Influence of residue management on yield and yield components of zero till maize

Burning crop residue in open fields releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which significantly pollutes the air and causes global warming. A huge number of issues related to soil and air quality came out due to burning, lowering the sustainability of the environment. To find an alternative, this study was started to investigate the possibility of using lignocellulolytic microbes to speed up the in-situ breakdown of crop residues. Studying the impact of fertilizers and residue management on maize production and yield components was the aim of this experiment. In rabi 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively, the experiment on residue management with microbial consortium was carried out at college farm, college of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Hyderabad. It was set up in a strip plot design with three replications for each of the twenty-four treatments. Incorporating residues treated with SSP and consortium in conjunction with 75 % RDF (Recommended Dose of Fertilizers) resulted in increased cobs plant-1, cob length, cob girth, number of kernel rows cob-1, number of kernels cob-1, test weight, grain and biological yields. For residue burning and removal operations using 125 % RDF application, these parameters were negligible. The plots with the lowest values of these parameters were those without residues and they likewise performed badly. The application of SSP (Single Super Phosphate) in conjunction with microbial consortium at a rate of 10 % of residual weight in incorporated plots was found to increase maize yield and yield components.