Abu Bakar, Rosenani

Darus, Siti Zauyah

Ishak, Che Fauziah

Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository

Agricultural SciencesImproved soil, fertilizer and crop residue management for corn-basedrotation systemA.B. Ro5enanl. S.D. Zauyah. ana C.I. FauzlahDepartment of Land ManagementFaculty of AgricultureUniversiti Putra Malaysia43400 UPM, Serdang, SelangorMalaysiaTelephone Number of Corresponding Author: 03-8948698/E-mail o[CorrespondingAuthor:rosenani@pgri.upm.edu.myKey words: corn; organic fertilizer, crop residue, effective micro-organisms; sustainable productionIntroductionCom has recently become an important crop due to demand for sweetcom as snacks and graincom for poultry feed. Uptill now, corn cultivation in Malaysia has depended mainly on chemical fertilizers. For sustainable crop production, thefertility of the soil need to be sustained and the environment need to be protected from pollutants and contaminants.Thus, chemical fertilizer apphcaticn should be minimized. The few work done on organic fertilization of maize hasconcentrated on yield responses and alleviation of aluminium toxicity. Understanding the effect of organicresidue/fertilizer applications on dynamics ef soil organic matter and availability of nutrients, particularly, nitrogen isgreatly lacking. Some micro-organisms, called effective micro-organisms (EM), are claimed to enhance organic matterdecomposition and nutrient availability. Thus a long-termed study was established to investigate the extent 01 thebenefits of organic fertilizer or soil amendments (crop residues) in com cultivation. The study was conducted in 2phases. Phases I was conducted form 1996 - 1998 and continued with phases 11(1999 - 2000) under this project(improved soil, fertilizer and crop residue management for com - based rotation system)Materials and MethodsField experiment established in the UPM Puchong experimental farm to study the effects of crop residue and organicfertilizer (chicken dung) applications on corn in a rotation crop system with groundnut. Three treatments were laid outwith 4 replications, i.e. recommended chemical fertilizer rates with crop residues (T'l ), recommended fertilizer rateswithout crop residues (T2) and combination of chicken dung and chemical fertilizers with crop residue (T3). For comin TI and T2, the fertilizer rates were 150 kg N/ha, 90 kg P/ha and 90 kg Klha, and for T3, 10 tonnes/ha chicken dungcombined with chemical fertilizers :75 kg N/ha, 90 kg P/ha and 90 kg Klha. Fertilization for groundnut was 30 kg Nzha,90 kg Plha and 90 kg Klha for T'l , T2 and T3. Crop residues were returned to the respective plots after each harvest,Besides yield recording, soil and plant samples were taken for analysis of soil organic matter and nutrient (N,P,K)uptake. Decompoosition of the crop residues was also investigated using litter bags and mineralization tubes. Anotherexperiment was also set-up in concrete minilysimeters using the same soil (Bungor series) to study the effect of EM onnutrient availability from sewage sludge and chicken dung application to com (monocrop). This was compared tochemical fertilizer treatment in field mineralization potential rate experiment studies was also conducted in thelaboratory.Results and DiscussionThe main field experiment was set up in April1997 and to-date, 10 crops had been grown (corn and groundnut crops).The effect of treatments were investigated after the first crop, i.e. after the application of the crop residue. Up to thethird crop, although the mean crop yield values show higher yield of maize cobs in T3 than T2, and T I higher than T2(control), i.e. 4.25, 3.54 and 2.65 kgiha, respectively. However, statistically there was no significant differencebetween the treatments, i.e. no significant effects of the crop residue and chicken dung application. This is because thevariability in yield between the replicates were still high. This indicate that the results of the treatments should bestudied in the long-term, i.e. after several crop residue and organic fertilizer applications. Although there was nosignificant difference in yield, the total N uptake by the third crop, maize in the T3 plots (chicken dung + chemicalfertilizer + residue) VIas significantly (P<0.05) higher than N uptake in T2 plots. The potassium uptake by the thirdcrop was also higher in the plots with crop residue application lTI and T3) than the T2 plots (without crop residue), i.e.120,82 and 48 kg Klha in the T3, TI and T2, respectively. The soil analysis also indicate highest input of P, K, Caand Mg from T3 treatment. The decomposition study in the field show that 50% dry matter weight loss of the maize43UPM Research Report 1997-2000, Vol II, Section 2-Extended Abstractsresidue was attained after 5.4 weeks after application (WAP) compared to 3.5 WAP of groundnut residue, under theMalaysian tropical climate. Thus, implicating that fallow periods in between cropping season should be short (4-6weeks) in order to utilize the nutrient released by decomposing crop residues. This experiment will continue for another21/2 year. The long - tenned results show that even after 10 crops cycles the treatment with chemical fertilization andresidue incorporation after each harvest, did not produce higher yield