Response of Omankwa maize variety to NPK and biochar soil amendment

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of NPK and biochar soil amendments on some growth and yield parameters of Omankwa maize variety. The experiment was laid in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The four treatments used included: 250 kg/ ha NPK, 6 tons ha-1 biochar; a combination of 125 kg/ ha NPK and 3 tons ha-1 biochar and a control. Data were collected on phenological, growth and yield parameters. The findings from the growth parameters shown that the maize plants treated with a combination of 125 kg/ ha NPK and 3 tons ha-1 performed better in terms of stem girth, number of leaves per plant, leaf width, leaf length and plant height than all the other treatments. Yield findings also indicated that maize plants that received NPK and biochar treatment recorded a significant increase in cob length, cob diameter and 100 seed weight. Furthermore, results from the phenological parameters which included germination percentage, days to 50% tasseling, days to 50% silking and days to 50% maturity revealed that maize plants treated with the combination of NPK and biochar did well than all the other treatments. It was concluded that the combination of NPK fertilizer and biochar improved the fertility of the soil and promoted growth and yields in maize.