THE EFFECT OF ANTI-TRANSPIRATION ON GRAIN YIELD, YIELD COMPONENT AND WATER USE EFFICIENCY OF CORN UNDER WATER STRESS

Abstract

field experiment was carried out to study The Effect of anti-transpiration on yield and its component of corn crop under water stress conditions during the two fall seasons of 2016 and 2017. used randomized complete block design (RCBD) and the split plot arrangement. The study consisted of three levels of water stress when depleting 50, 60 and 70% of the available water symbolized by I1, I2 and I3 which is equivalent to 580, 420 and 340 mm season-1 respectively, and occupies the main factor, while anti-transpiration, which included leaf sil silica at 15 ml-1 and Kaolin clay at 200 mg g-1, Salicylic acid with a level of 200 mg L -1 and Vapor Gard at 15 mL L-1, as well as the measurement treatment (without spraying) and symbolized S0, S1, S2, S3 and S4 respectively were in sub plots. In order to know the role of antiperspirants in improving grain yield and its components and water efficiency of maize crop under conditions of water stress. The results showed no significant differences between the irrigation treatment after depletion of 50% of available water and the irrigation treatment after depletion of 60% of available water in terms of grain yield and its components, its indicating the possibility of providing water quantity as mean for two seasons up to 1200-1409 m3 h- 1. 60% irrigation treatment gave the best water use efficiency (1.42 and 1.34 kg grain m-3 water) at the two seasons respectively compared with 50% of available water treatment which gave (1.06 and 1.05 kg grain m-3 water) at the two seasons respectively. however watering with depleting 70% of available water reduced the grain yield with an average 34.43 % Compared with irrigation treatment with depletion 50% available water. Spray anti-transpiration led to increasing the yield of maize grain, spray Salicylic acid gave the highest means in length ears, weight of 500 grain and grain yield increased (13.81and 13.43%), (8.30 and 8.03%) and (14.15 and 13.70%) for both seasons compared with the treatment without spraying.. The results showed no significant differences between salicylic acid and kaolin clay in most studied. The spray of wax has a significant impact in many of the qualities, including increasing the number of grains in ear by 12.10 and 7.30% , the weight of 500 grain by 6.01 and 5.79% and grain yield by 7.88 and 5.99% for two seasons sequentially compared with the treatment without spraying.The interaction between the irrigation and anti- transpiration significant effect in the studied traits of the plant except the the length of ear, the number of rows and water use efficiency. Therefore, in the case of limited water recommend the possibility of irrigation after depletion of 60% of the available water, which is 420 mm, and the possibility of spraying anti-transpiration its role in reducing the negative effects of water stress in the grain yield of corn plants*Part of Ph.D. Dissertation of the first author.