Balanced Fertilization of Major Crops in Egypt

The main objectives of this study were to enhance crop productivity with innovative techniques of fertigation, maximize water and fertilizer use efficiency, and to increase awareness of fertigation management and associated technology transfer. Treatments were investigated with maize under field conditions at the Experimental Station of National Research Centre, Nubaria District of El-Behrea Governorate, Egypt. Treatments for the first experiment were: 1) control with no fertilizer application; 2) recommended rate of N; 3) recommended rate of P; 4) recommended rate of K; 5) recommended rate of NP; 6) recommended rate of NK; 7) recommended rate of NPK; and 8) recommended rate of NPK+Micronutrients. A second experiment used the following treatments: 1) control with no fertilizer application; 2) NPK with potassium citrate as the K source; 3) NPK with potassium sulfate; 4) NPK with potassium chloride.

Highest maize grain yield was obtained with balanced fertilization of NPK and NPK + micronutrients, which produced 7.0 and 7.3 t/ha, respectively. The lowest yield was 5.5 t/ha was obtained with the control treatment. In the second experiment comparing K sources, the highest grain yield of 8.2 t/ha was obtained with potassium sulfate.