Fortified Organic Fertilizers as Alternatives to Inorganic Fertilizers for Maize Production

Abstract

This study was conducted during 2024 maize growing season to evaluate effects of nitrogen-enriched organic fertilizers on maize growth, yield, and soil nutrient status. fertilizers assessed included an enriched organic fertilizer (MFERT) and nitrogen-fortified poultry manure (PTM), compared against conventional inorganic NPK fertilizer and an unfertilized control. results indicated that maize plants grown with enriched organic fertilizers exhibited growth and yield characteristics comparable to those treated with inorganic fertilizer. At harvest, plants treated with MFERT attained an average height of 261 cm, followed closely by those receiving fortified poultry manure (254 cm) and inorganic fertilizer (254 cm). time required to reach 50% tasseling varied among treatments, with inorganic fertilizer allowing fastest tasseling at 52 days, followed by MFERT at 50 days, PTM at 54 days, and control taking longest. Grain yield was significantly influenced by fertilization, with MFERT yielding 3.96 t ha⁻¹, NPK fertilizer producing 3.55 t ha⁻¹, PTM yielding 3.14 t ha⁻¹, and control yielding lowest at 2.66 t ha⁻¹. findings suggest that enriched organic fertilizers can serve as viable alternatives to conventional inorganic fertilizers for sustaining maize growth and yield.