Differential genotypic response to drought stress in maize
1998
Saeed, M. | Saifi, M.Y. | Akhtar, M. | Mohsan, S. (University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (Pakistan). Dept. of Agronomy)
Differential genotypic response to drought stress in maize was studied under field conditions at the Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad in spring, 1992. Treatments comprised three drought stages, i.e., normal irrigation water supply (control), drought during vegetative development and drought during reproductive development, and three maize cultivars viz., 'Akbar', 'Neelum' and 'Baimissal'. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design with four replications. Drought during the reproductive development caused the maximum reduction (50%) in grain yield ha-1 of all the three cultivars, followed by drought during the vegetative development (37%). Such reduction in grain yield of maize was due to the suppressive effect of drought on number of fertile tillers ha-1, number of grains per cob and 100-grain weight. In general, drought during the reproductive development had greater suppressive effect on the physiological determinants (average crop growth rate, average net assimilation rate and harvest index) of the biological efficiency of the three cultivars than that during the vegetative development. However, vice versa was true for the leaf area index. The results suggest that drought during the reproductive development is more injurious to maize productivity than that during the vegetative development.
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