ICRISAT Archival Report 2006 - The seedlings of success in the ...

maize grain yield associated with the tablets under both tillage systems (Table 9B2). This translated into significant
increase (P=0.01) in agronomic nitrogen use efficiency (ANUE) of up to 80% under the basin system. This increase
in ANUE is attributed to the lower solubility of tablets, which may have resulted in a reduction in leaching losses
from the root zone. A further seasons trials are planned to confirm that the tablets are a viable alternative to
microdosing with a crown bottle cap, and further laboratory work will be undertaken to look at leaching
characteristics.
Table 9B2: The effect of applying small doses of prill and tablet AN formulations on grain yield (kg ha -1 );
WUE (kg of grain ha -1 / mm -1 of rain) and ANUE (kg of grain ha -1 / kg of N applied ha -1 ) in the flat and basin
tillage systems in Masvingo in 2005/06 cropping season
AN
Flat
Basin
treatment Yield WUE ANUE Yield WUE ANUE
Control 1943 b 2.31 b 2474 b 2.93 b
Prill 3190 a 3.83 a 39.7 3593 a 4.30 a 36.2 b
Tablet 3313 a 3.97 a 44.2 4257 a 5.12 a 65.8 a
SED 453.5 0.531 14.51 554.9 0.642 10.85
P value 0.006 0.004 NS 0.008 0.005 0.01
Column means followed by different letters differ at P