Humic Acid Foliation and Nutrient Levels Concerning Yield and Quality of Sweet Corn (Zea mays L. Convar. Saccharata)

Abstract

The increasing demand for sweet corn has driven the need for innovative agricultural practices to enhance yield and quality. One such promising approach is the foliar application of humic acid combined with varied nutrient levels. We aimed to conduct a field to study the effect of foliar application of humic acid on the growth and yield of Sweet corn (Zea mays convar. saccharata L.) at AHRS Kathalagere, University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga the summer of 2021. The various treatments included a combination of RDF with different concentrations of humic acid to improve the yield and quality of sweet corn. The significant effect of the application of humic acid with varied nutrient levels at recommended dosages on plant height, number of leaves, Leaf area, leaf area index, yield, yield parameters, and quality parameters of sweet corn were studied. The highest cob yield of 198.18 q ha-1 was in the application of 125% RDF + humic acid at 2% foliar spray as compared to the recommended dose of fertilizers with an increase of 25.28% and green fodder yield of 263.80 q ha-1 was achieved with an increase of 17.88%. The accumulation of crude protein (5.25%), total sugars (23.21%), reducing sugars (3.14%) and non-reducing sugars (19.06%) were observed to be highest in the foliar spray of 2% humic acid combined with 125% RDF. With these additional effects of humic acid, farmers can achieve higher yield and good quality of sweet corn to fulfill the increasing demand.