Effect of potassium silicate foliar on some maize (<em>Zea mays</em> L.) Hybrids productivity under agricultural buried drains tile network in saline soil conditions

Author : Mohamed A. Attia; Omnia M. Wassif; Abdelnasser. A. Sh; M. A. Abd El-Aziz and Khaled M.H. Zaki

Two experiment was conducted for two consecutive summer seasons of 2021 and 2022 summer seasons at saline soil in Sahl ElTena, North Sinai governorate, Egypt to investigate the response of some maize hybrids (MH) (Zea maays amylaceae L.) under new reclaimed conditions on plant density (PD). Each experiment included 12 treatments which were respectively to study the effect of foliar potassium silicate concentrations (1%, 2%, 3% K2SiO2 and tap water as a control) with three yellow maize hybrids (Giza 168, T.c 32 and pioneer 2055). This experiment was arranged in a split plot design with three replications, where foliar application of potassium silicate was randomly arranged in the main plots and maize hybrids were randomly distributed in the sub main plots. The obtained results showed significant differences among some maize hybrids treatments in all studied traits in both seasons. Also, results cleared that values of grain and biological yields were increased by each. In addition, results revealed that significant differences between maize hybrids for plant height (cm), total chlorophyll, flag leaf area, ear weight (g), 100-grain weight (g), grain weight/ ear (g), number rows/ ear, number grains/ row, grain yield ton/ ha, straw yield ton/ ha, biological yield ton/ ha, crop index (%), harvest index (%), grain yield (LE/ ha), straw yield (LE/ha), total gain (LE/ ha) and net gain (LE/ ha). The main results showed that pioneer 2055 hybrid surpassed Giza168 and Giza 352 hybrids in yield and yield components in the two seasons respectively. Moreover, increasing potassium silicate concentration increased yield and its components, the highest value of grain yield ton/ ha obtained from pioneer 2055which spraying by 3% K2SiO2.

Keywords : Maize, cultivar, foliar, potassium, hybrids and yield,

Received:8/15/2022 12:00:00 AM; Accepted: 10/20/2022 12:00:00 AM