Nutrient Requirement of Corn (Zea maize) for Silage Production

Abstract

With the unprecedented increase in the price of fertilizer and the lack of adequate information on the quantity and timing of its application, farmers’ income and productivity were affected. With this, the recommended fertilizer rate for corn silage production to increase productivity while reducing costs should be established. This study aimed to verify and establish the recommended fertilizer rate in corn silage production, which can guide farmers' strategies for reducing the cost of production when producing corn silage. The study was laid out in two factorial experiments arranged in a split plot in Randomized Complete Block Design with four levels of fertilizer recommended rate (T1 80%, T2 70%, T3 60%, and T4 50%) as the main plot treatments. The treatments used were based on the soil analysis results of the area, and two varieties (NSIC 2018 GmCn48 and IES GLUT #7) were established as subplots in 5,000 m2 area. Plant height, number of leaves, and length of leaves were collected during the growth stage; herbage yield was collected during harvesting at 75 DAPS; and biomass yield was collected after 21 days of fermentation. A kilogram of samples from each treatment was collected and subjected to proximate analysis. As a result of the study's importance, all of the parameters were analyzed using the Randomized Complete Block Design, and all the growth parameters were found to be non-significant. Meanwhile, 60% is the recommended fertilizer rate for corn silage to produce the optimal yield of open-pollinated variety (OPV) and hybrid corn for silage production.