Abstract
A field experiment was carried out during two spring seasons in 2019 and 2020. This study was aimed to increase dry matter weight and crop growth rate of maize. First factor in main plots was nutrition vegetative parts with ascorbic and citric (100 mg l-1) for both of them and humic (1 ml l-1), in addition to the control treatment (spraying of vegetative parts with distilled water only). Second factor in sub-plots was seeds soaking with same acids above, as well as the control treatment (soaking the seeds with distilled water only). Randomize complete block design in split plot arrangement was used with three replications. The results showed a significant superiority of seeds soaking in humic acid for traits of number of days from planting to 75% anthesis and silking (66.4 and 66.3 day) and (72.3 and 72.3 day), plant height (194.0 and 230.8 cm), leaves area plant-1 (6969.5 and 6570.2 cm2), leaf area index (3.71 and 3.50), dry matter weight (11.6 and 12.2 ton ha-1), crop growth rate (3.0 and 3.2 g cm-2 day-1) and chlorophyll leaf content (60.2 and 69.5 SPAD) for both seasons, respectively. Effect of vegetative parts nutrition and interaction effect of both studied factors was non-significant for most traits. It can be concluded that seeds soaking in humic acid improved growth traits. It can be recommended to soak seeds of maize before planting in humic acid at concentration of 1 ml l-1.
Highlights
The process of seeds priming by soaking them with stimulating materials is an important agricultural process to raise the vitality and vigour of seeds and stimulate them to produce active plants that have ability to compete and grow in a wide range of environmental conditions compared to non-primed seeds
Leaves number plant-1 affected by seeds soaking and vegetative parts nutrition with acids of ascorbic, citric and humic in maize during spring seasons of 2019 and 2020
Data in table 8 showed that treatment of seeds Seeds soaking with humic acid may have led soaking in humic acid was significantly to grow and activity of root system, an superior by producing the highest average of leaves area plant-1 (6969.5 and 6570.2 cm2), increase in plant growth and amount of elements that absorbed from soil, and an while control treatment produced the lowest average (5646.9 and 5188.5 cm2) during both seasons
Summary
The process of seeds priming by soaking them with stimulating materials is an important agricultural process to raise the vitality and vigour of seeds and stimulate them to produce active plants that have ability to compete and grow in a wide range of environmental conditions compared to non-primed seeds. Abboud and Dawood [1] studied soaking of sorghum seeds with ascorbic acid at concentrations 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg l-1 and found that 20 mg l-1 gave the highest average number of leaves (17.10 leaf plant-1) compared to the other concentrations, and the highest average of chlorophyll content in leaves (49.2 SPAD), followed by concentrations 40 and 5 mg l-1 (47.63 leaf plant-1 and 46.33 SPAD), respectively. Muhanna et al [16] showed that soaking of maize seeds in humic acid at concentration of 1000 mg kg-1 before 24 hours of planting had given the highest average of plant height, number of leaves and leaf area index (139.58 cm, 11.11 leaf plant-1 and 2.38), respectively. DAP fertilizer (46:18) (P: N) needed [15]
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