Microdosing technology of fertilizer for sorghum production at Shambat, Sudan
Monirah Babiker Mohamed Arbab, Yassin Mohmad Ibrahim Dagash
Cell Biology and Development June 16, 2017 DOI: 10.13057/cellbioldev/v010104
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractApplying small, targeted doses of NPK fertilizer directly into the planting hole—a technique called microdosing—improves sorghum growth. In a field experiment in Sudan, sorghum plants received 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 grams of NPK per plant hole at sowing. All microdosing rates progressively enhanced plant height, stem thickness, shoot fresh and dry weight, number of leaves, and node length compared to no fertilizer. The 4-gram dose produced the best results. The findings suggest that fertilizer microdosing can boost sorghum production efficiently.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Sorghum plants grown at the experimental farm of Sudan University of Science and Technology, Khartoum North-Shambat |
| Dose | 1, 2, 3, and 4 g NPK per plant hole |
| Duration | Growing season of 2015 |
| Key finding | Fertilizer microdosing, especially at 4 grams per plant hole, progressively improved all measured sorghum growth characters, with highly significant differences in plant height, stem thickness, and shoot fresh and dry weight. |
Abstract
Arbab MBM, Dagash YMI. 2017. Microdosing technology of fertilizer for sorghum production at Shambat, Sudan. Cell Biol Dev 1: 18-22. The study was conducted at the experimental farm of Sudan University of Science and Technology, College of Agricultural Studies; Khartoum North-Shambat, to investigate the agronomic response and efficiency of fertilizer microdosing in Sorghum. An experiment with the following treatments was achieved: control without fertilizer, microdosing treatments with the rates of 1, 2, 3 and 4 g NPK per plant hole at sowing. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized block design with four replications. The experiment was conducted during the growing season of 2015. Weeding was carried once after three weeks from seed germination and irrigated weekly. The following parameters were considered during experimentation; the number of leaves, plant height, node length and stem thickness, while the shoot fresh and dry weights were recorded at termination. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance and the means were separated by Duncan’s multiple rang test. The results obtained showed the progressive improvement of all Sorghum tested characters. There were highly significant differences in plant height, stem thickness, shoot fresh and dry weight. The number of leaves and the node length showed significant differences. The four gram microdose gave the best results.