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Fertilizer Sector Improvement (FSI+) in Burma

Report of Variety and Fertilizer Management Demonstration Plots on Maize at Southern Shan State in Myanmar | 2018 Wet Season March 2019

FSI+ | Report of 2017 Wet Season Trials i

Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1

Material and Methods ................................................................................................................ 3

Site Selection ....................................................................................................................... 3

Farmer’s Practice – Varieties and Fertilizers ....................................................................... 3

Nutrient Rates of Fertilizer Practices ................................................................................... 4

Demonstration Design and Treatments ................................................................................ 6

Results and Discussion .............................................................................................................. 6

Maize Demonstration at Taung Pu Lwin, Pindaya .............................................................. 6

Maize Demonstration at Eine Pu, Pindaya .......................................................................... 7

Maize Demonstration at Inn Ngae, Pindaya ........................................................................ 9

Maize Demonstration at Pwe Hla, Pindaya ....................................................................... 10

Maize Demonstration at Inn Pet Let, Pindaya ................................................................... 11

Maize Demonstration at Inn Khaung, Ywangan ................................................................ 12

Maize Demonstration at Set Chan, Ywangan .................................................................... 13

Maize Demonstration at Thit Saint Pin, Ywangan ............................................................ 14

Maize Demonstration at Ywa Thit, Kalaw ........................................................................ 15

Maize Demonstration at Kyauk Htat, Kalaw ..................................................................... 16

Maize Demonstration at Phet Nam, Taunggyi ................................................................... 17

Maize Demonstration at San Kar, Nyaung Shwe .............................................................. 18

Maize Demonstration at Hmawbi, Nyaung Shwe .............................................................. 19

Maize Demonstration at Naung Kar Mee, Pinlaung .......................................................... 20

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 22

Photos ....................................................................................................................................... 26

Appendix .................................................................................................................................. 31

FSI+ | Report of 2017 Wet Season Trials ii

Tables

Table 1. Selected Sites and Coordinates of Maize Demonstrations in 2018 Wet Season ................................................................................................................... 3

Table 2. Syngenta Hybrid, Farmers’ Variety, and Farmers’ Practice of Fertilizer Management for All Demonstrations ................................................................... 5

Table 3. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Taung Pu Lwin, Pindaya ....................................................................................................... 7

Table 4. Yield Data of the Maize Demonstration at Taung Pu Lwin, Pindaya .................. 7

Table 5. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Eine Pu, Pindaya ................................................................................................................. 8

Table 6. Yield Data of the Maize Demonstration at Eine Pu, Pindaya .............................. 8

Table 7. Yield Component Characters of the Maize Demonstration at Inn Ngae, Pindaya ................................................................................................................. 9

Table 8 Yield Data of the Maize Demonstration at Inn Ngae, Pindaya .......................... 10

Table 9. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Pwe Hla, Pindaya ............................................................................................................... 10

Table 10 Yield Data of the Maize Demonstration at Pwe Hla, Pindaya ........................... 11

Table 11. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Inn Pet Let, Pindaya ........................................................................................................ 11

Table 12. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Inn Pet Let, Pindaya ............................. 12

Table 13. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Inn Khaung, Ywangan .............................................................................................. 12

Table 14. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Inn Khaung, Ywangan ......................... 13

Table 15. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Set Chan, Ywangan ............................................................................................................. 14

Table 16. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Set Chan, Ywangan .............................. 14

Table 17. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Thit Saing Pin, Ywangan ..................................................................................................... 15

Table 18. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Thit Saint Pin, Ywangan ...................... 15

Table 19. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Ywa Thit, Kalaw ................................................................................................................. 16

Table 20. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Ywa Thit, Kalaw .................................. 16

Table 21. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Kyauk Htat, Kalaw ......................................................................................................... 17

Table 22. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Kyauk Htat, Kalaw .............................. 17

Table 23. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Phet Nam, Taunggyi ............................................................................................................. 18

Table 24. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Phet Nam, Taunggyi ............................ 18

Table 25 Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at San Kar, Nyaung Shwe ..................................................................................................... 19

FSI+ | Report of 2017 Wet Season Trials iii

Table 26. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at San Kar, Nyaung Shwe ........................ 19

Table 27. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Hmawbi, Nyaung Shwe ..................................................................................................... 20

Table 28. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Hmawbi, Nyaung Shwe ....................... 20

Table 29. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Naung Kar Mee, Pinlaung .............................................................................................. 21

Table 30. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Naung Kar Mee, Pinlaung ................... 21

Figures

Figure 1. Average Yields of Fertilizer Practices for All Demonstrations Across All Locations ............................................................................................................ 23

Figure 2. Yield Comparison between NK 625 and Farmers’ Varieties at All Locations ............................................................................................................ 24

Photos

Photo 1. Cutting Lines with a Push-Type Manual Farm Tool at Inn Khaung on June 7, 2018 (left) and a Hand Tractor at Hmawbi on June 23, 2018 (right) ............. 26

Photo 2. Group Study by DOA Staff on How to Set Up a Demonstration Plot in Eine Pu on June 5 (Planting Day) ............................................................................... 26

Photo 3. Basal Fertilizer Application and Planting of the Maize Demonstration Site in Inn Pet Let on June 2, 2018 ............................................................................ 27

Photo 4. Covering Seed and Fertilizer Rows by Hand Hoeing in Kyauk Htat on May 31, 2018 .............................................................................................................. 27

Photo 5. Weeding and Hilling (left) and UDP Application (right) on the Maize Demonstration Site in Naung Kar Mee on July 17, 2018 .................................. 28

Photo 6. Crop Cut Harvesting of the Maize Demonstration Site in Taung Pu Lwin on October 6, 2018 .................................................................................................. 28

Photo 7. Removing Husks from Maize Cobs after Harvesting the Demonstration Site in San Kar on November 3, 2018 ....................................................................... 29

Photo 8. Banded Leaf and Sheath Blight Disease Observed on Maize at the Demonstration Site in Set Chan on September 6, 2018 ..................................... 29

Photo 9. Drought Symptoms on the UDP Plot (above) and FP Plot (below) at Maize Demonstration Site in Hmawbi on July 17, 2018 (24 Days After Planting) ...... 30

FSI+ | Report of Variety and Fertilizer Management Demonstration Plots iv

Acronyms and Abbreviations

cm centimeter DAS Days After Sowing FP Farmer’s Practice FSI+ Fertilizer Sector Improvement (project) ft foot FYM Farmyard Manure ha hectare IFDC International Fertilizer Development Center K Potassium kg kilogram MOP Muriate of Potash P Phosphorus S Sulfur t ton TSP Triple Superphosphate UDP Urea Deep Placement

FSI+ | Report of Variety and Fertilizer Management Demonstration Plots 1

Fertilizer Sector Improvement Project (FSI+)

Report of Variety and Fertilizer Management Demonstration

Plots on Maize at Southern Shan State in Myanmar

2018 Wet Season

Introduction Urea deep placement (UDP) is a proven technology that can increase the yield of transplanted

lowland rice by 15-20% with less use of urea (up to 40%) compared to broadcast application

of urea. This has been proven in Bangladesh, sub-Saharan African countries, and more recently

in Myanmar. The technology can also be applied on maize and some vegetable crops with

similar yield increases.

In Myanmar, maize is widely grown in the Shan State Hills in the rainy season. It is also grown

in some areas on the plains of Yangon, Bago, Ayeyarwady, and Dry Zone regions in the dry

season, with residual moisture and irrigation in some areas. In Shan State, fertilizer, especially

urea, is usually applied as a side dressing on the maize crop. After applying urea, some farmers

cover with soil to hill the rows, but others continue to apply by surface broadcasting.

Compound fertilizers with different nutrient ratios (15:15:15, 20:12:12, 10:10:5, etc.) are

applied as basal. Maize yields range from 2.7 tons per hectare (t/ha) to 8 t/ha. Farmers plant

hybrid maize varieties, which are readily available in the market. There are a number of hybrid

maize varieties in the market such as Thai 029, Super 981, 101, A 888, and more. Farmers

switch varieties almost every year. They often decide on the variety by what they hear has had

a good yield through word of mouth without any actual experience. Farmers are always

listening for news of high-yielding hybrids. However, the current yield in farmers’ fields is still

low, but this can be increased by using improved growing practices and quality, disease-

resistant hybrid seeds along with better fertilizer management practices.

