PERFORMANCE OF HYBRID MAIZE (Zea mays L.) IN DIFFERENT LEVELS AND TIME OF NITROGEN APPLICATION IN INDO-GANGETIC PLAINS OF EASTERN INDIA

Present experiment was conducted with four nitrogen levels (75, 100, 125 and 150 kg Nha -1 ) with three time of application viz. S1 ( as basal + at 25 DAS), S2 ( as basal + at 45 DAS) and S3 ( as basal + at 25 DAS + at 45 DAS) in split-plot design, during rainy season of 2016 and 2017 at Gayeshpur farm of B.C.K.V. Nadia, West Bengal, India on hybrid maize (P3377). Result of present study revealed that plant height increased with the increase of N level from 75 to 150 kg ha -1 . LAI and aerial dry matter accumulation were significantly higher at 125 kg N ha -1 and lowest in 75 kg N ha -1 at harvest. Higher grain yield (5.99 t ha -1 ) and cob/plant, grain/cob, seed index and B:C ratio (1.75) were also obtained from 125 kg N ha -1 . Regarding time of application of N, though treatment S1, exhibited higher plant height in the initial stage but ultimately treatment S3 recorded with better result. Higher grain yield of 5.63 t ha -1 and B:C ratio (1.64) was obtained with N applied in thrice ( as basal + at 25 DAS + at 45 DAS) followed by S2. Thus from the pooled data of two years experiment it can be inferred that nitrogen level of 125 kg ha -1 and applied in three growth stages ( as basal + at 25 DAS + at 45 DAS) in maize can be used for yield increase and higher profit.