Synergistic effects of biochar-coated urea and enriched biochar on nitrogen management in sweet corn

The study was conducted at GBPUAT, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, during the Kharif season of 2020 to evaluate the effects of novel fertilizers, specifically biochar-coated urea (BCU) and enriched biochar (EB), on sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata). The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with eight treatments, including no nitrogen (N) application control (T₁); 100% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) through conventional fertilizer + conventional urea (CU) (T₂) ); 100% RDF with vermicompost (VC) 4t ha^-1+CU (T₃); 100% RDF with EB 2t ha^-1+BCU (T₄); 75% RDF with VC 4t ha^-1 +CU (T₅); 75% RDF with EB 2t ha^-1+BCU (T₆); 75% RDF with VC 4t ha^-1+CU+ micronutrient mixture (T₇) and 75% RDF with EB 2t ha^-1+BCU micronutrient mixture (T₈) all replicated three times. The highest dehusked cob yield and N uptake were achieved with 100% RDF + EB treatment at 2t ha^-1+ BCU. This treatment also exhibited the highest N-use efficiency (NUE), outperforming conventional fertilizer applications by 30%. Applying vermicompost (VC) at 4 t/ha + 100% RDF produced comparable results. Additionally, significantly higher total N uptake at harvest was observed with the 100% RDF + EB at 2t ha^-1+ BCU treatment. These findings underscore the effectiveness of integrating BCU and EB in enhancing sweet corn yield, N uptake. Hence, these novel fertilizer combinations can contribute to sustainable agricultural productivity and improved soil health.