Under an agreement between Syngenta Agro Asia Pacific Pte Ltd and IFDC’s FSI+ project,

Syngenta will provide retailer education and training materials on plant protection and good

business practices for input suppliers; new technologies and protocols for demonstrations; and

promotional materials related to safe handling, storage, and use of plant protection products.


The agreement includes Syngenta participating in 50 planned demonstration plots over three

wet seasons. This is the third and final report for the demonstration plots.

The demonstration plots were planted for the first time in the 2016 wet season to show the

performance of the Syngenta NK 621 hybrid compared with farmers’ hybrids and yield

responses to different fertilizer management practices, including UDP, promoted by IFDC. The

results showed Syngenta hybrid NK 621 performed better, as an overall average, than all other

farmers’ selected varieties except at one location. At Htae Thun village, one farmer’s selected

hybrid, 101, produced more yield than NK 621. NK 621 also outperformed the farmer’s variety

and gave a reasonable yield on very poor soil at Mine Lee. Uniformity of plant and cob (size

and shape) was much better with NK 621 than with farmers’ varieties. It was noted that NK

621 was more responsive to UDP than farmers’ practice (FP) of fertilizer management. NK

621 often gave a higher yield with UDP than with FP. When NK 621 produced less yield with

UDP application than with FP, it was attributed to unfavorable conditions of UDP plots, such

as flooding or poor field condition. Across all varieties, UDP and FP results varied across

locations. Half of the locations gave a higher yield with UDP and half gave a higher yield with

FP. However, UDP plots in some locations were not given equal attention due to land leveling

and topography.

In the second season of 2017, 15 demonstration plots were established again to show variety

performance of Syngenta hybrids NK 621 (at five locations) and the newly introduced NK 625

(at 10 locations) and the yield response of different fertilizer practices (UDP vs. FP) in different

locations in Pindaya, Ywangan, and Kalaw townships. Farmers’ varieties included CP 888,

Thai 029, Super 981, SP 888, and F2 of Thai 029. NK 621 outperformed farmers’ varieties at

all five test locations, with 15-58% more yield than CP 888. F2 grain produced very poor

germination, resulting in poor crop establishment. NK 625 showed better performance and

higher yield than farmers’ hybrids at eight of 10 test locations. The yield superiority of NK 625

was 23% over Thai 029 at The Gone village, Kalaw township, and 65% over SP 888 at Nyaung

Gone village, Ywangan township. It did not produce a higher yield at two locations (Shwe Pu

Htoe and Naung Lwel in Pindaya), where adverse conditions, such as flooding and an overdose

application of herbicide, occurred. Plant and cob uniformity of both Syngenta hybrids were

better than farmers’ hybrids. All test hybrids produced more yield with UDP than FP.


In the 2018 wet season, 15 maize demonstrations were established in southern Shan State at

different locations with different farmers. Syngenta hybrid NK 625 was compared with

farmers’ hybrid and two fertilizer practices, farmers’ fertilizer management practice and

balanced fertilization practice with nitrogen applied as UDP.

Material and Methods

Site Selection Site selection started after the third week of April and concluded at the end of May 2018. There

were three rounds of site selection. Altogether, 15 demonstration plots in six townships were

selected and planted. Five demonstration plots in Pindaya and three plots in Ywangan

townships, two plots each in Nyaung Shwe, Pinlaung, and Kalaw townships, and one plot in

Taunggyi township were selected and planted. The initial selected sites were sown early

(Appendix 1). The locations, along with coordinates, farmers, and villages, are given in

Table 1.

Table 1. Selected Sites and Coordinates of Maize Demonstrations in the 2018 Wet Season

No Township Village Farmer Latitude Longitude Elevation (ft)

1 Pindaya Taung Pu Lwin U Ba Yi N 21° 04.480' E 96° 44.196' 3,344 2 Eine Pu U Kyaw Aye N 21° 03.766' E 96° 46.067' 3,721 3 Inn Ngae U Khun Myo Thu N 21° 06.346' E 96° 40.917' 3,607 4 Pwe Hla Daw Nyunt Si N 20° 50.664' E 96° 40.681' 4,384 5 Inn Pet Let U Ba Hoe N 20° 53.643' E 96° 42.739' 4,258 6 Ywangan Inn Khaung U Aung Myat Kyaw N 21° 03.833' E 96° 31.277' 3,888 7 Set Chan Daw Wyne Kyi N 21° 02.036' E 96° 27.594' 3,178 8 Thit Saint Pin U Phoe Htaung N 21° 07.695' E 96° 29.566' 3,940 9 Kalaw Ywa Thit U La Yaung N 20° 30.310' E 96° 38.509' 4,416

10 Kyauk Htat Daw Htwe Kyi N 20° 50.834' E 96° 46.023' 4,427 11 Taunggyi Phet Nam U Nu N 20° 47.292' E 96° 53.448' 2,986 12 Nyaung Shwe Sankar U Thein Han N 20° 09.454' E 96° 57.170' 2,967 13 Hmawbi U Tun Aye N 20° 18.538' E 96° 55.345' 3,065 14 Pinlaung Naung Kar Mee U Khin Maung N 20° 22.493' E 96° 40.431' 4,325 15 Naung Ta Yar* U Khun San Oo N 20° 18.633' E 96° 45.210' 4,700 * Dropped due to insect and rodent damage at germination stage. Missing plants were replaced with a different hybrid by the farmer.

Farmers’ Practice – Varieties and Fertilizers Due to the availability of many hybrid maize varieties in the market, farmers’ varieties vary

according to personal preference and availability. The Syngenta hybrid NK 621 was already

being marketed in Myanmar, including southern Shan State, and farmers prefer it. However,


the availability of NK 621 was still limited in some locations. In the 2018 wet season, Syngenta

introduced their new hybrid NK 625, and it was used in all demonstration plots to show its

performance to farmers.

Of the farmers’ varieties, Thai 029 hybrid was the one most used by farmers in this season. It

was found in seven of 15 demonstrations. Two farmers used Syngenta hybrid NK 621 as their

own. Five farmers used others, viz. Super 981, 222, GT 722, CP 808, and Sing 007. One farmer

used F2 grain as seed at Thit Saint Pin village, Ywangan township. Farmers’ varieties used in

all demonstration sites are listed in Table 2.

Most of the farmers used compound fertilizers with various nutrient ratios as basal for farmers’

practice. The most commonly used compound fertilizers had nutrient ratios of 15:15:15 and

10:10:5. One farmer at Hmawbi village, Nyaung Shwe township, used compound fertilizers

with ratios of 15:9:8 and 25:5:5. Farmers generally applied rates of 25-50 kilograms per acre

(kg/ac). One farmer at Phet Nam applied a higher rate at 75 kg/ac of 10:10:5 compound

fertilizer. One farmer from Naung Ta Yar village, Pinlaung township, applied no basal because

he said his land was fairly fertile and he had no need to apply basal fertilizer. One farmer from

Sankar village, Nyaung Shwe, applied a mixture of chicken manure and urea as basal fertilizer.

Farmers’ practice of fertilizer application and farmers’ varieties are given in Table 2.

Nutrient Rates of Fertilizer Practices Basal fertilizer of farmers’ practice varied among farmers. Sulfur was not included in any FP

fertilizer management. Compound fertilizers with nutrient ratios of 10:10:5 and 15:15:15 were

the main source of P and K in FP treatments. The rates ranged from 6 to 37 kg P2O5/ha and

from 3 to 37 K2O/ha. A fairly high rate of P (68 kg P2O5/ha) was applied at one demonstration

site in Inn Ngae village. Adequate P (25-37 kg P2O5/ha) was applied at three demonstration

sites (Hmawbi, Naung Kar Mee, and Naung Ta Yar). Adequate K also was used at Hmawbi

and Naung Ta Yar (26 and 37 kg K2O/ha, respectively). Moderate amounts of P (12-19 kg

P2O5/ha) were applied at six demonstration sites, low P rates (6-9 kg P2O5/ha) were applied at

four demonstration sites, and no P was applied at one demonstration site in Sankar. Moderate

amounts of K (12-19 kg K2O/ha) were applied at three demonstration sites, low K (3-9 kg

K2O/ha) was applied at nine demonstration sites, and no K was applied at the site with no P

application (Table 2).


