Evaluating Nutrient Uptake and Efficiency in Maize Through Precision Nutrient Management Strategies

Maize is a versatile crop in terms of growing season and use, which produces a sizable amount of biomass in a season and removes an ample quantity of nutrients from the soil. Such a nutrient-exhaustive crop needs an exogenous application of nutrients to meet its needs. Hence, precision nutrient management can be a scientific option for maize. Based on the facts, a field experiment was conducted during the Rabi seasons of 2022-23 and 2023-24 at the P.G. Research Farm of the M. S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Odisha, India, to evaluate the nutrient removal and nutrient use efficiency of maize. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design with 13 treatments, replicated thrice. The treatments were: T?: RDF (120-60-60 kg ha?¹ N, P?O? and K?O), T?: 125% RDF (150-75-75 kg ha?¹), T?: 75% RDF (90-45-45 kg ha?¹), T?: 150% RDF (180-90-90 kg ha?¹), T?: RDF + nano urea, T?: 75% RDF + nano urea, T?: LCC 4-based nitrogen management, T?: LCC 5-based nitrogen management, T?: chlorophyll content meter (CCM) sufficiency index 85–90%, T??: CCM sufficiency index 90–95%, T??: nutrient expert (NE) targeted yield 7 t ha?¹, T??: NE targeted yield 9 t ha?¹ and T??: control (0-0-0 kg ha?¹). The recommended dose of 120:60:60 kg ha?¹ N, P?O? and K?O was applied. The highest nitrogen content in grain and stover was recorded with T10 and T4. However, T4 recorded the highest P and K content in grain and stover of maize. The highest agronomic use efficiency (AUE) of maize for the primary nutrients was computed with T2, which was followed by T9 and T12. The highest partial factor productivity (PFP) for N, P and K was T10, closely followed by T9, T12, T4 and T2. The treatment T3 recorded the highest nutrient harvest index (NHI) for primary nutrients, followed by T2 and T1. However, the highest nutrient content in the post-harvest soil denoted values for N with T1, P with T2 and K with T4 and T12. The results concluded that precision nutrient management with split application in maize with optical sensors and decision support systems can be replicated further in various agroclimatic situations and cropping systems.