than treatment without crop residueincorporation., This may be due to fallow periods (in between crop) which were to long ( > 6 weeks) and this lead tosurface erosion of organic matter and leaching of mineralized nutrients. However the treatment (T3) with combinedapplication (chemical fertilizer and crop residue) consistently gave higher yields than the chemical fertilizationtreatments. Soil and plant of the lOth crop are still in progress. Results of the minilysimeter experiment show that noeffect of the EM was observed until the third crop of maize. There was highest uptake of nitrogen in the sewage sludgewith EM. No EM effect was observed with chicken dung treatment. This means that EM is more effective in makingnutrients in higher CIN ratio organic fertilizer more available than the low CIN ratio organic fertilizer.Do not includefigures.ConclusionsIt could be concluded that:Decomposition of crop residues is rapid under the tropical conditions Le. in 4 - 6 weeks particularly for leguminouscrop.If subsequent crops are not established with 4 - 6 weeks after crop residue application, Le. in the absence of cropuptake the mineralized nutrient would bp lost through surface - run - off and leaching. Thus, crop residues (e.g. maizeand groundnut recycling would not translate into increase in yield.Combined chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer (e.g, chicken manure) car. produce higher com yield than chemicalfertilizers alone. However, high rate of animal manure (low CIN ratio organic fertilizer) may still contribute toenvironmental pollution. Further study need to done.The experiment with effective micro-organism show beneficial effect for use with application of sewage sludge but notwith chicken manure.Benefits from the studyThe study will provide a cropping system for com production that is more sustainable in terms of soil fertility andenvironment. Currently, the cropping system depends mainly on chemical fertilizers and crop residues are burnt. This isnot a good system as it depletes soil organic matter and does not recycle nutrients effectively also contributing airpollution,Patent(s), if applicable:NilStage of Commercialization, if applicable:NilProject Publications in Refereed Journals:I. M.1. KhaliL, A.B. Rosenani, O. Van Cleemput., C.I. Fauziah., J. Shamshuddin. 2002. Nitrogen management in a maize-groundnut crop rotation of humid tropics: Effect on N20 emission. The Scientific World (2002) I (S2), 320-327.2. Mubarak A.R., A.B. Rosenani, S.D. Zauyah. And A.R. Anuar. 2002. Decomposition and nutrient release of maize stoverand under the humid tropical field conditions. Comm. In Soil Science Plant Anal. Volume 33 issue' 3&4.3. Mubarak A.R., A.B. Rosenani, S.D. Zauyah. And A.R. Anuar. 200 I. Nitrogen mineralization from crop residues indifferenttropical soils. Tropical Agriculture (Trinidad)4. Mubarak A.R., A.B. Rosenani, S.D. Zauyah. And A.R. Anuar. 200 I. Balance of applied 15N-labeled ammonium sulphate inmaize. Jpn LTrop. Agr 45(3): 176-1805. Rosenani A.~., A.R. Mubarak and S.D. Zauyah. 200 I. Recycling of crop residues for sustainable crop production inmaize-groundnut rotation system. The Use of Nuclear Techniques on the Management of Organic Crop Yoelds (!AEATechnical Document)44Agricultural SciencesProject Publications in Conference ProceedingsI. A.R. Mubarak, A.B. Rosenani, S. Zauyah and A.R. Anuar 200. The role of crop residue in sustainable yields of maize (Zeamays L.) and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in the humic tropics of Malaysia. In Proceeding 1511>Conference of theInternational Soil Tillage Research Organization (ISTRO 2000).2 - 7 J_!!!y 2000, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.2. A.R. Mubarak, A.B. Rosenani, S. Zauyah and A.R. Anuar 1999. Decomposition and Nutrient Release of Crop Residuesunder Malaysian Field Conditions. In Proceedings Soil Science Conference of Malaysia, 20·21 April, 1999, Seremban3. Mubarak A. R., A.B. Rosenani, S. Zauyah, A.R. Anuar and A. Norhayati. Decomposition and nutrient release from maizeKuala Lumpur. p. 180 - 198residue and N~uptake by groundnut in tropical acid soil. In Proceedings Soil Science Conference of Malaysia, April, 1998,Graduate ResearchName ofGraduateResearcb Topic Degree GraduationAwarded YearMU?aI'akAbdelRahman Abdallll1iMohamadIqrahim.KhalilThe contribution of crop residuesfor sustaining production ofgroundnut (Arachis hypogea L) andMaize (Zeamays L) in a rotationNitrous oxide fluxes in a maize-groundnut rotation system undertropical conditionsField ofExpertisePhD 2001Soil chemistryand plantnutritionSoil chemistryand plantnutritionPhD 2001Ngoi Lee Chin,B.SGrowth response and nutrientuptake from organic fertilizerapplication to maizeSoil chemistryand plantnutritionB.sc. 2000BioindustryTai Kin Leon Mineralization rate potentia! ofmaize and groundnut residuesSoil chemistryand plantnutritionB.sc. 1999BioindustryIRPA Project numberOl-02-04-0352UPM Researcb ClusterAFFProject Leader Dr. Rosenani Abu Bakar45

Improved soil, fertilizer and crop residue management for corn-based rotation system

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Improved soil, fertilizer and crop residue management for corn-based rotation system

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