EFFECTS OF PHOSPHOGYPSUM WASTE APPLICATION ON CORN (ZEA MAYS L.) YIELD AND NUTRIENT CONTENTS

Abstract

The transformation of agro-industrial wastes into value-added commodity is among the best approches to a greener and more sustainable future. The aim of in this study was to examine the effects of phosphogypsum waste (PGW) as fertilizer to improve yield and nutrient content in the grain, stem and leaves of corn (Zea mays L.). A randomized experiment via a complete plot design was applied using four different triplicated doses of PGW (0, 1, 5 and 10 tons ha(-1)). It was shown that improvement in corn yield was proportional to the increase in PGW dose, corresponding to 46.19%, 38.76% and 39.65% for 1, 5, and 10 ton ha(-1) of PGW, respectively. A 5.85 ton ha(-1) PGW dose was optimal in yielding a 8.63 ton ha(-1) of corn despite a 8.26 ton ha(-1) the production yield using 5 ton ha(-1) PGW, as the latter was statistically borderline significant. The approach adopted here also yielded corns with higher macro- and micronutrient contents compared to the control. The analysis of variance data illustrated that the improved contents of N, P, K, Ca, Zn and B per 1 ton ha(-1), and Mg per 5 ton he were also significant (P<0.05). It can be construed that the recommended dose of PGW as fertilizer between 1-5 tons ha(-1) can lead to substantial improvements in yield and nutrient contents in corn.