Yield Performance and Physiological Response of a Maize Early Hybrid Grown in Tunnel and Open Air under Different Water Regimes

Abstract

Climate change is one of the most important and studied phenomena of our age and it can have a deep impact on agriculture. Mediterranean countries are and will continue to be strongly affected by changing environmental factors, including lack of precipitation and prolonged heatwaves. The current study aimed to assess the adaptability of an early maize hybrid grown in two temperature conditions and subjected to different irrigation water regimes. The experimental design was a randomized complete-block design with two different temperature conditions: (i) ordinary temperature in open field (OF) and (ii) high temperature (about 3 °C higher than the current condition) under a poly-ethylene tunnel (PE). In both environments, five irrigation level treatments were applied: 100% (DI100), 75% (DI75), 50% (DI50), 25% (DI25), and 0% restoration of water lost by evapotranspiration (DI0). The responses of maize plants were assessed in terms of yield, nitrogen content determination, nitrogen use efficiency, leaf gas exchanges, and leaf water potential measurements. In both conditions, yield and its components linearly decreased as the irrigation water amount reduced, and even the DI0 plants did not produce. Notably, the PE-DI100 treatment had a significantly higher yield than the corresponding treatment in the open air (9.9 vs. 8.5 t ha−1), due mainly to the increased number of ears per square meter (13 vs. 11 m2, respectively). Though, as far as it concerns physiological parameters, a significant effect of environmental conditions was found, with values significantly lower under the protected environment, compared to the plants in the open field. Considering our results, it can be assumed that correct management of amount and time intervals of irrigation could adapt the maize to future climate change.

Optimising Water Management in Drylands to Increase Crop Productivity and Anticipate Climate Change in Indonesia

“…The increase in temperature can prolong the planting time and accelerate the ripening of fruits and seeds, thereby decreasing the quality of yields [47]. Rising global temperatures have resulted in melting glaciers, which contribute to rising sea levels, resulting in reduced agricultural land along the coast; contributes to the thermal expansion effect of the oceans; and alters the frequency and severity of extreme weather and climate events [48,49].…”

Genetic Analysis of Water Stress Tolerance Attributes in F1 Maize Diallel Crosses

“…It is a major constraint in maize production and the most negative factor causing yield reduction in semiarid regions (El-Hosary et al, 2013;Umar et al 2014). Maize growth and yield affected by soil moisture regime caused yield deterioration, especially if water deficit occurs during the flowering or reproductive phase (Lucia et al, 2021) Drought avoidance includes mechanisms which reduce water loss from plant or keep water absorption. Drought tolerance is the ability of plant to resist low water supply by enhancing tissue water potentials (El-Hosary et al, 2013).…”