya. The treatments were N (CAN) at four levels (0, 25, 50 and 75 kg N ha-1). In Kambija, maize yield at 50 kg N ha-1 (4.34 t ha-1) was 62% higher than the control while in Koderobara, the highest yield (3.41 t ha-1) was recorded at 50 kg N ha-1 and it was 74% higher than in the control. The highest N content of 21 and 20 g kg-1 were noted at heading growth stage in Kambija and Koderobara, respectively. Generally, partial factor productivity (PFP), partial nitrogen balance (PNB), agronomic N efficiency (N-AE), and nitrogen fertilizer recover (NFR) decreased with increasing N application across the sites. The yields exhibited strong relationship with N uptake in the plant tissues especially at harvest, with coefficient of determination ranging between 0.72 and 0.92. The study therefore has showed that application of N at 50 kg N ha-1 was the most viable hence such information needs to be disseminated to farmers.
Description
An Article Published in International Journal of Bioresource Science
Keywords
Nitrogen use efficiency, Maize yield, Nitrogen fertilizer
Citation
Nduwimana, D., Mochoge, B., Danga, B., Masso, C., Maitra, S. and Gitari, H. (2020). Optimizing Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Maize Yield under Varying Fertilizer Rates in Kenya. International Journal of Bioresource Science, 7(2): 63-73.