The present study examined the effectiveness of biogas slurry (liquor from anaerobic digestion process) as a nitrogen source for the production of maize fodder (Zea mays). | Research Article Turk J Agric For 34 (2010) 91-99 © TÜBİTAK doi: The effects of biogas slurry on the production and quality of maize fodder Md. Rafiqul ISLAM1, Syed Mohammad Ehsanur RAHMAN1,2, Md. Mukhlesur RAHMAN1,3,*, Deog Hwan OH2, Chang Six RA3 1Department of Animal Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, BANGLADESH 2Division of Food and Biotechnology, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 200-701, SOUTH KOREA 3Department of Animal Life System, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 200-701, SOUTH KOREA Received: Abstract: The present study examined the effectiveness of biogas slurry (liquor from anaerobic digestion process) as a nitrogen source for the production of maize fodder (Zea mays). Maize fodder was cultivated as a control (T0: 0 kg of slurry N ha-1) and with 3 different levels of biogas slurry—T1 (60 kg of slurry N ha-1), T2 (70 kg of slurry N ha-1), and T3 (82 kg of slurry N ha-1)—in a randomized block design. The parameters studied were plant height, stem circumference, number of leaves, leaf area, dry matter yield, and nutrient contents in maize fodder. Maize plant height and stem circumference were significantly (P T2 > T0 > T1). With time, T2 resulted in significantly larger stem circumference, as compared to the control and other treatment groups at 28, 42, and 56 days; however, the chronology of the other 3 treatments differed slightly at the different growing stages, as follows: T2 > T1 > T3 > T0, T2 > T3 > T0 > T1, and T2 > T1 > T3 > T0 at 28, 42, and 56 days, respectively. According to the stem circumference results, biogas slurry N clearly influenced the growth and production of maize fodder, but an excessive level (82 kg of slurry N ha-1) of biogas slurry negatively affected stem circumference. The number of leaves and leaf area are shown in Table 5. The number of leaves per maize plant ranged from to 13 in the different treatment groups. There was no significant difference .
