Response of Hybrid Maize to Soil and Foliar Application of Iron and Zinc on Entisols

An investigation was carried out for three years (2010 to 2012) on Typic Ustorthent to study the response of hybrid maize to different soil and foliar application of iron and zinc on Entisol. The treatments comprised of foliar and soil application of iron and zinc sources of EDTA and sulphate form at two critical growth stages of maize crop. The availability of DTPA-Fe and Zn was increased in soil after harvest of crop due to soil application of respective source of Fe and Zn, however, it was not increased in foliar application. The total uptake of Fe and Mn was significantly higher in treatment T₁₂ (GRDF + soil application of FeSO₄ + ZnSO₄ @ 5 kg ha^-1 each at two stages i.e. 7536 and 1222 g ha^-1 Fe and Mn, respectively. The total uptake of Zn was also significantly higher in treatment T₁₂ (852 g ha^-1) followed by T₁₁ (836 g ha^-1) and T₁₀ (821 g ha^-1). The highest maize grain yield (79.4 q ha^-1) was significantly increased in the treatment of T₁₂ followed by T₁₁ treatment, where Fe and Zn sources were added in soil as a sulphate and chelated form, respectively.