Effect of Spacing, Planting Methods and Nitrogen on Maize Grain Yield
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis
Abstract
Maize (Zea mays L.) production in the developing countries takes place on
marginal landscapes using indigenous planting methods that conflict with
appropriate row spacing (RS) and plant to plant spacing (PPS). A study
was conducted to determine the effect of different RS, variable plant densities
and different planting methods on maize grain yield. This study was
conducted for two years at three locations in Oklahoma including Lake Carl
Blackwell (Port silt loam), Efaw (Ashport silty clay loam), and Perkins (Teller
sandy loam-fine-loamy). Fourteen treatments were evaluated at each location
in a randomized complete block design with three replications.
Treatments included two RS (0.51 m, 0.76 m), three nitrogen (N) application
rates (0, 60, 120 kg N ha−1), two PPS (0.15 m, 0.30 m) and two planting
methods (Greenseeder hand planter; farmers practice). Results showed an
increase in grain yield by 34% in 2017 and 44% in 2018 for the narrow RS of
0.51 m compared to the 0.76 m RS. This was likely due to increased plant
population at the narrow RS. This study suggests that maize producers in
developing countries could use narrow RS (0.51 m) with wide PPS (0.30 m) to
increase grain yields.
Description
Keywords
Maize Grain Yield, Row spacing, Plant spacing, Nitrogen rate, Maize planter
Citation
Alimamy Fornah , Lawrence Aula , Peter Omara , Fikayo Oyebiyi , Jagmandeep Dhillon & William R. Raun (2020): Effect of Spacing, Planting Methods and Nitrogen on Maize Grain Yield, Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, DOI: 10.1080/00103624.2020.1789163