Agricultural and Biological Research

Nitrogen management in maize in semi-arid region

Lalita Verma and Vijay Kumar*

Maize (Zea mays L) is one of the most versatile emerging crops having wider adaptability under varied agro-climatic conditions and successful cultivation in diverse seasons and ecologies for various purposes. Globally, maize is known as “Queen” of cereals because it has the highest genetic yield potential among the cereals. Maize is also known as Drosophila of crops. It efficiently utilizes solar energy and has immense potential for higher yield, so called as “Miracle crop”. Maize ranks third in India in terms of production among cereals, among the three major fertilizers, nitrogen, phosphate and potassium, application of nitrogenous fertilizers is the maximum. It is reported that China, India and Pakistan together consume approximately 70% of nitrogen fertilizer consumed globally. These figures of nitrogen fertilizer consumption point towards emerging environmental pollution issues.