Effect of crop-establishment methods and nitrogen levels on productivity and profitability of maize (Zea mays) in semi-arid region of Afghanistan

A field experiment was carried out at the Afghanistan National Agricultural Sciences and Technology University (ANASTU), Kandahar, during the rainy (kharif) season (April-August) of 2015, to study the yield and profitability responses of maize (Zea mays L.) to different crop-establishment methods and nitrogen (N) levels in semi-arid region of Afghanistan. The treatments consisted of 3 crop-establishment methods, viz. broadcast, line sowing and ridge sowing, allotted to main plots and 4 N levels, viz. 0, 120, 160, 200 kg N/ha, in subplots. The experiment was conducted in a three-time replicated split plot. The results revealed that crop-establishment methods did not influenced yield attributes like number of cobs/plant, cob length, cob girth, rows/cob, grains/row significantly; however numerically higher magnitude of these yield attributes was observed under ridge planting. Moreover, ridge planting recorded significantly higher number of grains/cob (390.1) and 1, 000-grain weight (272.6 g), which finally resulted in significantly higher grain yield (6.30 t/ha). Owing to higher yield, Net returns and benefit: cost ratio were also higher with ridge planting. Among the N levels, an application of 200 kg N/ha resulted in the maximum values of all yield attributes, which led to significantly higher grain yield (5.77 t/ha) and benefit: cost ratio (2.43) compared to all other N-levels.