Abstract
Reproductive success in cereals is determined primarily by grain setting and grain filling. The kernel abortion in maize during pre-anthesis drought has been widely studied, but the reasons behind this abortion are still largely unknown. The present study investigated the impact of drought stress (control and drought) around pollination and foliar sprays of potassium (K; 0, 1, 2 and 5% K2SO4) on leaf K concentrations and yield determinants of maize under greenhouse and field conditions. Results of both experiments revealed that drought stress before pollination strongly reduced the cob fresh weights, number of grains per cob and hence grain yields. While cob length, cob diameter and grain weights were only slightly affected by drought. Potassium concentrations in cob leaves of drought stressed plants were slightly below the critical threshold values. Foliar spray of 2 and 5% K significantly increased the leaf K concentration, number of grains per cob and grain yield in drought treatments of both experiments. Foliar application of K had little or no significant effect on growth and yield determinants of control plants. It is concluded that potassium deficiency could be one factor associated with poor kernel setting under drought stress. Foliar application of 2 and 5% K2SO4 before silking can significantly improve grain number and grain yield in droughtstressed maize.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Drought stress before pollination reduced cob fresh weight, number of grains per cob and grain yield of maize.
- Treatment
- drought stress before pollinatione1
- Outcome
- cob fresh weights, number of grains per cob and hence grain yieldse1
- Direction
- reducede1
- Comparator
- controle2
- Setting
- greenhouse and field conditionse0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“yield determinants of maize under greenhouse and field conditions”
e1“drought stress before pollination strongly reduced the cob fresh weights, number of grains per cob and hence grain yields”
e2“control and drought”
Claim · model-written summary
Drought only slightly affected cob length, cob diameter and grain weight of maize.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“yield determinants of maize under greenhouse and field conditions”
e1“cob length, cob diameter and grain weights were only slightly affected by drought”
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium concentrations in cob leaves of drought-stressed maize were slightly below the critical threshold values.
- Outcome
- Potassium concentrations in cob leavese1
- Qualifier
- slightly below the critical threshold valuese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“yield determinants of maize under greenhouse and field conditions”
e1“Potassium concentrations in cob leaves of drought stressed plants were slightly below the critical threshold values”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar spray of 2 and 5% K significantly increased leaf K concentration, grains per cob and grain yield of drought-stressed maize.
- Treatment
- Foliar spray of 2 and 5% Ke1
- Outcome
- leaf K concentration, number of grains per cob and grain yielde1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Qualifier
- in drought treatmentse1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“yield determinants of maize under greenhouse and field conditions”
e1“Foliar spray of 2 and 5% K significantly increased the leaf K concentration, number of grains per cob and grain yield in drought treatments of both experiments”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar application of K had little or no significant effect on growth and yield determinants of control maize plants.
- Treatment
- Foliar application of Ke1
- Outcome
- growth and yield determinantse1
- Qualifier
- little or noe1
- Comparator
- control plantse1
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“yield determinants of maize under greenhouse and field conditions”
e1“Foliar application of K had little or no significant effect on growth and yield determinants of control plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar application of 2 and 5% K2SO4 before silking can improve grain number and grain yield of drought-stressed maize.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“yield determinants of maize under greenhouse and field conditions”
e1“Foliar application of 2 and 5% K2SO4 before silking can significantly improve grain number and grain yield in droughtstressed maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium deficiency could be one factor associated with poor kernel setting of maize under drought stress.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“yield determinants of maize under greenhouse and field conditions”
e1“potassium deficiency could be one factor associated with poor kernel setting under drought stress”
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