Best Fertilizer for Maize in India
Maize is a high-yielding cereal grown in kharif, rabi and spring and is one of the most nutrient-responsive crops. It needs plenty of nitrogen and is very sensitive to zinc shortage. Because
Overview
Maize is a high-yielding cereal grown in kharif, rabi and spring and is one of the most nutrient-responsive crops. It needs plenty of nitrogen and is very sensitive to zinc shortage. Because maize grows fast, nitrogen must be split so that enough is available at the knee-high and tasseling stages when demand peaks. Phosphorus and potash are placed near the seed at sowing. ICAR and State Agricultural Universities recommend a balanced N:P:K dose with zinc sulphur for most maize zones, with hybrids needing more than composites. The numbers below are a general range. Adjust them to whether the crop is grain or fodder maize, to your variety, and above all to your Soil Health Card or a fresh soil test and your local KVK advice.
Recommended NPK dose for Maize
A common ICAR range for hybrid grain maize is about 120 to 150 kg N, 60 to 75 kg P2O5 and 40 to 60 kg K2O per hectare, which is roughly 48 to 60 kg N, 24 to 30 kg P2O5 and 16 to 24 kg K2O per acre. In fertiliser terms per hectare this is about 130 to 160 kg DAP plus 220 to 280 kg urea plus 67 to 100 kg MOP, or per acre about 52 to 65 kg DAP plus 90 to 113 kg urea plus 27 to 40 kg MOP. Composite and fodder maize and rainfed crops need less. Reduce urea where DAP supplies part of the nitrogen. These are general ranges only. Always adjust to your Soil Health Card or a fresh soil test and confirm with your local KVK.
Application schedule
Apply full phosphorus, full potash and about one fourth to one third of the nitrogen as basal at sowing, placed near the seed. Give the next nitrogen split at the knee-high stage, about 25 to 30 days after sowing, and the next at the tasseling and silking stage, about 45 to 55 days after sowing. A small final split at grain filling helps long-duration hybrids. Splitting nitrogen into three or four doses matches the crop's fast growth and reduces loss, especially in light soils and under irrigation.
Organic & bio-fertilizers
Mix 8 to 10 tonnes of well-rotted farmyard manure or compost per hectare into the soil before sowing, about 3 to 4 tonnes per acre. Vermicompost at 2 to 2.5 tonnes per hectare is a good substitute. A legume green manure or growing maize after a pulse improves nitrogen supply. Treat seed with Azospirillum and PSB biofertilisers to fix nitrogen and free up phosphorus, which can save part of the chemical dose. Regular organic manuring builds soil carbon, holds moisture better in light soils, and steadily lowers the urea you need.
Micronutrients & deficiency signs
Maize is one of the most zinc-sensitive crops. Zinc deficiency shows as a broad whitish to pale yellow band on both sides of the midrib of young leaves, sometimes with reddish tints and short internodes. Apply about 25 kg zinc sulphate per hectare, roughly 10 kg per acre, at sowing where the soil test shows deficiency, or spray to correct it fast. Sulphur deficiency causes overall yellowing of young leaves and is corrected with gypsum or single super phosphate. Iron deficiency, seen as yellowing between veins of new leaves, appears in alkaline soils and is best corrected by foliar spray.
Tips & cautions
Split nitrogen into three or four doses because maize grows fast and a single heavy dose is wasted or lost. Prefer neem-coated urea for slower, more efficient nitrogen release. A foliar spray of nano urea at the knee-high and tasseling stages can supplement, but the basal and main soil doses are still needed. Do not overuse urea, as excess gives tall lush plants prone to lodging, fall armyworm and disease, and wastes money. Never skip zinc where the soil test shows deficiency, and always follow your Soil Health Card.
These are general recommendations. For the exact dose, follow your Soil Health Card / soil test and local KVK, and avoid over-applying urea.
FAQs
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