Assessing Nitrogen Biofertilizer Microbeads Formula and Inorganic Nitrogen Fertilizer on Nitrogen Uptake and Agronomic Traits of Maize

The relatively low fertility of Inceptisols is a limiting factor to increase the growth and yield of maize plants. The application of microbeads nitrogen-fixing biofertilizer can help the availability and efficiency of N for plants. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of microbead N biofertilizer formulations and inorganic nitrogen fertilizers in improving nitrogen uptake, nitrogen fertilizer efficiency, and the agronomic traits of maize. The study used a Factorial Randomized Block Design (RBD) consisting of two factors. The first factor was microbeads consisting of 4 formulations. The second factor is the dose of Urea with four levels: 0% Urea, 40% recommended dose, 80% recommended dose, and 100% recommended dose. The results showed that there was an interaction effect between microbeads and Urea on N-total, total population of nitrogen fixing bacteria, and plant root length, but there was no interaction effect on N uptake and maize plant growth. The combination of microbeads formulation m2 (Alginate 2%, Trehalose 1%, Kaolin 1%, Skim Milk 2%, and Humic Acid 0.5%) and the 80% recommended dose of Urea is the best treatment that can produce N-total by 0.34% and reduce the dose of Urea use by 20%. These results conclude that the application of nitrogen biofertilizers in the form of microbeads could enhance maize growth.