For the UDP treatment, a basal fertilizer comprising 50 kg triple superphosphate (TSP)/acre

(56 kg P2O5/ha), 25 kg muriate of potash (MOP)/acre (37 kg K2O/ha), and 10 kg gypsum/acre

(4.5 kg S/ha) was applied. One 2.7-gram urea briquette was applied 4-6 inches from each side

of the maize plant at 25-30 days after planting. A plant spacing of 75 cm x 25 cm gave an N

rate of 66 kg/ha. The total N rate of the FP treatment, which was the combined amount of N

from the basal compound fertilizer and topdressing of urea, ranged from 35 to 82 kg N/ha. No

urea topdressing was used on the demonstration site at Hmawbi village, but a topdressing of

25:5:5 compound fertilizer was used (Table 2). Farmers tended to apply a fair amount of N but

less P and K.

Table 2. Syngenta Hybrid, Farmers’ Variety, and Farmers’ Practice of Fertilizer Management for All Demonstrations

No Village Syngenta

Hybrid Farmers’ Variety Farmers’ Practice Fertilizer

Nutrient per Hectare

N P2O5 K2O 1 Taung Pu Lwin NK 625 Thai 029 Basal – (15:15:15) 25 kg/ac

Topdressing – Urea 25 kg/ac 38 9 9

2 Eine Pu NK 625 NK 621 Basal – (10:10:5) 25 kg/ac Topdressing – Urea 37.5 kg/ac* 49 6 3

3 Inn Pet Let NK 625 Thai 029 Basal – (15:15:15) 25 kg/ac Topdressing – Urea 25 kg/ac 38 9 9

4 Inn Ngae NK 625 Thai 029 Basal – TSP 50 kg (10:10:5) 50 kg Topdressing – Urea 35 kg/ac* 52 68 6

5 Pwe Hla NK 625 Thai 029 Basal – (15:15:15) 50 kg/ac Topdressing – Urea 25 kg/ac 47 19 19

6 Inn Khaung NK 625 222 Basal – (10:10:5) 50 kg/ac Topdressing – Urea 50 kg/ac 69 12 6

7 Set Chan NK 625 Thai 029 Basal – (10:10:5) 25 kg/ac Topdressing – Urea 25 kg/ac 35 6 3

8 Thit Saint Pin NK 625 F2 grain Basal – (10:10:5) 50 kg/ac Topdressing – Urea 37.5 kg/ac 55 12 6

9 Ywa Thit NK 625 Super 981 Basal – (10:10:5) 50 kg/ac Topdressing – Urea 50 kg/ac 69 12 6

10 Kyauk Htat NK 625 Thai 029 Basal – (5:15:15) 50 kg Topdressing – Urea 37.5 kg/ac* 61 19 19

11 Phet Nam NK 625 GT 722 Basal – (10:10:5) 75 kg/ac Topdressing – Urea 37.5 kg/ac* 61 19 9

12 Sankar NK 625 CP 808 Chicken manure 15 bags + 10 kg urea per acre Topdressing – Urea 50 kg *

68 - -

13 Hmawbi NK 625 NK 621

Basal – (15:9:8) 100 kg+(25:5:5) 50 kg + Gypsum 25 kg (10 kg mixture/plot) Topdressing – (25:5:5) 50 kg/ac*

82 27 25

14 Naung Kar Mee NK 625 Sing 007 Basal – (10:10:5) 100 kg/ac Topdressing – Urea 25 kg/ac 53 25 12

15 Naung Ta Yar NK 625 Thai 029 No basal Topdressing – 15:15:15 100 kg 37 37 37

* Urea is covered with soil at application time.


Demonstration Design and Treatments A simple design with four treatments (two varieties x two fertilizer practices) without

replication was used for all demonstrations. Syngenta hybrid NK 625 was compared with the

farmer’s choice of other hybrid varieties using two fertilizer practices.

1. Syngenta hybrid NK 625 with UDP.

2. Syngenta hybrid NK 625 with FP.

3. Farmer’s variety with FP.

4. Farmer’s variety with UDP.

Normally, four treatments were sown in a row. However, because of the shape of the available

land at Thit Saint Pin, Set Chan, Inn Khaung, Phet Nam, Naung Ta Yar, Kyauk Htat, and Ywa

Thit, the first two treatments were planted in front and the other two treatments were planted

in back.

Results and Discussion In this season, all 15 maize demonstration sites were planted. However, one demonstration site

at Naung Ta Yar village, Pinlaung township, could not be completed due to insect and rat

damage at germination stage (Table 1). The farmer then replaced the missing plants with a

different maize hybrid. Rat damage at germination was also observed at Hmawbi village,

Nyaung Shwe township, but was not severe. Very severe drought occurred at Hmawbi, Nyaung

Shwe and Phet Nam village, Taunggyi. There was no rain for slightly more than one month

after planting, which caused areas with missing plants due to seed not germinating or seedlings

dying.

Maize Demonstration at Taung Pu Lwin, Pindaya The maize component data from Taung Pu Lwin is shown in Table 3. Plant height was taller

with FP than UDP for NK 625. This could be due to the slope of the field. The land sloped

slightly from one side to the other. The NK 625 + UDP plot was at the lower end of the field.

Opposite to that, the Thai 029 + UDP plot was at the higher end of the field and had taller

plants than the Thai 029 + FP treatment. Ear length, ear diameter, and number of seeds per row

were higher with UDP than FP for both varieties. A higher 1,000 grain weight was observed

with UDP (310 g) than FP (279 g) for the NK 625 hybrid. However, the Thai 029 hybrid had

a higher 1,000 grain weight with FP (277 g) than UDP (252 g).


Yield data of the Taung Pu Lwin maize demonstration site is shown in Table 4. The results

showed the NK 625 hybrid produced more yield than the Thai 029 hybrid. As an average across

both fertilizer treatments, NK 625 yielded 6.23 t/ha and Thai 029 produced 5.57 t/ha. NK 625

produced 22.1% more grain yield than Thai 029. Both hybrids produced more yield with UDP

than with FP fertilizer. NK 625 produced 6.53 t/ha with UDP and 6.45 t/ha with FP. Thai 029

had a yield of 5.94 t/ha with UDP and 4.69 t/ha with FP. The yield improvement of UDP over

FP was greater with Thai 029 than NK 625. With Thai 029, UDP yield increased by 26.48%.

As explained above, slope was a factor in this demonstration. The higher area produced a

greater yield than the lower area. The Thai 029 + UDP plot was on the higher side than the FP

plot. NK 625 had only a 1.31% yield improvement with UDP, because the UDP plot was at a

lower area than the FP plot.

Table 3. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Taung Pu Lwin, Pindaya

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)

NK 625 + UDP 79 167 1.0 15.7 4.7 14 34 310 NK 625 + FP 92 192 1.0 15.0 4.6 14 33 279 Thai 029 + FP 93 174 1.0 15.8 4.3 10 31 277 Thai 029 + UDP 97 184 1.0 17.6 4.5 12 36 252

Table 4. Yield Data of the Maize Demonstration at Taung Pu Lwin, Pindaya

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)

Average Yield

for Variety (t/ha)

Average Yield for Fertilizer

(t/ha)

NK over Thai 029

(%)

UDP over FP (%)

UDP over FP for Each Variety

(%) NK 625 + UDP 6.53 6.49 6.23 22.1 11.9 1.3 NK 625 + FP 6.45 Thai 029 + FP 4.69 5.32 5.57 Thai 029 + UDP 5.94 26.5

Maize Demonstration at Eine Pu, Pindaya This was one of the best demonstration sites this season. It was used for a field day to

demonstrate variety and fertilizer management on maize to farmers in Eine Pu village. The

farmer used the NK 621 hybrid as the FP variety. Therefore, both Syngenta hybrids were

compared under the two fertilizer practices. Both hybrids performed very well; they grew


vigorously and reached normal plant height. NK 625 was slightly taller than NK 621 under

both fertilizer practices. NK 621 had a slightly longer cob than NK 625 but fewer rows per cob.

