Effet de l'apport d'engrais et de matière organique sur le rendement en grains chez le maïs ("Zea mays" L.)

Résumé

To improve the stability of food crop production systems in the poorer rural areas of Côte d'Ivoire, soil fertility must be maintained. To study the response of maize crops to organic matter and fertiliser applications, an application technique adapted to the economic situation was tested for two years running. Six treatments, combining 8 t/ha of plant biomass, crop residues and variable doses of mineral fertiliser, were tested. Combining mineral fertiliser application with that of plant residues increased grain yield (1.7 to 3 times the yield due to fertiliser alone: mean of 1.4 t/ha) by raising the number of seeds per cob. For intensive maize cultivation on tertiary sandy soils in south-east Côte d'Ivoire, when combined with 8 t/ha of organic matter and crop residues, the following doses of mineral fertiliser could be applied and result in acceptable yields: 225 kg/ha of NPK (10-18-18) and 113 kg/ha of urea, and 150 kg/ha of NPK and 75 kg/ha of urea, respectively representing 75 and 50% of the recommended dose.