Assessing the Effect of Combining Phosphorus Fertilizers with Crop Residues on Maize (Zea Mays L.) Productivity and Financial Benefits

The decline in maize production may mainly be attributed to improper or excessive use of fertilizers, leading to significant soil nutrient losses. The integrated use of crop residues and synthetic fertilizers is more profitable and beneficial in meeting crop nutritional needs, ensuring long-term production and environmental protection. Advances in agricultural production and sustainable land management are still scarce in this country. Therefore, in this research, a field experiment was conducted during the Kharif season, also known as monsoon or autumn crops, in 2021 using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) having three replications and two factors, i.e. phosphorus sources (DAP, SSP and NP) and crop residues (sarson and sesbania) in a maize plantation. Phosphorus and plant residues were applied at a rate of 90 kg ha(-1) and 5 tons ha(-1), respectively. Treatment of DAP (90 kg ha(-1)) with the incorporation of 5 tons ha(-1) of sesbania residue emerged as the best P-crop residue combination with delayed tasseling (50 days), early silking (68 days), taller plants (178 cm), thousand-grain weight (233 g) with maximum biological yield (11349 kg ha(-1)), and grain yield (3760 kg ha(-1)). It was concluded that incorporating phosphorus in the form of DAP with sesbania residues resulted in the highest plant height, biological yield, as well as grain yield of maize. Furthermore, the integrated approach has proven to be more economical in terms of cost-benefit ratio (BCR). This would help to reduce the use of high-cost synthetic mineral fertilizers while also significantly boosting maize yield and economics in the agro-climatic conditions of Pakistan.