NK 625 had 14 seed rows and NK 621 had 12 seed rows on average. NK 621 had one to two

more seeds per row than NK 625, as it had a slightly longer cob. The other characteristics

showed little difference between the two hybrids (Table 5).

The yields of the hybrids under the two fertilizer practices are given in Table 6. There was little

difference in the average yields of the hybrids, with NK 621 producing 0.12 t/ha more than NK

625. NK 625 produced a higher yield with UDP (10.71 t/ha) than with FP (10.50 t/ha). But NK

621 produced 10.71 t/ha with UDP, which was 0.32% lower than with FP. The yield variation

of the hybrids in response to each fertilizer practice could be due to the uneven land. However,

the differences were not significant. Most of the uplands in hilly regions are sloping and are

not uniform. Ancient termite mounds also create a field undulation.

The average yields of the two hybrids were 10.71 t/ha with UDP and 10.62 t/ha with FP. UDP

produced 0.8% more yield than FP. In general, this site was comparatively fertile; plant growth

and cob size were normal, with thick stalks and long ears. The farmer has applied farmyard

manure (FYM) every year at about 3-5 t/ha. Both Syngenta hybrids performed very well at this

demonstration site; however, the farmer prefers NK 621 because of grain color and less weight

loss upon drying.

Table 5. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Eine Pu, Pindaya

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)

NK 625 + UDP 119 227 1.0 17.0 5.0 14 39 358 NK 625 + FP 123 230 1.1 17.9 5.0 14 38 339 NK 621 + FP 120 218 1.0 18.5 5.0 10 41 372 NK 621 + UDP 114 221 1.0 18.9 4.9 12 41 372

Table 6. Yield Data of the Maize Demonstration at Eine Pu, Pindaya

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)

Average Yield for Variety

(t/ha)


(t/ha)

NK 625 over 621

(%)

UDP over FP (%)


(%) NK 625 + UDP 10.71 10.61 10.71 -1.1 0.8 2.0 NK 625 + FP 10.50 NK 621 + FP 10.74 10.73 10.62 NK 621 + UDP 10.71 -0.3


Maize Demonstration at Inn Ngae, Pindaya The farmer’s variety was Thai 029 hybrid. The yield characteristics showed little difference

between Thai 029 and NK 625. The Thai 029 hybrid had a slightly longer cob than NK 625,

but the cob of NK 625 was thicker than that of Thai 029. The cob length of Thai 029 was

18.5-18.7 cm and that of NK 625 was 17.3-17.6 cm. As a result, the Thai 029 hybrid had more

seeds per row than NK 625. The cob diameter of NK 625 was 4.8-4.9 cm and that of Thai 029

was 4.4-4.5 cm. The number of rows per cob for all treatments was 14 except for Thai 029 +

FP fertilizer, which only had 12 rows per cob (Table 7).

NK 625 produced a higher yield than Thai 029 with both fertilizer practices. The average yield

of NK 625 across fertilizer practices was 8.56 t/ha and that of Thai 029 was 8.26 t/ha. Both

hybrids performed better with FP fertilizer than with UDP. NK 625 produced a yield of

9.17 t/ha with FP compared to 7.95 t/ha with UDP (Table 8). Thai 029 produced 8.92 t/ha with

FP and 7.60 t/ha with UDP. This could be because the farmer knew his soil was P-deficient

and used TSP for the P nutrient. He did not use compound fertilizer alone like most farmers.

The FP fertilizer had a nutrient rate of 52 kg N, 68 kg P2O5, and 6 kg K2O per hectare and UDP

had 66 kg N, 56 kg P2O5, 37 kg K2O, and 4.5 kg S per hectare (see Nutrient Rates of Fertilizer

Practices and Table 2). Therefore, the higher P rate with FP may account for the yield response.

P was assumed to be the most limiting element at this site, and K and S were not as critical.

Table 7. Yield Component Characters of the Maize Demonstration at Inn Ngae, Pindaya

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

Per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)



Table 8 Yield Data of the Maize Demonstration at Inn Ngae, Pindaya

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)


(t/ha)


(t/ha)

NK 625 over 029

(%)

UDP over FP (%)


(%) NK 625 + UDP 7.95 8.56 7.77 3.7 -14.1 -13.3 NK 625 + FP 9.17 Thai 029 + FP 8.92 8.26 9.04 Thai 029 + UDP 7.60 -14.8

Maize Demonstration at Pwe Hla, Pindaya This demonstration site was the last sown due to early rain, which caused saturated conditions

that required delays while the site drained. The Syngenta hybrid NK 625 was compared with

the Thai 029 hybrid. The plant height and ear height of NK 625 was shorter than with Thai 029.

Both varieties grew well with UDP, producing taller plants than with FP. At other

demonstration sites using NK 625 and Thai 029, NK 625 produced plumper and shorter cobs

than Thai 029. The diameter and length were 4.7-4.9 cm and 16.3-16.5 cm, respectively. Thai

029 had cobs 17.5 cm long and 4.5-4.6 cm thick. Because of the longer cobs, the Thai 029

hybrid had more seeds per row than NK 625. There was little difference between the two

hybrids in the number of cobs per plant and the number of rows per cob (Table 9).

Yield data for both hybrids are given in Table 10. Both hybrids produced higher yields with

UDP than FP. Yield superiority of UDP over FP across hybrids was 16.7%. However, Thai 029

performed better than NK 625 with UDP. The yield improvement of UDP over FP was 29%

with Thai 029. NK 625 had only a 4% yield improvement with UDP. In this demonstration,

the Thai 029 hybrid performed better than NK 625 under both fertilizer treatments. The average

yield of Thai 029 across both fertilizer treatments was 6.49 t/ha, and for NK 625, it was

5.60 t/ha. Waterlogging on one side of the field may have affected the yield of NK 625.

Table 9. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Pwe Hla, Pindaya

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)



Table 10 Yield Data of the Maize Demonstration at Pwe Hla, Pindaya

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)


(t/ha)


(t/ha)

NK 625 over 029

(%)

UDP over FP (%)


(%) NK 625 + UDP 5.71 5.60 6.51 -13.7 16.7 4.3 NK 625 + FP 5.48 Thai 029 + FP 5.67 6.49 5.58 Thai 029 + UDP 7.30 28.7

Maize Demonstration at Inn Pet Let, Pindaya At this site, Syngenta hybrid NK 625 was compared with the Thai 029 hybrid. The plant height

of NK 625 was slightly taller than the Thai 029 hybrid. NK 625 had 1.3 cobs per plant with

UDP and 1.2 cobs per plant with FP. The Thai 029 hybrid had only one cob per plant. The cobs

of Thai 029 were slightly longer than those of NK 625, but they were not as thick. The length

of the cobs produced by Thai 029 was 19.5-19.6 cm, which was longer than those of NK 625

(17.2-18.3 cm). The diameter of the cob produced with Thai 029 was 4.5-4.5 cm and that of

NK 625 was 4.8-5.0 cm. Because of the plump ears of the NK 625 hybrid, there were more

rows per ear than with the Thai 029 hybrid. There was little difference in the other

characteristics of both hybrids (Table 11).

The yield data of both hybrids under two fertilizer treatments are given in Table 12. The

NK 625 hybrid produced a higher yield than Thai 029 under both FP (8.16 t/ha) and UDP

(8.28 t/ha). The Thai 029 hybrid produced 6.13 t/ha and 7.22 t/ha with FP and UDP,

respectively. On average across fertilizer treatments, NK 625 produced a yield of 8.22 t/ha and

Thai 029 produced 6.67 t/ha. However, Thai 029 showed a better yield improvement with UDP

than did NK 625. The yield superiority of UDP over FP with Thai 029 was about 18% but was

only about 1.5% with the NK 625 hybrid.

