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Maize (Zea mays L.) remains one of Ghana's most important staple crops, providing essential nutrition for millions while supporting livelihoods across the country. As concerns about the environmental impacts of synthetic fertilizers grow, farmers increasingly seek sustainable alternatives that don't compromise productivity. A comprehensive field study has evaluated the effectiveness of NUTREENT, an innovative organic soil amendment, compared to conventional NPK fertilizers on the Kunjor Wari hybrid maize variety in Ghana, with promising results that could transform agricultural practices.
NUTREENT represents a significant advancement in organic soil amendments. This dry product is diluted with reverse osmosis water and typically applied every 30 days. The formulation functions as a probiotic blend of cultures that produce organic lactic acids in the plant root zone. The product contains a balanced mix of amino acids, minerals, and micronutrients, including calcium carbonate, plant sugars, organic soluble carbon, soluble amino acids, humic and fulvic acid, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, zinc, manganese, magnesium, iron, B vitamins, and other trace minerals.
Developed in response to growing demand for more organic crop production methods, NUTREENT enhances nutrient availability in soil while allowing farmers to adjust water and soil pH. This biological alternative has been successfully used in countries like Mexico and the United States for over two decades, consistently outperforming similar products in the market.
The research team conducted a carefully controlled field experiment with the Kunjor Wari hybrid maize variety, which has a maturity period of 90 days. Six different fertilizer treatments were tested:
Data was collected at 3, 6, and 9 weeks after planting (WAP) for growth parameters and at harvest for yield parameters. All treatments were replicated three times to ensure statistical reliability.
Plant height measurements revealed interesting patterns across the different fertilizer treatments. At 3 WAP, the conventional NPK treatment (90:60:60 kg/ha) produced the tallest plants at 55.47 cm, while the unfertilized control plants were significantly shorter at 43.30 cm. The NUTREENT treatments produced intermediate heights, with the high-rate NUTREENT application (Nut0.906 kg/ha) performing closest to the conventional fertilizer.
By 6 WAP, the height differences became more pronounced. The conventional NPK treatment maintained its advantage with plants reaching 176.53 cm, while control plants lagged significantly at 128.40 cm—a difference of 36.05%. The high-rate NUTREENT application (Nut0.906 kg/ha) produced plants measuring 143.53 cm, showing its ability to support substantial growth though not matching conventional fertilizer.
This trend continued at 9 WAP, with the NPK treatment producing the tallest plants, followed closely by the high-rate NUTREENT and the combined NPK+NUTREENT treatments. Statistical analysis confirmed significant variability between treatments at both 6 WAP (p < 0.001) and 9 WAP (p < 0.002), underscoring the real impact of fertilizer choice on plant development.
Leaf count provides important insights into a plant's photosynthetic capacity. Interestingly, at 3 WAP, the high-rate NUTREENT treatment (Nut0.906 kg/ha) produced the highest leaf count at 7.07 leaves per plant, outperforming even the conventional NPK treatment. This suggests that NUTREENT may enhance early leaf development.
By 6 WAP, the combined NPK+NUTREENT treatment (45:30:30 + Nut0.453 kg/ha) took the lead with 12.3 leaves per plant, closely followed by the high-rate NUTREENT (12.2) and the conventional NPK (12.07). The differences were relatively small at this stage, indicating comparable performance among these three treatments.
At 9 WAP, the high-rate NUTREENT treatment again demonstrated superiority with 18.33 leaves per plant, surpassing the conventional NPK treatment (16.67) by 10%. This represents a 25% increase over the unfertilized control, highlighting NUTREENT's ability to enhance leaf production throughout the growing season. This finding is particularly significant as leaf number directly impacts photosynthetic capacity and potential yield.
Leaf area index, which measures the total leaf area per unit ground area, provides insights into a crop's light interception capacity. At 6 WAP, the conventional NPK treatment produced the highest LAI at 0.073, followed closely by the high-rate NUTREENT treatment at 0.069—just 5.08% lower. The combined NPK+NUTREENT treatment also performed well with an LAI of 0.063.
The lower NUTREENT rates produced significantly lower LAI values, with the control treatment showing the lowest at 0.045. These differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001), demonstrating that fertilizer choice substantially impacts the plant's photosynthetic capacity. The high-rate NUTREENT's competitive performance compared to conventional fertilizer suggests its potential as an alternative that maintains adequate light interception capabilities.
