Nutrient management:

Among all the cereals, maize in general and hybrids in particular are responsive to nutrients applied either through organic or inorganic sources. The rate of nutrient application depends mainly on soil nutrient status/balance and cropping system. For obtaining desirable yields, the doses of applied nutrients should be matched with the soil supplying capacity and plant demand (Site-specific nutrient management approach) by keeping in view of the preceding crop (cropping system). Response of maize to applied organic manures is notable and hence integrated nutrient management (INM) is very important nutrient management strategy in maize based production systems. Therefore, for higher economic yield of maize, application of 10 t FYM ha^-1, 10-15 days prior to sowing supplemented with 150-180 kg N, 70-80 kg P₂O₅, 70-80 kg K₂O and 25 kg ZnSO₄ ha^-1 is recommended. Full doses of P, K and Zn should be applied as basal preferably drilling of fertilizers in bands along the seed using seed-cum-fertilizer drills. Nitrogen should be applied in 5-splits as detailed below for higher productivity and use efficiency. N application at grain filling results in better grain filling. Therefore, nitrogen should be applied in five splits as per below mentioned for higher N use efficiency.

S. No	Crop Stage	Nitrogen rate (%)
1	Basal (at sowing)	20
2	V4 (four leaf stage)	25
3	V8 (eight leaf stage)	30
4	VT (tasseling stage)	20
5	GF (grain filling stage)	5

Deficiency symptoms of nutrients in maize:

Nutrient deficiencies in crops reduce yields, quality and profits to the farmer. Yield can often be reduced 10-30% by deficiencies of major nutrients before any clear symptoms of deficiency are observed in the field. The photographs of common nutrient deficiency symptoms in maize are given in Appendix II.