Effect of Foliar Application of Moringa Leaf Extract on Biomass Production and Nutrient Content of Maize

The spray of moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf extract is crucial for the biomass output and nutrient content of maize. The current study was conducted in 2021–2022 in green house Department of Soil Science, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam. The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the impact of foliar application of moringa leaf extract on maize nutritional content and biomass production. Five distinct treatments, each with three repeats, were placed in 15 pots, each pot was filled with 5 kgs of soil, and an experimental trial was conducted using a Complete Randomized Design (CRD). Moringa Leaf Extract was applied as foliar spray after 2, 4, and 6 weeks of plant emergence. The results reveal that the plant growth parameters i.e., shoot length (19.55cm), shoot fresh weight (13.22g plant-1), shoot dry weight (7.00 g plant-1), leaf fresh weight (3.6 g) and No. of leaves plant-1 (7.33), tap root length (54.00 cm) and tap root fresh weight (2.89 g plant-1), tap root dry weight (1.73 g) significantly increased in all treated pots. The leaf tissues of maize plant were also assessed for their nutrient content i.e., Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. The results indicate that the maize plant was affected by three different treatments of moringa leaf extract applied at various crop growth stages. Maximum nitrogen content was found in maize leaf (4.79%) where the crop was sprayed thrice, whereas maximum phosphorus and potassium content was observed (0.72%) and (3.44%) respectively. It is concluded from the study that the biomass production and nutrient content of maize crop were significantly affected by treatment five where foliar spray of moringa leaf extract was applied after 2, 4 and 6 weeks of plant emergence, this indicates that moringa leaf extract spray performed better for most of the investigated traits. We recommend further research to confirm these outcomes.