Effect of Different Levels of P and Liquid Biofertilizers on Growth , Yield Attributes and Yield of Maize

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the third most important cereal crop in India after rice and wheat and it is cultivated in 8.40 million ha. with a production of 19.9 million tonnes having an average productivity of 2345 kg ha -1 . The low productivity is attributed to multivarious problems viz., drought, improper planting density, environmental factors, imbalanced nutrient management practices, etc. Among these, nutrient management plays a pivotal role in influencing the yield as maize being an exhaustive crop requires a large quantity of nutrients during different growth periods. Balanced and optimum use of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassic fertilizers plays a significant role in increasing the yield of maize [1] and their contribution is 40 45 per cent. The escalating cost of inorganic fertilizers, environmental hazards associated with them and failure in sustaining yields have given way for integrated use of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients, which will help to mitigate the abeyance state of soil thus improving biological power of the soil. Sustainable yield levels could be achieved only by the usage of organic sources of nutrients and chemical fertilizers [2, 3].In respect of organic sources of nutrients, biofertilizers form an integral part of nutrient supply system. Liquid biofertilizer is a special formulation containing high number of desired microorganism with high shelf life and zero contamination. They are cost effective and as a source of plant nutrients to supplement inorganic fertilizers. These microbial inoculants help in increasing crop productivity through increased biological nitrogen fixation, increased availability or uptake of nutrients by plants through solubilization or increased absorption, stimulation of plant growth through hormonal action or antibiosis etc.Keeping in view the above facts, the present experimentation was conducted to study the effect of different levels of P with varied liquid biofertilizers on growth, yield attributes and yield of maize.