Abstract
Maize is an economically vital cereal crop. However, water deficiency can severely impact its productivity. Thus, it is necessary to implement an essential approach to increase maize yield while navigating the limitations imposed by scarce water supplies. The present study aimed to investigate whether foliar applications of silicon (Si) and zinc (Zn) could mitigate the adverse effects of water deficiency and improve maize growth and yield. Field experiments were conducted in Egypt during two growing seasons (2021-2022) under three irrigation regimes: full irrigation (ET0), moderate stress (ET1), and severe stress (ET2). The treatments comprised foliar sprays of Si, Zn, Si + Zn, and water control. Phenological, growth, physiological, chemical, and yield-related traits were assessed. Results showed that adequate irrigation (ET0) enhanced most parameters compared to water stress treatments. Under ET0, the combined silicon and zinc treatment resulted in the highest values for plant height, leaf area, chlorophyll content, grains per ear, kernel weight, ear size, and yield compared to other foliar treatments. Under drought stress (ET1, ET2), Si + Zn applications maintained superiority in mitigating yield losses. Proline accumulation was highest under severe stress (ET2) in the absence of foliar sprays, indicating greater drought impacts. Correlation analysis revealed positive associations of grain yield with ear size, leaf area, kernel weight, and biological yield. Cluster analysis separated irrigation regimes and visualized the consistently beneficial effects of Si + Zn across all water levels. Overall, the results demonstrate the synergistic potential of Si and Zn supplementation to sustain maize performance and yields under varying water availability.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Adequate irrigation enhanced most maize parameters compared with water stress treatments.
- Treatment
- adequate irrigation (ET0)e1
- Outcome
- most parameterse1
- Direction
- enhancede1
- Comparator
- water stress treatmentse1
- Setting
- Egypte0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that adequate irrigation (ET0) enhanced most parameters compared to water stress treatments”
e0“Field experiments were conducted in Egypt”
t0“Revitalizing maize growth and yield in water-limited environments”
Claim · model-written summary
Under full irrigation, combined silicon and zinc gave the highest plant height, leaf area and chlorophyll content among foliar treatments.
- Treatment
- combined silicon and zinc treatmente2
- Outcome
- plant height, leaf area, chlorophyll contente2
- Direction
- higheste2
- Qualifier
- Under ET0e2
- Comparator
- other foliar treatmentse2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Under ET0, the combined silicon and zinc treatment resulted in the highest values for plant height, leaf area, chlorophyll content, grains per ear, kernel weight, ear size, and yield compared to other foliar treatments”
t0“Revitalizing maize growth and yield in water-limited environments”
Claim · model-written summary
Under full irrigation, combined silicon and zinc gave the highest grains per ear, kernel weight and ear size among foliar treatments.
- Treatment
- combined silicon and zinc treatmente2
- Outcome
- grains per ear, kernel weight, ear sizee2
- Direction
- higheste2
- Qualifier
- Under ET0e2
- Comparator
- other foliar treatmentse2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Under ET0, the combined silicon and zinc treatment resulted in the highest values for plant height, leaf area, chlorophyll content, grains per ear, kernel weight, ear size, and yield compared to other foliar treatments”
t0“Revitalizing maize growth and yield in water-limited environments”
Claim · model-written summary
Under full irrigation, combined silicon and zinc gave the highest maize yield among foliar treatments.
- Treatment
- combined silicon and zinc treatmente2
- Outcome
- yielde2
- Direction
- higheste2
- Qualifier
- Under ET0e2
- Comparator
- other foliar treatmentse2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Under ET0, the combined silicon and zinc treatment resulted in the highest values for plant height, leaf area, chlorophyll content, grains per ear, kernel weight, ear size, and yield compared to other foliar treatments”
t0“Revitalizing maize growth and yield in water-limited environments”
Claim · model-written summary
Under drought stress, Si + Zn applications mitigated yield losses in maize.
- Treatment
- Si + Zn applicationse3
- Outcome
- yield lossese3
- Direction
- mitigatinge3
- Qualifier
- Under drought stress (ET1, ET2)e3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“Under drought stress (ET1, ET2), Si + Zn applications maintained superiority in mitigating yield losses”
t0“Revitalizing maize growth and yield in water-limited environments”
Claim · model-written summary
Proline accumulation was highest under severe stress (ET2) in the absence of foliar sprays.
- Treatment
- severe stress (ET2)e4
- Outcome
- Proline accumulatione4
- Direction
- higheste4
- Qualifier
- in the absence of foliar sprayse4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“Proline accumulation was highest under severe stress (ET2) in the absence of foliar sprays, indicating greater drought impacts”
t0“Revitalizing maize growth and yield in water-limited environments”
Claim · model-written summary
Grain yield was positively associated with ear size, leaf area, kernel weight and biological yield in maize.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“Correlation analysis revealed positive associations of grain yield with ear size, leaf area, kernel weight, and biological yield”
t0“Revitalizing maize growth and yield in water-limited environments”
Claim · model-written summary
Si + Zn had consistently beneficial effects across all water levels in maize.
- Treatment
- Si + Zne6
- Outcome
- beneficial effectse6
- Direction
- consistently beneficiale6
- Qualifier
- across all water levelse6
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e6“Cluster analysis separated irrigation regimes and visualized the consistently beneficial effects of Si + Zn across all water levels”
t0“Revitalizing maize growth and yield in water-limited environments”
Claim · model-written summary
Cluster analysis separated the irrigation regimes in maize.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e6“Cluster analysis separated irrigation regimes and visualized the consistently beneficial effects of Si + Zn across all water levels”
t0“Revitalizing maize growth and yield in water-limited environments”
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