A Preliminary Study on Response of Iron Content and Yield of Corn to Different Rates of Sewage Sludge

preliminary study was carried out in order to investigate the effects of application of treated sludge and Fe fertilizer on the yield and Fe content of maize. The trial was conducted in randomized plots design with three replications as pot experiment and C-955 hybrid maize was grown for silage. As basic fertilization, 200 mg kg-1 N, 100 mg kg-1 P and 150 mg kg-1 K were applied to all of the pots. Treatments were (C) control, (T1) 5 mg kg-1Fe (Fe in sludge) + 10 mg kg-1Fe (FeSO4,7H2O), (T2) 10 mg kg-1 Fe (Fe in sludge) + 5 mg kg-1 Fe (FeSO4,7H2O), (T3) 15 mg kg-1 Fe (Fe in sludge) and (T4) 15 mg kg-1 Fe (FeSO4,7H2O). Applications of sludge and Fe increased wet weight, dry weight, plant height, leaf number and the content of N, K, Fe, Zn and Cu of maize plant. It was concluded that application of 15 mg kg-1 Fe in sludge is sufficient for Fe need of maize. However, the obtained results from this study were valid only for this study soil and sewage sludge and should be used without generalization as they can vary under different conditions such as soil and climate. Therefore, further researches are needed on this field