Variation in Leaf Chlorophyll Concentration in Response to Nitrogen Application Across Maize Hybrids in Contrasting Environments.

Abstract

Leaf chlorophyll concentration was measured for 84 publicly available maize hybrids grown under three nitrogen fertilizer treatments in two contrasting environments in Nebraska. The effect of nitrogen treatment on chlorophyll response was found to be significant (p < 0.05) for both locations. In Scottsbluff, chlorophyll concentrations increased significantly with increasing nitrogen rate, while no significant difference was found between medium and high nitrogen in Lincoln. Within equivalent nitrogen treatments, chlorophyll was more abundant in Lincoln than Scottsbluff for nearly every hybrid. Hybrid response was not consistent between environments, with approximately 11% of variance explained by genotype by environment interaction.