Abstract
Maize serves as an important food source for human and livestock populations and its demand is heightening in response to the ever-increasing global population. Maize uses a total of 350-450 mm of water during its lifetime to complete its growth and development. However, as a result of global climate change and increased human activity, a significant portion of the Earth’s land is suffering from drought, leading to frequent periods of dryness that hamper the production of maize. This review article recounts the consequences of imposing moisture stress on various developmental stages, phenology, morphology, harvest, and yield-attributing characteristics of the maize crop. To form this review article, research papers expatiating on the consequences faced by maize crops in response to moisture stress were retrieved to gain a thorough understanding of the subject. Drought stress affected both vegetative and reproductive growth stages of the maize plant with significant alterations in seed germination, biomass accumulation, days to anthesis and silking, pollen number, kernel number, kernel weight, grain yield, nutrient uptake, and soluble proteins. The result has shown a decline in the yield of maize by 70% in response to moisture stress imposed by drought conditions. The development of drought-resistant lines and irrigation facilities is thus expected to salvage crops and farmers from an impending crisis of drought spells brought about by climate change.
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