Growth and yield responses of autumn maize hybrids to different zinc application methods

Micro nutrients play pivotal role in crop production to increase productivity. Zinc is essential for optimal growth of plants and it is vital to the crop nutrition as required in various enzymatic reactions, metabolic processes, and oxidation- reduction reactions. A field trial was performed at Research Area of Agronomy, University of Agriculture in the autumn season 2014 to investigate the response of maize hybrids to different zinc application methods. The zinc' application methods were priming, soil application and foliar sprays. Experimental designed followed for this experiment was Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) using factorial arrangement. Eight treatments were carried under each three replications. The data was recorded using standard procedures for various agronomic traits and Fisher's analysis of variance technique was used to analyze the data and probability level for the least significant difference test (LSD test) was applied to distinguish difference among treatments means. Results revealed that maize hybrid 30Y87 recorded minimum time for time taken to 50% emergence, mean emergence time and maximum final emergence percentage as compared to DK6789 when we treated seed as zinc priming. Maize hybrid Pioneer 30Y87 with combined application of Zn as seed priming (1.0%), soil applied (12 kg per ha) and foliar spray (0.25%) also showed high leaf area index, leaf area duration and crop growth rate. Similarly, Maize hybrid Pioneer 30Y87 with combined application of Zn as seed priming and foliage spray (0.25%) play significant role in all the yield and growth relating parameters like Plant height, cob length, cob diameter, number of grains per cob, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, biological yield and harvest index than maize hybrid DK-6789. On the basis of this experiment it is concluded that maize hybrid Pioneer 30Y87 produced better grain yield and performed best when Zn was applied as foliage spray along with seed priming or soil application.