Study on the Enhancement of Forage Quality of Maize through Nano Urea

Nano-technology based nutrient management practices in fodder crops are still in their nascent stage of growth. Fodder crops require more nitrogen and meeting this demand through nano-urea raises questions about its suitability for long-term fodder production. Therefore, a field trail on enhancing forage quality of maize through nano urea and urea foliar application was conducted was conducted at ZARS, V. C. Farm, Mandya, during kharif season of 2022. The experiment was laid out in RCBD with eleven treatments replicated thrice. Treatments include combinations of basal application of urea at 50, 75 and 100% recommended dose of N with varied levels of nano urea and urea spray at 20 and 40 DAS, which were compared with RDF and control (RDF without N). The results indicated that application of 100% RDN (150 kg N ha-1) along with urea @ 2% spray led to significantly enhanced the fodder quality like crude protein, crude fibre, crude fat and carbohydrate and was on par with 100% recommended dose of N + Nano urea @ 0.4% spray.