Response of four genotypes of corn (Zea mays L.) to foliar nutrition by seaweed extract

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during spring seasons of 2017 and 2018 in Al-Hindiya Barrier Region, Babylon Province, Iraq to study the effect of foliar spraying of seaweed extracts on growth traits and grain yield of four genotypes of yellow corn. The experiment was conducted using the randomized complete block design (RCBD) for factorial experiments with three replications. The first factor included the genotypes (5015, 5016, 5017 and 5018). The second factor included foliar spraying of seaweed extract with three concentrations (3, 6 and 9 ml/l) in addition to the control treatment in which the plants were sprayed with distilled water only. The results showed that the corn genotypes differed significantly in respect to growth and yield traits. The corn genotype 5017 produced significantly higher growth and yield traits compared to other genotypes during both the years. The magnitude of production for plant height, leaf area, number of cobs per plant, cob length, number of grains/cob and grain yield per plant was 226.42 and 229.50 cm, 5291.8 and 5299.7 cm2, 1.93 and 1.96 cobs/plant, 1.30 and 18.45 cm, 445.75 and 451.75 grains/cob and 163.17 and 167.50 g in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The spraying of corn plants with seaweed extract @ 6 ml/l produced significantly higher leaf area, length of cob, number of grains/cob and grain yield per plant to the tune of 5241.9 and 5250.8 cm2, 17.97 and 18.14 cm, 443.42 and 448.58 grains/cob and 160.92 and 165.67 g in 2017 and 2018, respectively. On the basis of these results, it can be concluded that genotype 5017 sprayed with seaweed extract @ 6 ml/l excelled over other genotypes in respect of growth and yield.