Document Type : Original research paper
Authors
1
Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture Tanta university
2
Maize department, Field crops research , Shaka
3
Maize Research Dept., Field Crops Research Institute, ARC, Giza, Egypt
Abstract
New yellow maize hybrids require optimized agronomic practices to maximize their productivity. A field experiment was conducted at Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Egypt, during the 2023 and 2024 summer seasons to evaluate the response of four maize hybrids (SC181, SC182, SC183, and SC185) to three nitrogen fertilization levels (80, 120, and 160 kg N/fed) and three plant densities (20,000, 25,000, and 30,000 plants/fed). The study was laid out in a randomized complete block design with a split-split plot arrangement in three replications. Combined analysis across both seasons indicated significant effects of nitrogen, plant density, and hybrid on all studied traits. Grain yield, plant height, and ear height increased with higher nitrogen levels and plant densities. Conversely, higher plant densities decreased ear length, kernel number per row, and 100-kernel weight. Days to 50% silking decreased with higher nitrogen levels and increased with density. Grain yield significantly improved by 8.92% and 14.64% with 120 and 160 kg N/fed compared to 80 kg N/fed, respectively. Similarly, increasing plant density to 25,000 and 30,000 plants/fed enhanced yield by 8.45% and 9.98%, respectively. SC185 recorded the highest grain yield, followed by SC182, SC183, and SC181. Stability analysis revealed that SC182, SC183, and SC185 were relatively stable across environments, while SC181 was environment specific. It is recommended to grow these hybrids under 160 kg N/fed and sown it with density of 30,000 plants/fed for maximum productivity.
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