Abstract
The impact of the climatic factors of crop year on the relative chlorophyll content of maize was examined for three years. The examinations were carried out on the Látókép Experiment Site of the University of Debrecen on calcareous chernozem soil in a small-plot, non-irrigated long-term field experiment with strip plot design. In addition to a non-fertilised (control) treatment, nitrogen (N) fertiliser doses were applied as base and top dressing. The 60 and 120 kg N ha-1 base dressing doses were followed by two top dressing doses at the V6 and V12 phenophases.
 Averaged over the different fertiliser treatments, SPAD readings increased in all three years as the growing season progressed. The highes SPAD value increase was observed in the average crop year (2017) at the V12 phenophase (11.8), which further increased at the R1 phenophas, by 3,7. No significant Spad value difference was observed between the average (2017) and the dry year (2018) at the V6 growth phase. However, in the wet crop year (2016), the V690 treatment provided the statistically highest relative chlorophyll content (46.8). At the V12 phenophase, the base dressing dose of 120 kg N ha-1+30 kg N ha-1 (V6150) showed to be successful in two years (2016 and 2018), while in 2017, the base dressing dose of A60 was successful. The impact of crop year on relative chlorophyll content can be clearly shown at the R1 growth stage. In all three years, the significantly highest relative chlorophyll content could be achieved at different nutrient levels: A60 in 2016, V6150 in 2017 and V690.
 In a wet year (2016), higher yield could be achieved as a result of the 60 kg N ha-1 base dressing and 30 kg N ha-1 at the V6 growth stage (V690) as top dressing in comparison with 2017 and 2018, when higher fertiliser dose (120 kg N ha-1 base dressing and 30 kg N ha-1top dressing at the V6 growth stage) was needed to achieve a significant yield surplus.
 Altogether, averaged over the different treatments, the highest yield (12.48 t ha-1) was observed in the wet year, when the relative chlorophyll content was also the highest (50.6).
Highlights
Maize is one of the most significant culture crops of the world
Averaged over the three examined years, in accordance with the findings of Ványiné Széles (2008), Vig et al (2010), Bónis et al (2011) and Micskei et al (2014), SPAD readings were affected by increasing fertiliser doses at a significance level of 0.1%
The effect of different treatments on the chlorophyll content of maize was examined with Duncan’s test, which resulted in two homogeneous groups that significantly differed from each other (P
Summary
Maize is one of the most significant culture crops of the world. Due to its fundamental role in feeding the world’s population and the rapid increase of its production, maize has become one of the most important culture crops of the world (Nagy, 2008). Within the European Union, Hungary has an outstanding position concerning maize production, with a sowing area between 1-1.2 million hectares (Nagy, 2018). Averaged over the twenty years between 1998-2017, the sowing area of maize was 1.110 million hectares, with the extremes being 2017 (drought – 988 million hectares) and 2011 (1.285 million hectares). The average yield of maize was 6.1 t ha-1, with the extremes being 2007 (3.7 t ha-1) and 2016 (8.6 t ha-1) (HCSO, 2018)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