Table 11. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Inn Pet Let, Pindaya

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)



Table 12. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Inn Pet Let, Pindaya

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)


(t/ha)


(t/ha)

NK 625 over 029

(%)

UDP over FP (%)



Maize Demonstration at Inn Khaung, Ywangan The farmer’s variety was the 222 hybrid. Yield characteristics of the 222 hybrid were better

than those of NK 625. It produced slightly longer and thicker cobs than NK 625. The cob length

of 222 was 17.9 cm and that of NK 625 was 17.2-17.5 cm. The cob diameter of 222 was 5.3 cm

while that of NK 625 was 4.9 cm. The cob of the 222 hybrid had two more rows than that of

NK 625. The 222 hybrid and NK 625 had 16 and 14 rows per cob, respectively. The 1,000

grain weight of the 222 hybrid was heavier than that of NK 625 (Table 13).

The 222 hybrid produced a higher yield than NK 625 for both fertilizer treatments. The average

yield of the 222 hybrid was 8.60 t/ha, and for NK 625, it was 6.81 t/ha. Both hybrids produced

a higher yield with FP than with UDP. Yield superiority of NK 625 with FP over UDP was

greater than that of the 222 hybrid. The yield of NK 625 was 7.40 t/ha with FP and 6.21 t/ha

with UDP and the yield of the 222 hybrid was 8.92 t/ha with FP and 8.27 t/ha with UDP. At

this demonstration site, UDP could not improve the maize yield of either hybrid (Table 14).

Farmer’s practice applied 69 kg N, 12 kg P2O5, and 6 kg K2O/ha, which amounted to a higher

N rate but lower P and K (and S) than the UDP treatment. It appears that P and K were not so

deficient at this site, although N was deficient. The demo farmer has experience using a 10:10:5

compound fertilizer at this rate on maize.

Table 13. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Inn Khaung, Ywangan

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)

NK 625 + UDP 96 205 1.0 17.2 4.9 14 36 282 NK 625 + FP 111 222 1.0 17.5 4.9 14 38 294 222 + FP 79 204 1.0 17.9 5.3 16 37 327 222 + UDP 78 202 1.0 17.9 5.3 16 37 329


Table 14. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Inn Khaung, Ywangan

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)


(t/ha)


(t/ha)

NK 625 over 222

(%)

UDP over FP (%)


(%) NK 625 + UDP 6.21 6.81 7.24 -20.8 -11.3 -16.1 NK 625 + FP 7.40 222 + FP 8.92 8.60 8.16 222 + UDP 8.27 -7.3

Maize Demonstration at Set Chan, Ywangan The farmer’s variety was again the Thai 029 hybrid. Yield component characteristic esults were

similar to many other demonstration sites with the Thai 029 hybrid. The Thai 029 hybrid

produced slightly longer cobs with a smaller diameter than NK 625. The length and diameter

of Thai 029 cobs were 16.3-16.5 cm and 4.2 cm while those of NK 625 were 14.4-15.0 cm and

4.4-4.6 cm, respectively. Because of the thicker cobs, NK 625 had two to four more rows per

cob at 14 than the Thai 029 hybrid at 10-12. The other characteristics of both hybrids showed

little difference (Table 15).

Both hybrids produced higher yields with UDP than with FP treatments. The NK 625 hybrid

produced 6.44 t/ha with UDP and 5.27 t/ha with FP. The Thai 029 variety produced 6.35 t/ha

with UDP and 5.52 t/ha with FP. NK 625 seemed to be more responsive to balanced fertilizer

(UDP). Percentage yield increase of UDP over FP for NK 625 was 22%. The Thai 029 hybrid

produced a 15% yield increase with UDP over FP. Thai 029 was assumed to be more resistant

to nutrient stress than NK 625. Thai 029 produced more yield than NK 625 with the same FP

fertilizer. The average yield across fertilizer practices of Thai 029 hybrid was slightly higher

than that of NK 625. On average, the Thai 029 hybrid produced 5.94 t/ha and NK 625 produced

5.86 t/ha (Table 16). FP for this demonstration applied the least amount of nutrients at 35 kg

N, 6 kg P2O5, and 3 kg K2O per hectare. The balanced fertilizer treatment (UDP) had a nutrient

content of 66 kg N, 56 kg P2O5, 37 kg K2O, and 4.5 kg S per hectare (Table 2). The farmer

acknowledged the benefits of balanced fertilization and best management practices. She added

that the village had not received this kind of extension activity before. That could be due to its

isolation, as the village is not easily accessed.


Table 15. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Set Chan, Ywangan

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)


Table 16. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Set Chan, Ywangan

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)


(t/ha)


(t/ha)

NK 625 over 029

(%)

UDP over FP (%)


(%) NK 625 + UDP 6.44 5.86 6.40 -1.4 18.6 22.3 NK 625 + FP 5.27 Thai 029 + FP 5.52 5.94 5.40 Thai 029 + UDP 6.35 15.0

Maize Demonstration at Thit Saint Pin, Ywangan This demonstration site had the least fertile soil of all demonstration sites, and the farmer used

F2 grain of a hybrid from the previous season to save on seed cost. There were differences in

cob length and number of seeds per row between the two varieties. The farmer’s F2 grain had

short cobs with a length of 14.4-14.8 cm. The cob length of NK 625 ranged from 15.0 to

15.4 cm. The longer cob of NK 625 had more seeds per row than the shorter cob of the F2

variety. NK 625 had 29-32 seeds per row, and F2 had 20-25 seeds per row. The other

characteristics were not markedly different (Table 17).

The yield data of both varieties under both fertilizer treatments are presented in Table 18. The

yields from this demonstration were the lowest among all maize demonstration sites tested this

season, which indicates its soil was the poorest. As a result, the yield increase of balanced

fertilizer with UDP over FP was the highest among all demonstration sites. NK 625 produced

38% more yield with UDP over FP, and F2 grain showed a 22% yield increase. On average

across the two varieties, UDP outyielded FP by 31%, which was the highest increase this

season. FP fertilizer applied 55 kg N, 12 kg P2O5, 6 kg K2O, and 0 kg S per hectare (Table 2).

These nutrient rates, especially for P and K, were seriously less than those of the UDP

treatment. The lower yield with FP could be due to a deficiency of all nutrients. The nutrient

rates of the UDP treatment also could have been inadequate, since the yields were less than

than those of any other demonstration site. Because the F2 grain was used as seed, its yield was


understandably lower than that of the Syngenta hybrid NK 625. The Syngenta hybrid produced

3.35 t/ha, and the F2 grain produced 2.63 t/ha on average.

Table 17. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Thit Saint Pin, Ywangan

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)

NK 625 + UDP 69 156 1.0 15.4 4.6 14 32 207 NK 625 + FP 64 152 1.0 15.0 4.4 14 29 199 F2 grain + FP 73 164 1.0 14.4 4.5 14 20 203 F2 grain + UDP 82 176 1.0 14.8 4.6 12 25 205

Table 18. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Thit Saint Pin, Ywangan

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)


(t/ha)


(t/ha)

NK 625 over F2

(%)

UDP over FP (%)


(%) NK 625 + UDP 3.89 3.35 3.39 27.6 30.7 37.9 NK 625 + FP 2.82 F2 grain + FP 2.37 2.63 2.59 F2 grain + UDP 2.89 22.2

Maize Demonstration at Ywa Thit, Kalaw In this demonstration, the farmer’s variety was Super 981, which was compared with NK 625.

Results show the Super 981 hybrid was a shorter variety than NK 625. The plant height and

ear height of Super 981 were 169-180 cm and 83-93 cm, respectively. NK 625 was 215-227 cm

tall up to the base of tassel and 103-113 cm up to the ear. The cob lengths of Super 981 and

NK 625 were 18.1-18.3 cm and 17.3-17.6 cm, respectively. Super 981 had a longer cob, but

the cob diameter was less than that of NK 625. However, the number of rows per cob was not

different between the two hybrids. The longer cob of the Super 981 also had more seeds per

row than NK 625. There was a difference of two to four seeds per row between the two hybrids.

The 1,000 grain weight was heavier for the Syngenta hybrid NK 625 than Super 981. The 1,000

grain weight of NK 625 was 321-327 g and that of Super 981 was 258-270 g (Table 19).