Stem thickness is an important indicator of structural strength and resistance to lodging. Interestingly, the combined NPK+NUTREENT treatment produced the thickest stems at 8.23 cm, marginally outperforming the conventional NPK treatment (8.17 cm). The high-rate NUTREENT treatment produced stems measuring 7.30 cm—respectable but 11.51% smaller than the NPK treatment.
The control treatment had the thinnest stems at 5.80 cm, nearly 30% smaller than the conventional NPK treatment. Statistical analysis confirmed significant differences between treatments (p < 0.001), with the combined NPK+NUTREENT and conventional NPK treatments showing statistically similar results. This finding suggests that the combined treatment offers optimal support for stem development, potentially leveraging complementary benefits from both fertilizer types.
Cob length, a key yield component, showed significant variation across treatments. The conventional NPK treatment produced the longest cobs at 23.27 cm, substantially outperforming all other treatments. The high-rate NUTREENT treatment produced cobs measuring 19.50 cm (16.34% shorter), while the combined NPK+NUTREENT treatment followed at 17.83 cm (23.35% shorter). The control treatment produced the shortest cobs at just 11.07 cm—over 52% shorter than those from the NPK treatment.
Cob weight measurements showed a similar pattern, with the conventional NPK treatment producing the heaviest cobs (217.77g). However, the high-rate NUTREENT treatment performed remarkably well at 211.50g—just 1.46% lighter than the NPK treatment. This minimal difference suggests that NUTREENT at higher rates can approach conventional fertilizer in supporting cob development. The control treatment produced substantially lighter cobs at 92.80g, demonstrating the critical importance of adequate nutrition for yield formation.
Cob diameter measurements further confirmed these trends. The NPK treatment produced the widest cobs (13.43 cm), followed by the combined NPK+NUTREENT treatment (13.12 cm) and then the medium-high rate NUTREENT treatment (12.33 cm). While the differences among the fertilized treatments were relatively small (1-5%), all substantially outperformed the control treatment (9.58 cm). These findings indicate that while conventional NPK fertilizer optimizes cob dimensions, NUTREENT applications can produce comparable results, especially at higher rates.
The 100-seed weight, which reflects grain filling effectiveness, showed the conventional NPK treatment producing the heaviest seeds (26.71g). The combined NPK+NUTREENT treatment followed closely at 24.93g (6.66% lighter), with the high-rate NUTREENT treatment not far behind at 24.57g (7.99% lighter). The control treatment produced the lightest seeds at 18.93g, nearly 30% lighter than those from the NPK treatment.
The ultimate measure of productivity—grain yield—showed the conventional NPK treatment achieving the highest yield at 10.03g per 16m² plot. The high-rate NUTREENT treatment produced the second-highest yield at 8.67g per plot (13.56% lower). The combined NPK+NUTREENT treatment followed at 8.17g per plot, while the control treatment yielded just 3.50g—65% lower than the conventional fertilizer treatment. These differences were statistically significant (p < 0.006), confirming the real impact of fertilizer choice on farm productivity.
This comprehensive research demonstrates that while conventional NPK fertilizer (90:60:60 kg/ha) optimizes maize productivity across most parameters, NUTREENT applications—particularly at higher rates—can produce comparable results. The study reveals several key insights:
For Ghanaian farmers, these findings present compelling options. While conventional fertilizer maximizes absolute productivity, the high-rate NUTREENT application offers a more sustainable alternative with only moderate yield sacrifices. The 13.56% yield difference between conventional NPK and high-rate NUTREENT might be acceptable considering the environmental benefits and potential premium pricing for organically grown produce.
The combined NPK+NUTREENT treatment represents another promising approach, potentially allowing farmers to reduce synthetic fertilizer application by 50% while maintaining 81.5% of the yield. This strategy could strike an optimal balance between productivity and sustainability goals.
The study also suggests that NUTREENT's effectiveness stems from its unique formulation as a probiotic blend that enhances nutrient availability rather than simply adding nutrients directly. This approach aligns with growing interest in regenerative agricultural practices that work with natural soil biology.
As Ghana continues to face challenges with soil degradation, environmental concerns about synthetic fertilizers, and the need to enhance food security, these findings offer valuable options for farmers. NUTREENT represents a viable alternative or complement to conventional fertilization practices, potentially contributing to more sustainable agricultural systems while maintaining reasonable productivity levels.
Future research exploring NUTREENT's long-term effects on soil health, its performance across different agroecological zones, and its economic feasibility compared to conventional fertilizers would further strengthen the case for its adoption in Ghanaian maize production systems.
Maximizing crop yields in agriculture increases earnings, food security, and sustainability, which aligns with farmers' major productivity goals.
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