Nidhi S Trivedi, Manish M Joshi and Chinmay M Joshi*

BioAgro Innovators LLP, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.

*Corresponding Author: Chinmay M Joshi, BioAgro Innovators LLP, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.

Received: April 10, 2026; Published: May 05, 2026

Abstract

Maize (Zea mays L.) is an important cereal crop whose production is dependent on proper nutrition management. While the combined use of microbial and mineral fertilizers has recently gained importance, field research on particular biofertilizer combinations remains limited. This study involves a field trial assessing the combined use of NPK Consortia, Zinc solubilizing bacteria and mineral fertilizer in maize farming. This experiment was conducted during the 2020–2021 Kharif season at Himatnagar, Gujarat. This study used a split-plot design with six treatments and three replications. The combined application of 50% NPK Consortia and 50% mineral fertilizers (T5) performed considerably more effectively than the control and other treatments. T5 resulted in marked improvements in growth traits, including a 49.7% increase in plant height and a 105.3% increase in stem girth by 60 days after sowing. Yield attributes also improved notably, with T5 achieving the longest ear length (21.8 cm), highest kernel number per ear (615.7), and maximum grain yield (1881.5 kg/ha), demonstrating a 46.1% increase in total yield over the control. These results indicate that combining mineral fertilizers and biofertilizers can enhance crop performance while reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers. The study supports the adoption of microbial consortia-based fertilization strategies for sustainable maize production.

Keywords: BioNPK; Zinc; Maize; Mineral Fertilizer; Sustainable

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Citation

Citation: Chinmay M Joshi., et al. “Effect of Biofertilizer and Mineral Fertilizer Application on Maize Growth and Yield". Acta Scientific Agriculture 10.4 (2026): 50-57.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Chinmay M Joshi., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.