Title: Grain Quality, Nutrient use Efficiency, and Bioeconomics of Maize under Different Sowing Methods and NPK Levels
Abstract: RESEARCHN itrogen use efficiency (NUE) for cereal production has been estimated near 33% worldwide (Raun and Johnson, 1999).Cereal pricing structure, fertilizer cost, and ground water contamination risk make N management a prime factor to consider.Understanding N fluxes, its uptake, and distribution in the plant is of prime importance with respect to both environmental concerns and product quality.Uptake and N utilization in crops are two major components of the N cycle.Efficiency may be measured in relation to the total available N (soil + fertilizer) or only to fertilizer.Because of the difficulty in measuring soil N and the economic importance of fertilizers, most studies deal with N fertilizer as in the present study.A high N application rate leads to more rapid leaf area development, prolongs leaf life, improves leaf area duration after flowering, and increases overall crop assimilation, thus contributing to increased yield (Balasubramaniyan and Palaniappan, 2001).Phosphorus significantly increases the number of cobs per plot, 1000-grain weight, and grain yield over the control