The effect of increasing doses of meat and bone meal (MBM) on maize (Zea mays L.) grown for grain

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of meat and bone meal (MBM) used as an organic fertilizer on maize grown for grain. A two-factorial field experiment in a randomized block design was carried out in 2010 and 2011, in north-eastern Poland. Experimental factor I was MBM dose (1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 t ha-1 year-1), and experimental factor II was the year of the study (two consecutive years). Increasing MBM doses contributed to an increase in maize grain yield and 1000-grain weight. The yield-forming effect of MBM applied at 1.5 t ha-1 year-1 was comparable with that of nitrogen and phosphorus contained in mineral fertilizers. A dose of 2.5 t ha-1 MBM led to a significant increase in maize grain yield. The P and K content of maize grain was determined by MBM dose, whereas the concentrations of N, Mg and Ca in grain were not affected by MBM dose. Significantly higher N, P, K and Mg uptake by maize plants was observed in treatments with the highest MBM dose, compared with the control treatment. Nitrogen and phosphorus uptake per 1 t MBM reached 101 kg and 26 kg, respectively. The results of a two-year study show that the maximum MBM dose (2.5 t ha-1 year-1) met the fertilizer requirements of maize with respect to nitrogen and phosphorus.