MAIZE GROWTH, YIELD FORMATION AND WATER-NITROGEN USAGE IN RESPONSE TO VARIED IRRIGATION AND NITROGEN SUPPLY UNDER SEMI-ARID CLIMATE

Authors : Umair ASHRAF, Mazhar Noor SALIM, Alam SHER, Sabeehurrasool SABIR, Aqil KHAN, Shenggang PAN, Xiangru TANG

Pages : 88-96

Doi:10.17557/tjfc.93898

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Publication Date : 2016-06-01

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Enhancement of resource use efficiencies and crop productivity in sustainable agriculture are important especially in low-input production systems. This experiment was planned to evaluate the performance of maize under different water and nitrogen levels. Three irrigation treatments i.e., I1= three leaf stage insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(V1);, nine leaf stage insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(V2);, tasseling insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(T); and milking stage insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(M);; I2 = V1, V2, T, M and dough stage insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(R1);, I3= V1, V2, T, M , R1 and blister stage insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(R2); were applied with 70 mm application depth with different nitrogen application rates i.e., 0 , 150, 200 and 250 kg N ha-1 . Results revealed that maximum growth i.e., plant height, leaf area index insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(LAI);, crop growth rate insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(CGR);, cob length and diameter as well as yield and yield components i.e., grains rows/cob, grains/row, grains/cob, grain weight/cob, 100-grain weight, grain yield, biological yield and harvest index, water and nitrogen use efficiencies as well as transpiration and photosynthetic activities were recorded at I3 with 250 kg N ha-1 . However, increased irrigation and nitrogen application rates delayed days to tasseling, silking and maturity. Conclusively, six irrigations insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(I3); with 250 kg N ha-1 can be adopted as the best input levels to get maximum maize yield under semi-arid regions. In future both these inputs may be used as water and nitrogen based agricultural best management practices insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(BMPs); in regions with similar type of environmental conditions. 
Keywords : Growth, Maize, Resource use efficiency, Photosynthesis, Respiration, Yield