Dissertation for Master's Degree
Agriculture and Plant Breeding
Abstract
In order to investigate the effect of urea fertilizer and sulfur-coated urea on growth and quantitative and qualitative yield of fodder corn in the form of two randomized complete block designs with three replicates of urea fertilizer It was done at four levels of 0, 50, 100, 150 kg per hectare and sulfur coated urea fertilizer at four levels of 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg per hectare in the 91-92 crop year in Damghan region (Soltaniyeh village). The results of trait variance analysis showed that sulfur-coated urea fertilizer had a significant effect on leaf dry weight and leaf nitrogen percentage at the level of 1% and a significant effect on stem dry weight, cob weight, seed yield and total dry yield at the level of 5%. The use of sulfur coated urea fertilizer in treatment 100 and 150 with 38.66 grams assigned the highest leaf dry weight. Using the mentioned fertilizer, it has the most effect in treating 100 kg of fertilizer with 30.35 grams. Fertilizer treatment with 150 kg, this fertilizer has the highest cob weight with 16.33 grams. The highest number of cobs in the 150 kg fertilizer treatment is 432.66 grains.
The highest weight of a thousand seeds in zero fertilizer treatment and 150 kg of sulfur-coated urea fertilizer was obtained with 4.63 and 4.66, respectively. This fertilizer has obtained the highest total dry yield in 100 kg fertilizer treatment with 139.667 grams. Also, the use of sulfur-coated urea fertilizer at a dose of 100 increased the dry weight of the stem, and at doses of 50, 100, and 150, the dry weight of the leaves increased by the same amount. Keywords: corn, urea, and sulfur-coated urea. Introduction. rtl;"> Nitrogen as the most important food element affecting the yield and quality of the product and one of the important and determining factors in the production of this product. So that if the nutritional needs of corn are met, its cultivation will bring a lot of economic benefit to farmers and industrial owners. Failure to recognize the nutritional needs of corn and as a result, incorrect use of chemical fertilizers will not only not increase the yield, but will also cause environmental pollution, disturbance of the balance of agricultural ecosystems, groundwater pollution and compaction of agricultural soils and decrease in usefulness and productivity (Azizi et al., 2017). Consumption of nitrogen fertilizers in the year 2010, 95.5 million tons has been met (FAO
) So far, comprehensive studies have been conducted on the effect of urea fertilizer distribution on the yield and yield components of corn, and each of these studies has been conducted in different countries, with diverse climates, and on different cultivars. As a result, in each research, different distribution methods and fertilization times have been proposed according to the conditions and varieties under study (Kerta et al. [1], 2002; Tommy Sun [2], 2004; Mutakumaru et al. [3], 2005).
Forage corn as a plant with high production ability and adaptability in most regions of the country can play an important role in providing fodder needed by livestock, especially in the winter season (Chogan, 1375). Corn is one of the important and valuable grains in tropical and temperate regions of the world. Maize (Zea mays L) is considered the third most important cereal after wheat and rice in terms of production in the world (Ashofte et al. [4], 2011). Fodder corn is one of the strategic and important products of the country, which plays a major role in providing the needed protein, especially red and white meat. Due to its many uses, the area under corn cultivation has increased dramatically in the last few decades (Khodabandeh, 2008). So that in 2011, its global cultivated area reached 161 million hectares and its production was 756 million tons, which ranks first in terms of global production. America, China and Brazil are the biggest corn exporters. The cultivated area of ??fodder and grain corn in Iran was 164 and 265 thousand hectares in 2013, respectively, and the average yield of fodder and grain was 57 and 7.2 tons, respectively (Agricultural Statistics, 2013).
1-1-1 The importance of the topic
Given that Iran is located in the belt of arid and semi-arid regions, the need to use plants with a high degree of adaptation to the dry climate and soil conditions of the country and with a high percentage of protein to provide the fodder needed by livestock is felt more and more (Yazdani et al., 2016)
Corn cultivation with attention Due to the variety of climates in many regions of the country, it can be spread after the harvest of grains in the world, and among the grains, corn ranks third after wheat and rice in terms of economy and cultivated area. But in terms of total production, it has occupied the first place, and this is because of its adaptability to different climatic conditions, it has been expanding day by day in the world, so that today it is considered one of the most important products of subtropical and tropical regions (Sharifi, 2012).
Despite the necessity of supplying nutrients to the soil and crop plants, the supply of nutrients should be in such a way that, while meeting agricultural needs, the waste of resources and their pollution are prevented (Eid, 2002) [5].
There are reports that show that up to two-thirds of the mineral nitrogen consumed in agricultural systems is lost through leaching, sublimation, runoff, and erosion. (Biswas et al.[6], 2008).
The issue of fodder shortage in the country has put undue pressure on pastures and this issue has caused many side problems including soil erosion (Mousavi et al., 2007).
Supplying fodder from other sources can be the first step in reducing the pressure. on the pastures and start the programs for the improvement and restoration of the pastures. Considering that the existing pastures in the country are exposed to severe destruction and erosion due to excessive livestock grazing and numerous droughts and are not responsible for feeding the existing livestock, the cultivation of suitable fodder plants can be considered as a suitable solution to feed the existing livestock, prevent the import of fodder into the country and protect the pastures (Mousavi et al., 2017).
Hypotheses
1- Urea fertilizer has an effect on grain yield and yield components of fodder corn in Damghan region.
2- Sulfur coated urea fertilizer has an effect on yield and yield components and quality of fodder corn grain and fodder in Damghan region.
3-Sulfur-coated urea fertilizer is more absorbable by plants than urea fertilizer.
1-1-3 research objectives
Determination of the best amount of urea and sulfur-coated urea fertilizer that increases yield and yield components in fodder corn in Damghan region.
Determining the best amount of urea fertilizer and sulfur-coated urea on the quality of fodder corn fodder in Damghan.
rtl;">1-2 Generalities
1-2-1 Botany
Corn is a monoecious plant, which means that the male and female flowers are separate but on the same base. The female flowers of corn are produced from the bud at the base of the leaf sheath (Kirimi et al., 2017).
Corn is a monocot plant with a long stem. Its leaves are alternately placed on both sides of the stem. The angle between the leaf and the stem is 90 degrees. In the early growth of the plant, some cells in the upper part of the main stem of corn are differentiated from the secondary branches. At the end of these branches, there is an organ called the cob, which is actually the female flower of the corn plant (Chokan et al. [7], 2006).
Corn has the property of producing lateral or misplaced roots from around its lower nodes that are close to the soil surface, which will help the strength of the plant and make it resistant to wind and drought.