The yields of each hybrid are given in Table 20. NK 625 produced a higher yield than

Super 981. The yield of NK 625 with FP was even higher than that of Super 981 with UDP.

The yields of NK 625 were 8.94 t/ha with UDP and 7.77 t/ha with FP. Super 981 produced

7.30 t/ha with UDP and 6.73 t/ha with FP. On average across fertilizer treatments, NK 625

yielded 8.36 t/ha and Super 981 yielded 7.01 t/ha; thus, NK 625 had a 19% greater yield than


Super 981. Both hybrids had better results with UDP than with FP. However, NK 625 seemed

more responsive to balanced fertilization, with a 15% yield increase under the UDP treatment.

Super 981 had only an 8.4% yield increase with the UDP treatment. In this demonstration, FP

fertilizer had nutrient rates of 69 kg N, 12 kg P2O5, and 6 kg K2O per hectare, indicating

sufficient N application but insufficient P and K. Therefore, P and/or K and/or S nutrients were

deficient at this site.

Table 19. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Ywa Thit, Kalaw

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)

NK 625 + UDP 113 227 1.0 17.6 4.9 14 36 321 NK 625 + FP 103 215 1.1 17.3 5.0 14 35 327 Super 981 + FP 93 180 1.0 18.1 4.4 14 38 258 Super 981 + UDP 83 169 1.0 18.3 4.5 14 39 270

Table 20. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Ywa Thit, Kalaw

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)


(t/ha)


(t/ha)

625 over Sup. 981

(%)

UDP over FP (%)


(%) NK 625 + UDP 8.94 8.36 8.12 19.2 12.0 15.0 NK 625 + FP 7.77 Super 981 + FP 6.73 7.01 7.25 Super 981 + UDP 7.30 8.4

Maize Demonstration at Kyauk Htat, Kalaw Results for both hybrids at this demonstration were similar to other demonstration sites that

used Thai 029. The Thai 029 hybrid had a longer, but thinner, cob than that of NK 625. The

Thai 029 hybrid cob’s length and diameter were 19.6-19.9 cm and 4.6-4.7 cm, respectively.

The NK 625 cob had a length of 18.0-18.2 cm and diameter of 5.1 cm. With its thicker cob, the

number of seed rows per cob of NK 625 was 14, while Thai 029 had 10-12 rows. With a longer

ear length, Thai 029 had more seeds per row (40) than NK 625 (37-39). In this demonstration,

both hybrids bore more than one ear per plant; NK 625 bore 1.3 ears per plant and the Thai 029

hybrid bore 1.1 ears per plant. There was no clear difference in the 1,000 grain weight. NK 625

was slightly taller than Thai 029 (Table 21).

This demonstration was one of the best sites this season. Both hybrids produced high yields.

They produced more yield with UDP than with FP. However, the yield differences between


UDP and FP were not large. NK 625 produced 3.5% more yield with UDP than with FP, and

Thai 029 produced 3.0% more with UDP. On average across varieties, UDP outyielded FP by

3.3% (Table 22). In this demonstration, the farmer applied enough N and moderate amounts of

P and K (Table 2). The farmer also practiced crop rotation on this land; maize had not been

continuously planted. The previous year’s crop was cabbage, on which a high rate of fertilizer

and FYM were applied. That could be why the UDP treatment did not improve the maize yield

significantly. NK 625 performed better than the Thai 029 hybrid under both fertilizer

treatments, producing 12.08 t/ha with UDP balanced fertilization and 11.67 t/ha with the FP

fertilizer. The Thai 029 hybrid produced 9.83 t/ha and 9.54 t/ha with UDP and FP, respectively.

Yield superiority of NK 625 over Thai 029 was 22.7%. The higher yield of NK 625 over

Thai 029 probably was due to more ears per plant and more rows per ear.

Table 21. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Kyauk Htat, Kalaw

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)


Table 22. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Kyauk Htat, Kalaw

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)


(t/ha)


(t/ha)

NK 625 over 029

(%)

UDP over FP (%)



Maize Demonstration at Phet Nam, Taunggyi In this demonstration, the farmer used a different hybrid, GT 722. Stunted growth was observed

due to severe drought, which occurred just after planting and lasted slightly more than one

month (33 days). Many missing plants were observed, especially for the GT 722 hybrid. This

likely compromised the results.

Ear height and plant height were about 60 cm for GT 722 and 150 cm for NK 625. Plant

characteristics of both hybrids were similar except for the number of rows per cob and 1,000


grain weight. NK 625 had more rows per cob and a heavier grain weight than GT 722. Its cob

had 14 rows while GT 722 had 10-12 rows. The 1,000 grain weight of NK 625 was 350 g and

that of GT 722 was 310 g. Both hybrids bore more than one ear per plant at 1.1 ears per plant

(Table 23), which could be due to wider spacing between plants because of poor germination

due to drought. That might not occur under normal conditions on this land.

NK 625 produced more yield than GT 722. On average across fertilizer practices, the yield of

NK 625 was 9.33 t/ha and that of GT 722 was 8.04 t/ha. NK 625 produced 16% more yield

than GT 722. An interaction between variety and fertilizer was observed at this demonstration.

NK 625 had a better yield with UDP (9.68 t/ha) than with FP (8.98 t/ha); this was a 7.8% yield

increase. GT 722 produced more yield with FP than with UDP at 8.49 t/ha and 7.60 t/ha,

respectively; this was a 10.6% decrease with UDP (Table 24).

Table 23. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Phet Nam, Taunggyi

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)

NK 625 + UDP 62 153 1.1 18.0 4.9 14 36 351 NK 625 + FP 59 154 1.1 18.0 4.8 14 35 357 GT 722 + FP 58 148 1.1 17.9 4.8 10 37 313 GT 722 + UDP 62 152 1.1 18.3 4.8 12 39 303

Table 24. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Phet Nam, Taunggyi

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)


(t/ha)


(t/ha)

NK 625 over 722

(%)

UDP over FP (%)


(%) NK 625 + UDP 9.68 9.33 8.64 16.0 -1.1 7.8 NK 625 + FP 8.98 GT 722 + FP 8.49 8.04 8.74 GT 722 + UDP 7.60 -10.6

Maize Demonstration at San Kar, Nyaung Shwe The CP 808 hybrid was the farmer’s variety at this demonstration, which was one of the best

demonstrations this season. Plant growth was good for both hybrids; NK 625 was only slightly

taller than CP 808. Component characteristics of the hybrids were similar except for the number

of rows per cob. The cob of the NK 625 hybrid had 13-14 rows and that of the CP 808 hybrid

had 15 rows. The cob length of CP 808 ranged from 17.9 to 19.6 cm, which was longer than

NK 625; the cob length of NK 625 was 17.6-17.8 cm. Other characteristics were not different.


These cob characteristics were prominent and most farmers prefer it. Both hybrids had one ear

per plant (Table 25).

Both hybrids produced high yields with FP and even higher yields with UDP. However,

NK 625 seemed more responsive to UDP than did CP 808. Percentage yield increase of NK 625

with UDP was 24%. The CP 808 hybrid produced 10% more with UDP. With FP, the CP 808

hybrid produced more yield than NK 625. On average, the yield of CP 808 was 10.33 t/ha and

that of NK 625 was 9.05 t/ha (Table 26). This suggests that CP 808 was more tolerant to nutrient

stress than NK 625. In this demonstration, the farmer did not apply P and K as basal fertilizer

but did apply FYM mixed with urea (Table 2). With urea topdressing, the amount of N seemed

adequate. The farmer said that he never applied P and K but he had applied FYM every year.

According to results of this demonstration, NK 625 was more responsive to balanced nutrient

application, while CP 808 was more tolerant without the addition of P, K, and S.

