Evaluation of Rice Straw Compost in Maize under Semi-Arid Irrigated Conditions of Punjab, India Singh Dhanwinder*, Singh Kuldip, Chandel Sumita, Sharma Sandeep Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141 004, India *Corresponding author: dhanwinder@pau.edu
Online Published on 19 April, 2024. Abstract Rice straw burning causes very serious and widespread air pollution in the north-west Indo-Gangetic Plains of India. Therefore, management of rice straw to avoid burning is a major challenge in agriculture. Use of rice straw as compost can be a viable option to manage rice straw. A three-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the rice straw compost (RSC) prepared under aerobic and anaerobic conditions in maize (Zea mays L.) at PAU, Ludhiana, India. Three doses of the RSC were compared with farm yard manure (FYM) and recommended doses of fertilizers (RDF). Application of FYM, and aerobic and anaerobic RSC increased maize grain yield (mean of three years) by 19.9, 18.3 and 15.3 %, respectively, compared to RDF. The maize grain yield with the application of 4.5 q ha-1 of anaerobic RSC and 15 t ha-1 FYM was at par. Application of FYM and composts significantly increased grain Si content over recommended dose of fertilizers. The maximum returns were found from the application of 4.5 q ha-1 aerobic RSC followed by 15 tons ha-1 FYM and 4.5 q ha-1 anaerobic RSC. The application of RSC not only increased the grain and stover yield, but it also contributed towards efficient rice straw management. In addition, rice straw can supplement limited available FYM in agriculture in the region. Top Keywords Aerobic and anaerobic compost, Farm yard manure, Maize, Rice straw burning, Silicon. Top |