Yielding and content of selected microelements in maize fertilized with various organic materials

Abstract

The paper aimed at comparing the yield and concentrations of zinc, copper and nickel in maize cultivated in soil fertilized with two different sewage sludge with yielding of maize fertilized with manure and solely with mineral fertilizers. The experiment was conducted in plastic pots, of which each contained 8.5 kg of air-dried soil with granulometric composition of light sandy loam and neutral pH. Sewage sludge used for the experiment originated from two municipal sewage sludge treatment plants in Krzeszowice (sludge I) and Niepołomice (sludge II), while manure from a private farm in Czernichów district. The test plant was maize (Zea mays) cultivated for 74 days and then harvested for green forage. On the basis of conducted research it was found that various fertilizer combinations applied in the experiment had a significant influence on the test plant yielding. All compared fertilizer variants allowed maize to produce statistically significantly higher yield in comparison with the yield harvested from the unfertilized soils. Fertilization with sewage sludge I supplemented with mineral treatment and application of solely mineral salts proved the most beneficial for the maize yield. Applied fertilizer combinations affected the content of microelements. The highest concentrations of nickel in maize green mass were assessed in plant samples from the unfertilized object, whereas zinc and copper from mineral fertilization variant. Except of zinc, introducing additional metal doses did not influence their increased content in plant organs. Soil enrichment with zinc contained in sewage sludge I and II (respectively 77.4 mg and 49.9 mg ∙ pot-1) contributed to its elevated concentration in maize roots but at the same time this metal content statistically significantly decreased in maize shoots in comparison with the amounts determined in plants fertilized with mineral materials.