Table 25 Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at San Kar, Nyaung Shwe

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)

NK 625 + UDP 140 257 1.0 17.6 5.0 14 38 340 NK 625 + FP 141 253 1.0 17.8 4.8 13 37 341 CP 808 + FP 130 235 1.0 17.9 5.1 15 37 338 CP 808 + UDP 130 240 1.0 19.6 5.3 15 42 350

Table 26. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at San Kar, Nyaung Shwe

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)


(t/ha)


(t/ha)

NK 625 over 808

(%)

UDP over FP (%)


(%) NK 625 + UDP 10.02 9.05 10.43 -12.4 16.4 24.0 NK 625 + FP 8.08 CP 808 + FP 9.83 10.33 8.96 CP 808 + UDP 10.84 10.2

Maize Demonstration at Hmawbi, Nyaung Shwe Both Syngenta hybrids, NK 625 and NK 621, were compared in this demonstration. A severe

drought occurred, and there was almost no rain for one month just after planting. Leaf rolling

symptoms were observed during the early vegetative phase. UDP plots were more affected by

drought than FP plots. Plant growth of FP plots at the early growth stage was better than that

of UDP plots. This might be due to application of N as a basal fertilizer. Of a total of 82 kg


N/ha, 51 kg was applied as basal for FP. This may have promoted early growth of FP plots

(Photo 9). The farmer applied N, P, and K at high nutrient rates. Total nutrients applied on FP

plots were 82 kg N, 27 kg P2O5, and 25 kg K2O per hectare (Table 2). Because the UDP plots

had no N at planting and because of the drought, the plants of the UDP plots were slightly

shorter than those of the FP plots. NK 621 had slightly longer, plumper cobs than NK 625. The

length and diameter of NK 621 were 16.5-17.5 cm and 4.5-4.6 cm, respectively. The cob length

of NK 625 was 15.5-16.3 cm, and diameter was 4.4-4.5 cm. Other characteristics were not

different except for the number of rows per cob and 1,000 grain weight of NK 621 with UDP.

There were 12 rows per cob, which was less than the other plots, and 344 g of 1,000 grain

weight, which was more than the other plots (Table 27). On average across fertilizer practices,

NK 625 produced more yield at 6.07 t/ha, while NK 621 produced 5.81 t/ha. Both hybrids

produced more yield with FP than UDP. But yield difference between FP and UDP was greater

for NK 625. The yield of NK 625 with FP was 7.34 t/ha and that with UDP was 4.80 t/ha. The

yield with UDP was 34.6% less than with FP. The yield of NK 621 with UDP was only 7.6%

less than that with FP (Table 28).

Table 27. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Hmawbi, Nyaung Shwe

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)

NK 625 + UDP 80 188 1.0 15.5 4.4 14 35 284 NK 625 + FP 116 239 1.0 16.3 4.5 14 36 282 NK 621 + FP 120 241 1.0 17.5 4.5 14 33 289 NK 621 + UDP 111 229 1.0 16.5 4.6 12 33 344

Table 28. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Hmawbi, Nyaung Shwe

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)


(t/ha)


(t/ha)

NK 625 over 621

(%)

UDP over FP (%)


(%) NK 625 + UDP 4.80 6.07 5.19 4.5 -22.4 -34.6 NK 625 + FP 7.34 NK 621 + FP 6.04 5.81 6.69 NK 621 + UDP 5.58 -7.6

Maize Demonstration at Naung Kar Mee, Pinlaung The farmer here used a different hybrid, Sing 007. The plant height of NK 625 was taller than

that of the Sing 007 hybrid. Both hybrids bore more than one ear per plant. NK 625 had more

ears per plant (1.3) than Sing 007 (1.2). The cob of Sing 007 was slightly longer and slimmer


than that of NK 625. The length of the Sing 007 cob was 19.2-19.6 cm, and its diameter was

4.5-4.6 cm. The cob of NK 625 was plumper and shorter, with a length of 17.1-17.5 cm and a

diameter of 4.9-5.1 cm. A difference in the number of rows per cob was observed between Sing

007 with UDP and the other plots. The cob of Sing 007 with UDP had 12 rows, and those of

other plots had 14 rows. With a slightly longer cob, Sing 007 had 41-43 seeds per row. The cob

of NK 625 had only 37 seeds per row. Another different characteristic was the 1,000 grain

weight, which was 345-356 g for NK 625 and, with its smaller grains, 304-315 g for Sing 007

(Table 29).

The yields of both hybrids were high, ranging from 10.26 t/ha to 10.93 t/ha. Both hybrids

produced a higher yield with UDP than with FP. The increase in yield from the UDP over the

FP treatment was 1.2% for NK 625 and 3.4% for Sing 007. FP treatments also gave high yields

for both hybrids (Table 30). Nutrient rates of FP were 53 kg N, 25 kg P2O5, and 12 kg K2O per

hectare, which were enough to produce a high yield. This farmer also witnessed the benefits of

systematic row planting in this demonstration. His major observation was larger ear size using

the improved methods rather than his own practice of dense planting.

Table 29. Yield Component Characteristics of the Maize Demonstration at Naung Kar Mee, Pinlaung

Variety and

Fertilizer

Ear Height (cm)

Plant Height (cm)

No. of Ears per

Plant

Ear Length

(cm)

Ear Diameter

(cm)

No. of Rows

per Ear

No. of Seeds

per Row

1,000 Grain Wt. (g)

NK 625 + UDP 109 221 1.3 17.5 5.1 14 37 345 NK 625 + FP 114 225 1.3 17.1 4.9 14 37 356 Sing 007 + FP 102 187 1.2 19.2 4.5 14 41 304 Sing 007 + UDP 92 181 1.2 19.6 4.6 12 43 315

Table 30. Yield Data of Maize Demonstration at Naung Kar Mee, Pinlaung

Variety and

Fertilizer

Dry Yield (t/ha)


(t/ha)


(t/ha)

NK 625 over 621

(%)

UDP over FP (%)


(%) NK 625 + UDP 10.93 10.86 10.77 4.1 2.3 1.2 NK 625 + FP 10.80 Sing 007 + FP 10.26 10.44 10.53 Sing 007 + UDP 10.61 3.4


Conclusion In this season, one demonstration at Naung Ta Yar, Pinlaung, was dropped due to poor

germination. Missing plants were replaced by the farmer with available seeds that were

different from the previously planted hybrids. Altogether, 14 demonstration sites were

harvested. Syngenta hybrid NK 625 was compared with a range of farmers’ preferred hybrids.

Farmers’ most preferred hybrid was Thai 029, which was used in six demonstrations. Two

farmers used Syngenta hybrid NK 621 as their preferred variety. Other varieties used were F2

grain, 222, Super 981, GT 722, Sing 007, and CP 808 (Table 2).

In this season, variable results were found with fertilizer practices (Figure 1). Balanced

fertilizer with UDP performed better than FP fertilizers at 10 locations. It did not perform better

than FP at Inn Ngae (Table 8), Inn Khaung (Table 14), Phet Nam (Table 24), or Hmawbi (Table

28). The higher yield of FP over UDP at Inn Ngae was due to better fertilizer management by

the farmer. He used TSP with a higher P rate based on his experience (Table 2). At Inn Khaung,

the farmer used slightly more N and less P and K than the UDP practice. P and K were not

critical for this soil, but N was. The yield difference of UDP and FP was small at Phet Nam.

UDP produced only 1.1% less yield than FP. The nutrient rate at the Hmawbi demonstration

site was the highest among all plots in this season. The farmer applied 82 kg N, 27 kg P2O5,

and 25 kg K2O per hectare. About two-thirds of the N was applied as a basal fertilizer (Table 2).

The vigorous growth of the FP plots and severe drought at the early vegetative stage led to

yield differences between FP and UDP. UDP produced 22.4% less yield than FP. Four

demonstration sites (Eine Pu, Inn Pet Let, Kyauk Htat, and Naung Kar Mee) of 10 showed a

less than 10% yield increase for UDP over FP. The land at Eine Pu was fertile because the

farmer applied FYM every year, although he applied mainly N and less P and K. P and K did

not seem critical in this soil. Both Syngenta hybrids produced high yields with the FP treatment.

The demonstration at Inn Pet Let was located within a vegetable-growing area, primarily

cabbage and cauliflower. Farmers in the area practice crop rotation, such as vegetable and

maize, sunflower, or upland rice. FYM is applied in the vegetable year or season. There was

only an 8.5% yield increase with UDP (Table 12). The demonstration at Kyauk Htat was also

planted with cabbage last year. Farmers always apply FYM on vegetables. The farmer also

applied a fair amount of nutrients at 61 kg N, 19 kg P2O5, and 19 kg K2O per hectare (Table 2).

