Effect of sugarcane filter cake-based organomineral fertilizers on sweet maize growth

Purpose: One of the primary wastes of the sugar industry that has the potential to be converted into fertilizer is filter cake. Organomineral fertilizer  is proposed as a promising approach. Therefore, this research evaluated the efficiency of various filter cake-based organomineral formulations for sweet maize growth under different fertilization rates.Method: The treatments comprised of seven formulations of filter cake-based fertilizers (filter cake (F), biochar (B), organomineral filter cake, organomineral biochar (OB), organomineral filter cake + humic acid, organomineral biochar + humic acid, and conventional mineral fertilizer (M)) and four rates (40, 80, 120, and 160 kg N ha^−1) based on the nitrogen (N) contents of each fertilizer. Furthermore, fertilizers applied to maize, and growth performance, nutrient use efficiency (NUE), and soil quality were assessed.Results: Maize fertilization using F, B, and OB at different rates resulted in the highest vegetative growth performance, NUE, and residual soil status. F fertilizer produced the optimal plant height, leaf area, and stem diameter for maize. The application of OB fertilizer was most efficient in N uptake, potassium uptake, and potassium recovery, demonstrating values of 42.56%, 91.8%, and 115.4%, respectively. B fertilizer provided a better residual of P (93.4%) than M and a higher organic matter content (224.7%) than the negative control. As per our findings, OB is the best treatment for increasing growth performance, NUE, and soil quality with an optimal dose of 0.96 t ha^−1.Conclusion: Fertilization using OB has significantly improved sweet maize agronomic traits and soil quality