Sustainable maize production through seed inoculation and different tillage regimes

Abstract Maize is ranked as the third important cereal crop used as staple food after wheat and rice across the globe. However, population is increasing very rapidly and land holdings sizes are decreasing. Moreover, increasing input prices are also forcing the farmers switch towards conservative production systems. This situation needs yield increase per unit area to meet the food demands of increasing population. In this scenario, use of bio fertilizers with proper soil tillage practices can improve agricultural productivity on sustainable basis. The present study was conducted to evaluate the impacts of various tillage practices (Conventional, deep tillage and zero tillage) and seed inoculation strains on growth, yield and quality of spring sown maize. The experiment was conducted in RCBD in split plot arrangement with three replications. Maize hybrid (DKC-6142) was used as test cultivar. Both the qualitative and quantitative parameters of maize were significantly affected by tillage regimes and inoculation strains. However, their interaction was found non-significant for all the studied traits. Yield related traits and grain yield was significantly better recorded when maize seeds were inoculated and non-inoculated maize seeds performs poor in term of all these parameters. However, maize seeds sown without application of inoculum produced highest oil starch contents. Among the tillage practices, yield related traits, grain yield and protein contents were significantly better in conventional tillage followed by deep tillage, while performance of maize sown under zero tillage was poor in terms of these traits. However, crop sown under zero tillage produced highest oil and starch contents. In crux, seed inoculation of maize seeds may be used as an option to increase the maize yields in conventional system to meet the food demands of ever increasing population.