Performance of maize hybrids subject to different application depths under center pivot

Abstract

With the hypothesis that irrigation can influence the maize lodging, the objective was to evaluate the effect of water depth and plant population on the performance of hybrids of this crop. The experiment was conducted in a ï¬eld equipped with center pivot irrigation, in a randomized complete block design in a split-plot arrangement, with 6 irrigation levels (plots), 2 hybrids (subplots), 3 plant densities (sub-subplots) with 4 replications. Irrigation levels evaluated were a 0 (control treatment), 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc). The evaluated hybrids were Dow 2B810 PW and MORGAN MG 652 PW, in plant densities of 56, 67 and 78 thousand plants per hectare, with 0.45 m spacing between rows. Maize productivity varies with the irrigation depth, reaching the highest values in the region, with 73% of the ETc. Irrigation also influences total plant height (TPH), as well as ï¬rst ear insertion height (EIH), however, it shows no influence on plant lodging (LOD). Higher plant densities contribute to higher lodging rates, but it is more strongly related to the resistance characteristic of each hybrid.