Response of Sweet Corn (Zea mays var. rugosa) to Drip Fertigation in Varying Levels of Nitrogen

The yield performance of sweet corn applied with varying levels of nitrogen fertilizer using drip fertigation and band method of fertilizer placement was evaluated using Split Plot with three replications. The number of days to tasseling, silking and leaves of sweet corn were not affected with the application of varying levels of nitrogen, the nitrogen fertilizer placement and their interaction. In contrary, plant height, ear height, length of leaves, length of ear and the green yield of sweet corn were significantly affected with the treatments. Application of 90 kg N/ha significantly gave the highest yield of 14.86 tons/ha. The yield of sweet corn was comparably higher using drip fertigation as fertilizer placement as compared to the band method. Highest return on investment was attained when applying 90 kg N/ha. Using drip fertigation as fertilizer placement method likewise gave higher ROI. Generally, the yield of sweet corn was increased when applied with 90 kg N/ha using drip fertigation. The plant height, ear height, length of leaves, and the green yield of sweet corn differ significantly with the application of nitrogen using drip fertigation over band method. Application of 90 kg N/ha gave the optimum utilization of nitrogen where it gave a maximum yield of 14.86 tons/ha. The varying levels of nitrogen can be applied in both drip fertigation or band method. Application of 90 kg N/ha is best recommended in sweet corn where it gave a maximum yield of 14.86 tons/ha.