Influence of different zinc sulfate levels on yield and yield components of maize cultivars (Zea mays L.) in the agro-climatic condition of district Bajaur
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Abstract
Zinc (ZnSO4) play an essential role in the productivity of maize crops. It is an essential micronutrient for plant growth and development, and its deficiency can negatively impact crop yield and quality. To find out the effect of zinc on yield and growth of different cultivars of maize, an experiment was performed at the Experimental Research Farm of Agriculture Research (MA), district Bajaur, during 2022. Four doses of zinc sulphate (0, 10, 20, 300 kg ha-1) and four varieties (Azam, Jalal, CIMMYT-Pak and Gohar-19) were used. RCBD was used. All the parameters were significantly affected by zinc sulphate except days to emergence (5.8). Minimum days to tasseling (56.9), minimum days to silking (61.0), maximum plant height at harvest (230.9cm), number of leaves plant-1 (13.3), cob length (18.0cm), 1000-grains weight (305.5g), number of grains cob-1 (612.6) and yield (4962.4kg ha-1) were recorded with application of 30 kg ha-1 of zinc sulphate in soil. While in terms of maize cultivar early days to emergence (5.7), plant height at harvest (252.0cm), number of leaves plant-1 (13.4), minimum days to tasseling (57.2), minimum days to silking (61.3), maximum cob length (19.0cm),1000-grains weight (320.5g), number of grains per cob (616.3) and grain yield (5277.7kg ha-1) were revealed by cultivar variety “Gohar-19”. Similarly, maize variety ‘Gohar-19’ was significantly reflective in the production as compared to other followed by CYMMIT-Pak. It was derived from the experiment that rise in the ZnSO4 level on all cultivars enhanced most of the studied parameter, although in case of varieties better production and yield components were recorded in the cultivars Gohar-19 as compared to other cultivars.
Keywords: Days to tasseling; Maize cultivar; Number of grain per cob; Zinc sulphate