Silicon as a Predicator of Sustainable Nutrient Management in Maize Cultivation ( Zea mays L.)

Przemysław Kardasz, Piotr Szulc (), Krzysztof Górecki, Katarzyna Ambroży-Deręgowska and Roman Wąsala
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Przemysław Kardasz: Field Experimental Station in Winna Gora, Institute of Plant Protection—National Research Institute, 63-013 Poznań, Poland
Piotr Szulc: Department of Agronomy, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Dojazd 11, 60-632 Poznań, Poland
Krzysztof Górecki: Department of Entomology and Environmental Protection, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Dąbrowskiego 159, 60-594 Poznań, Poland
Katarzyna Ambroży-Deręgowska: Department of Mathematical and Statistical Methods, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Roman Wąsala: Department of Entomology and Environmental Protection, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Dąbrowskiego 159, 60-594 Poznań, Poland

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-16

Abstract: Field trials were conducted at the Field Experimental Station in Winna Góra. Weed control after maize sowing increased the grain yield by 15.7% compared to that after herbicide application at the BBCH 14/15 stage. Higher effectiveness of silicon application in maize cultivation can be achieved on plantations free from primary or secondary weed infestation. The application of a 50% NPK dose increased the grain yield by 8.6%, while a 100% dose improved it by 13.9% compared to that of the control object (without mineral fertilization). Furthermore, it was observed that the effectiveness of the silicon increased with higher total precipitation during the maize growing season, as evidenced by the results from 2022. In that year, the difference between the control (without silicon application) and the treatment with silicon applied at the BBCH 15/16 stage was more than 33%. The average mass losses from the green tea bags ranged from 54.9% to 71.9% in the variant of the sowing experiment carried out after spraying with the herbicide and from 69.4% to 72.4% in the variant with herbicide spraying at the BBCH14 stage. The rooibos tea’s mass losses were lower, as expected, and ranged from 18.6% to 36.4% in the first variant and from 30.8% to 38.6% in the second variant. The mass losses of the green tea and rooibos tea were the highest in the variant with herbicide spraying at the BBCH14 stage and the lowest in the variant of the sowing experiment carried out after herbicide spraying. The stabilization factor (S) ranged from 193 × 10 −3 to 254 × 10 −3 in sowing after herbicide spraying and from 188 × 10 −3 to 226 × 10 −3 in the variant with herbicide spraying at the BBCH14 stage. The k (decomposition constant) ranged from 7.8 × 10−3 to 11.5 × 10 −3 in the first variant and from 7.2 × 10 −3 to 13.4 × 10 −3 in the variant with herbicide spraying at BBCH14.

Keywords: sustainable agrotechnics; herbicides; maize; mineral fertilization; silicon (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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