Effect of residue management practices on yield attributes, yield and quality of maize (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted on sandy loam soil during 2022-23 and 2023-24 at Agricultural farm of the Mahatama Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya Chirtakoot, Satna, (M.P.) to evaluate the effect of residue management practices on yield attributes and yield of maize. Treatment consisted five residue management practices viz., residue removal, residue incorporation, residue incorporation with spray of microbial consortium on residue, zero tillage with residue retention and spray of microbial consortium on residue and zero tillage with spray of paraquat. Results revealed that on pooled basis of two years the yield attributes viz., cob length (17.79 cm), cob grith (14.35 cm), cob weight per cob (199.68 g), seed weight per cob (160. 11 g), seed number.cob (485.38), number of grains row per cob (13.58), number of grains per row (36.16), seed index (25.47 g) and shelling percentage (80.10%) were significantly maximum in residue incorporation with spray of microbial consortium on residue treatment. Significantly highest grain yield (10821 kg/ha), straw yield (18341 kg/ha) and protein content (10.15 kg/ha) were obtained under residue incorporation with spray of microbial consortium on residue treatment. While, harvest index was obtained significantly higher (37.70%) under Zero tillage with spray of Paraquat treatment.