There are many factors that affect the productivity of rabi maize & fertilizer management is one of the most important factor that affect the growth and yield of maize.
As it is an exhaustive crop, it requires all types of macro & micro nutrients in order to get better growth.
Among the various nutrients, nitrogen is the principal nutrient which should be applied in order to have better growth.
The efficiency of nitrogen utilization is better in rabi than in kharif season because of better water management and lower leaching losses.
Farmyard manure should be applied before sowing because combination of organic & inorganic fertilizers give better results than the use of fertilizers alone.
Therefore, for higher yield of maize, application of FYM 10-15 days prior to sowing is recommended.
For rabi crop, it requires 80-100 kg Nitrogen, 32 kg phosphorus & 32 kg potash per acre is recommended.
Full doses of phosphorus, potassium & zinc should be applied at time of sowing.
Nitrogen may be applied by dividing it in four parts i.e. at sowing, after 30-35 days of sowing (at knee high stage), after 50-55 days of sowing & after 60-65 days of sowing (at tasseling-silking stage).
If there is deficiency of zinc then 20 kg of zinc sulphate per acre may be applied.
