Effect of the nitrogen management and seed priming with GA3 on the growth and dry matter production of summer maize (Zea mays) as baby corn

The experiment was conducted at agricultural farm of Palli Siksha Bhavana, Visva-Bharati at Sriniketan of Birbhum district and West Bengal during summer season of 2012 in split plot design and replicated three times. The soil at experimental site was analyzed to be low in available N, medium in available P₂O₅, medium in available K₂O, sandy loam textured and slightly acidic (pH 5.8) in reaction. The sowing was done on 14 March 2012. The treatments comprised of four levels of nitrogen viz N1: 100 kg/ha with 3 splits (½ basal, ¼ at 25 DAS, ¼ at 45 DAS), N2: 150 kg N/ha with 3 splits (½ basal, ¼ at 25 DAS, ¼ at 45 DAS), N3: 50 kg N/ha basal and N top dressing at SPAD value <45 (each time @ 20 kg N/ha), N4: 100 kg N/ha basal and N top dressing at SPAD value <45 (each time @ 20 kg N/ha) in main plot and sub-plot treatments consisting of no priming of seeds and seed priming with GA3 @ 250 ppm. Plant height at knee high stage only increased markedly due to higher rate of basal nitrogen application resulting in significantly taller plants under SPAD based nitrogen management and other growth attributes like dry matter production, leaf area and growth analysis in terms of LAI at tasselling stage were found to improve significantly under SPAD based nitrogen management compared to blanket split nitrogen application. Seed priming with GA3 did not show significant effect on growth attributes such as plant height leaf area and physiological growth attributes such as dry matter production LAI.