The yield difference between UDP and FP was only 3.3% (Table 22). For the Naung Kar Mee

demonstration, both hybrids bore more ears per plant. Sing 007 hybrid had 1.2 ears per plant,


and NK 625 had 1.3 ears per plant. Farmers also practiced crop rotation in this area. Maize and

chili or sweet pepper are grown in rotation. Farmers also apply high levels of nutrients,

especially P. Nearly half of the N was applied as a basal using compound fertilizer (Table 2).

Both hybrids produced high yields under both fertilizer treatments, with a 2.3% yield increase

from UDP (Table 30). Six demonstration sites (Taung Pu Lwin, Pwe Hla, Set Chan, Thit Saint

Pin, Ywa Thit, and San Kar) showed more than a 10% yield superiority with UDP over FP.

Yield increase with UDP ranged from 11.9% to 30.7%. The highest yield increase of 30.7%

with UDP was observed at the site with the lowest yields on the poorest soil at Thit Saint Pin

(Table 18). Yield superiority of UDP over FP was less on the more fertile soils at Eine Pu,

Kyauk Htat, and San Kar.

Figure 1. Average Yields of Fertilizer Practices for All Demonstrations Across All Locations

As a comparison between NK 625 and farmers’ hybrids, NK 625 produced a higher yield than

the farmers’ hybrids at 10 demonstration sites. It produced a lower yield than the farmers’

varieties at Eine Pu, Pwe Hla, Inn Khaung, Sat Chan, and Hmawbi (Figure 2). NK 625

produced a higher yield than Thai 029 at four of the six locations where the Thai 029 hybrid

was planted. Thai 029 was better than NK 625 at two locations, Pwe Hla and Set Chan. At Pwe

Hla, NK 625, especially with UDP, was often saturated after heavy rains. The yield of NK 625

with UDP was very low compared to Thai 029 with UDP (Table 10). At Sat Chan, some


symptoms of disease and deficiency were observed (Photo 8). Purpling and banded leaf and

sheath blight symptoms were found on both hybrids during the late vegetative and tasseling

stage. The yields of both hybrids were not different, with NK 625 yielding only 1.4% less than

Thai 029 (Table 16). NK 621 was found better than NK 625 at Eine Pu but not at Hmawbi. The

yields of both hybrids were similar at Eine Pu. The yield of NK 625 was 1.1% less than that of

NK 621 (Table 6). At Hmawbi, NK 625 had a 4.5% yield superiority over NK 621. The hybrids

responded differently according to treatment. With the UDP treatment, NK 621 produced

0.78 t/ha more than NK 625. However, with the FP treatment, NK 625 produced 1.3 t/ha more

(Table 28). As an average across fertilizer practices, NK 625 produced a higher yield than

NK 621. Percentage yield increase of NK 625 was 4.5%. The highest yield increase of NK 625

was observed over F2 grain at Thit Saint Pin (Table 18).

Figure 2. Yield Comparison between NK 625 and Farmers’ Varieties at All

Locations

In conclusion, the fertilizer management practice results vary depending on initial soil fertility,

history of crops and their fertilizer management, and the current farmer’s practice on the

specific crop. In this season, a few farmers were found to have good knowledge of and

experience with fertilizer practices. UDP could not improve the yield over their FP. The yield

difference between NK 625 and farmers’ varieties mainly depends upon genetics, and

interaction of genetics with the environment, especially soil, water, and nutrients. Some hybrids


available in the market, including NK 621, CP 808, Sing 007, and likely Super 981, have the

genetic potential to produce high yields. Farmers’ lands have different soil fertilities. Sloping

and uneven lands often found in upland hilly regions also may affect the crop yield.


Photos

Photo 1. Cutting Lines with a Push-Type Manual Farm Tool at Inn Khaung on June 7, 2018 (left) and a Hand Tractor at Hmawbi on June 23, 2018 (right)

Photo 2. Group Study by DOA Staff on How to Set Up a Demonstration Plot in Eine Pu on June 5 (Planting Day)


Photo 3. Basal Fertilizer Application and Planting of the Maize Demonstration Site in Inn Pet Let on June 2, 2018

Photo 4. Covering Seed and Fertilizer Rows by Hand Hoeing in Kyauk Htat on May 31, 2018


Photo 5. Weeding and Hilling (left) and UDP Application (right) on the Maize Demonstration Site in Naung Kar Mee on July 17, 2018

Photo 6. Crop Cut Harvesting of the Maize Demonstration Site in Taung Pu Lwin on October 6, 2018


Photo 7. Removing Husks from Maize Cobs after Harvesting the Demonstration Site in San Kar on November 3, 2018

Photo 8. Banded Leaf and Sheath Blight Disease Observed on Maize at the Demonstration Site in Set Chan on September 6, 2018


Photo 9. Drought Symptoms on the UDP Plot (above) and FP Plot (below) at Maize Demonstration Site in Hmawbi on July 17, 2018 (24 Days After Planting)


Appendix Appendix 1. Activity Dates of Maize Demonstration Sites for All Locations in Six Townships

No Farmer Village Village Tract Township Farmer'sVariety

PromoteVariety

SowingDate

weedingthinning

UDPDate

sidedressing

TasselDate

HarvestDate

4 U Ba Yi Taung Pu Lwin Mong Lee Pindaya Thai 029 NK 625 3-Jun 2-Jul 2-Jul 2-Jul 14-Aug 6-Oct

5 U Kyaw Aye Eain Pu Mong Lee Pindaya NK 621 NK 625 5-Jun 3-Jul 3-Jul 3-Jul 11-Aug 31-Oct

1 U Khun Myo Thu Inn Ngae Inn Ngae Pindaya Thai 029 NK 625 4-Jun 24-Jun 2-Jul 2-Jul 11-Aug 28-Nov

3 Daw Nyunt Se Pwe Hla Pwe Hla Pindaya Thai 029 NK 625 1-Jul 1-Aug 3-Aug 3-Aug 14-Sep 4-Dec

2 U Ba Hoe Inn Pet Let Ta Me Pindaya Thai 029 NK 625 2-Jun 30-Jun 30-Jun 30-Jun 16-Aug 16-Oct

8 U Aung Myat Kyaw Inn Khaung Myaing Ywangan 222 NK 625 7-Jun 29-Jun 5-Jul 5-Jul 18-Aug 17-Oct

7 Daw Wyne Kyi Sat Chan Nyaung Eine Ywangan Thai 029 NK 625 1-Jun 29-Jun 29-Jun 29-Jun 15-Aug 3-Oct

6 U Phoe Htaung Thit Saint Pin Let Pan Bin Ywangan F2 NK 625 23-May 22-Jun 22-Jun 22-Jun 6-Aug 4-Oct

15 U La Yaung Ywa Thit Nang Taing Kalaw Super 981 NK 625 6-Jun 6-Jul 6-Jul 6-Jul 15-Aug 2-Dec

14 Daw San Yi Kyauk Htat Kyauk Htat Kalaw Thai 029 NK 625 31-May 25-Jun 25-Jun 25-Jun 16-Aug 30-Oct

9 U Nu Phet Nam Kone Paw Taunggyi GT 722 NK 625 20-Jun 31-Jul 31-Jul 31-Jul 27-Aug 1-Nov

10 U Thein Han Sankar SanKar Nyaung Shwe CP 808 NK 625 21-Jun - 19-Jul 19-Jul 30-Aug 3-Nov

11 U Tun Aye Hmawbi Hmawbi Nyaung Shwe NK 621 NK 625 23-Jun 21-Jul 21-Jul 21-Jul 31-Aug 30-Nov

13 U Khin Maung Naung Kar Mee Ti Kyit Pinlaung Sing 007 NK 625 19-Jun 17-Jul 17-Jul 17-Jul 2-Sep 29-Nov

12 U Khun San Oo Naung Ta Yar Naung Ta Yar Pinlaung Thai 029 NK 625 26-Jun abandoned due to cut worm damage

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