Preface

Chapter 7 **GIS-Based Assessment of Smallholder Farmers' Perception of**

**VI** Contents

**Maize Production in Anambra State, Nigeria 115**

**Climate Change Impacts and Their Adaptation Strategies for**

John Agbo Ogbodo, Samuel E. Anarah and Sani Mashi Abubakar

Corn or maize (*Zea mays* L.) plays an important role in global food security. The many uses of corn make it a central commodity and a great influence on prices. Because of its world‐ wide distribution and relatively lower price, corn has a wider range of uses. It is used direct‐ ly for human consumption, in industrially processed foods, as livestock feed, and in industrial nonfood products such as starches, acids, and alcohols. Recently, there has been interest in using maize for the production of ethanol as a substitute for petroleum-based fuels. It is an important source of carbohydrate, protein, iron, vitamin B, and minerals. Cli‐ mate change, however, is a growing concern among corn growers worldwide. Scientists esti‐ mate that corn production will need to be increased by 15% per unit area between 2017 and 2037. To increase corn yields, advanced and new production technology needs to be devel‐ oped and distributed among corn growers. The advanced technology to boost corn yields and counteract climate change is important for food security for the growing global popula‐ tion. Nutritionally, maize seeds contain 60–68% starch and 7–15% protein. Maize oil is wide‐ ly used as a cooking medium and for manufacturing hydrogenated oil. The oil has the quality of reducing cholesterol in the human blood similar sunflower oil. Corn flour is used as a thickening agent in the preparation of many edibles such as soups, sauces, and custard powder. Integrated nutrients management improves corn growth, leaf area index and light interception, dry matter accumulation and distribution, grain and fodder quality, yield com‐ ponents, grain and biomass yields, harvest index, and shelling percentage, and reduces the problem of food insecurity. Recent studies indicate that the integrated use of chemical and organic N-fertilizers can improve corn growth, increase yield and yield components, im‐ prove grain quality, and reduce environmental pollution. Macro- and micronutrients rich organic manures (animal manure, poultry manure, and plant residues, etc. in the form of compost, biochar, and residues) can serve as an effective substitute to costly synthetic fertil‐ izers (urea, ammonium sulfate, nitrate, di-ammonium phosphate, potassium chloride, potas‐ sium sulfate, etc.), which not only reduce the cost of production but also environmental pollution, and increases growers' income on a sustainable basis. Integrated nutrients man‐ agement (combined use of chemical + organic + biofertilizers) in a cereals-based system, es‐ pecially corn production, is therefore more resilient to climate change.

The purpose of the book *Corn* is to present a comprehensive picture of the importance of corn globally. The book is divided into three parts. The first part deals with corn manage‐ ment practices, the second part is related to the role of corn in human health, and the third part deals with corn's response to climate change. This book is intended to satisfy to the needs of students, researchers, technologists, and policy makers. It comprises eight chapters. We are thankful to all the authors who contributed their valuable chapters to this book. We are also extremely grateful to Ms. Marina Dusevic (Author Service Manager) of InTech for helping us to publish the book in an excellent form in the shortest possible time. We owe our sincere thanks and gratitude to our families whose consistent encouragement and love have been a tremendous impetus for the completion of this book.

> **Dr. Amanullah** Associate Professor Department of Agronomy Faculty of Crop Production Sciences The University of Agriculture Peshawar Pakistan

**Corn Management**

**Section 1**

**Shah Fahad, PhD** Department of Plant Science and Technology Huazhong Agricultural University Wuhan, China

**Section 1**

**Corn Management**

helping us to publish the book in an excellent form in the shortest possible time. We owe our sincere thanks and gratitude to our families whose consistent encouragement and love

> **Dr. Amanullah** Associate Professor Department of Agronomy

> > **Shah Fahad, PhD**

Wuhan, China

Pakistan

Faculty of Crop Production Sciences The University of Agriculture Peshawar

Huazhong Agricultural University

Department of Plant Science and Technology

have been a tremendous impetus for the completion of this book.

VIII Preface

**Chapter 1**

**Provisional chapter**

**Integrated Nutrient Management in Corn Production:**

Soil fertility and corn productivity is continuously declining due to removal of essential plant nutrients from the soils. The deficiencies of essential plant nutrients, organic matter, and beneficial soil microbes in soils had negative impact on soil fertility, corn productivity, and grower's income, which has increased the problem of food insecurity under arid and semiarid climates. Best management practices including the proper use of plant nutrients increase (1) soil fertility and health, (2) yield per unit area, and (3) grower's income (profitability). Our long-term field experiments on maize crop indicated that a significant increase in yield per unit area occurred with the integrated nutrient management (combined use of chemical fertilizers + organic fertilizers + biofertilizers). The integrated use of major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash) along with different organic carbon sources (animal manures and plant residues) plus biofertilizers (beneficial microbes) significantly

**Keywords:** maize, corn, integrated nutrients management, organic fertilizers, chemical

Corn or maize (*Zea mays* L.) is an important cereal crop in the world. It provides staple food to many populations. Maize is the third most important cereal crop in Pakistan after wheat and rice. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa it ranked second after wheat in its importance [1, 2]. In developing countries, maize is a major source of income to farmers among whom many are poor. Corn is used as animals feed and industrial raw material in the developed countries,

improves maize growth, yield and yield components, and grower's income.

fertilizers, bio-fertilizers, yield, grower's income

**1. Economic importance of maize**

**Integrated Nutrient Management in Corn Production:**

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use,

distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.80995

**Symbiosis for Food Security and Grower's Income in**

**Symbiosis for Food Security and Grower's Income in** 

**Arid and Semiarid Climates**

**Arid and Semiarid Climates**

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Amanullah and Shah Fahad

Amanullah and Shah Fahad

**Abstract**

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80995

#### **Integrated Nutrient Management in Corn Production: Symbiosis for Food Security and Grower's Income in Arid and Semiarid Climates Integrated Nutrient Management in Corn Production: Symbiosis for Food Security and Grower's Income in Arid and Semiarid Climates**

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.80995

Amanullah and Shah Fahad Amanullah and Shah Fahad

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80995

#### **Abstract**

Soil fertility and corn productivity is continuously declining due to removal of essential plant nutrients from the soils. The deficiencies of essential plant nutrients, organic matter, and beneficial soil microbes in soils had negative impact on soil fertility, corn productivity, and grower's income, which has increased the problem of food insecurity under arid and semiarid climates. Best management practices including the proper use of plant nutrients increase (1) soil fertility and health, (2) yield per unit area, and (3) grower's income (profitability). Our long-term field experiments on maize crop indicated that a significant increase in yield per unit area occurred with the integrated nutrient management (combined use of chemical fertilizers + organic fertilizers + biofertilizers). The integrated use of major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash) along with different organic carbon sources (animal manures and plant residues) plus biofertilizers (beneficial microbes) significantly improves maize growth, yield and yield components, and grower's income.

**Keywords:** maize, corn, integrated nutrients management, organic fertilizers, chemical fertilizers, bio-fertilizers, yield, grower's income
