EFFECT OF FERTILIZER APPLICATION METHODS ON MAIZE LEAVES CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of methods of fertilizer application on chemical composition of maize leaves. The experiment consisted of four (4) treatments. Treatment 1 (T1) was the application of fertilizer using side placement while Treatment 2 (T2), Treatment 3 (T3) and Treatment 4 (T4) were the 20%, 40% and 60% (g/L water)of the total amount of fertilizer applied in T1 respectively using foliar method of application, The maize leaves were analyzed for the chemical composition-OM, DM, ASH, ADF, NDF, ADL, and CP. The result revealed that there was significant (p≤0.05) effect of method fertilization on the chemical composition of maize leaves.It was therefore concluded that, foliar application of 40% fertilizer used in band application could improve OM and NDF contents of maize leaves which could lead to increased VDMI and reduced cost of fertilizer.