Yield, Yield Components and Seed Germination of ...

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Row spacing and plant spacing within rows were 75 and 17 cm, respectively. Irrigation interval ... The number of rows per cob, number of seeds per row and cob ...
PHILIPP AGRIC SCIENTIST Vol. 96 No. 1, 42–47 March 2013

ISSN 0031-7454

Yield, Yield Components and Seed Germination of Maize (Zea mays L.) at Different Defoliation and Tassel Removal Treatments H. Heidari Department of Crop Production and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Razi, Kermanshah, Imam Khomeini Highway, Iran (e-mail: [email protected]) Field and laboratory experiments were conducted in 2011 to determine the effect of tassel removal and intensity of defoliation on yield of maize. The field experiment consisted of four defoliation treatments (D1= control, no leaf removal; D2= defoliation of leaves at the top of the ear; D3= defoliation of leaves under the ear; D4= defoliation of all leaves) and two tassel removal treatments (T1= no tassel removal, T2= tassel removal). Seeds in the field experiment were used in the laboratory experiment. In the latter, the germination traits of seed produced from plants under defoliation treatments were tested. Under no tassel removal, defoliation of leaves under the ear resulted in higher seed yield compared with defoliation of leaves at the top of the ear. Plants under complete defoliation had the lowest seed yield, ear weight, number of rows per ear, cob weight and 100-seed weight, but had higher seed germination percentage, rate and vigor (p