Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Effects of seed viability and water supply on leaf chlorophyll content and grain yield of maize (Zea mays)

Author(s):

Bahareh Dalil, Kazem Ghassemi-Golezani *, Mohammad Moghaddam, Yaeghoob Raey

Recieved Date: 2010-08-07, Accepted Date: 2010-11-03

Abstract:

A field experiment was carried out as factorial based on RCB design with three replicates in 2009 to assess the effects of seed viability on some of the physiological characteristics of maize under four irrigation treatments (irrigation after 70, 90, 110 and 130 mm evaporation). A sub-sample of maize (cv. KSC301) seeds were kept as control or high viability seed lot (V₁) and two other sub-samples were artificially deteriorated at 40°C for 16 and 18 days (V₂ and V₃, respectively). The three seed lots had seed viabilities of 99% (V₁), 91% (V₂) and 79% (V₃). Mean time of seedling emergence significantly increased, but emergence percentage decreased with decreasing seed viability. Early emergence of seedlings from high viability seed lots resulted production of more leaves per plant, particularly under limited irrigation conditions. Consequently, maximum number of leaves for these plants attained earlier than those from low viability seed lots. Leaf chlorophyll content index of the plants from all seed lots decreased with increasing water limitation. High leaf chlorophyll content of the plants from low viability seed lots was due to poor stand establishment making light available to the most of leaves of plant canopy. Low stand establishment of plants from artificially deteriorated seed lots resulted in comparatively higher CCI and consequently higher grain yield per plant. However, grain yield per unit area for plants from deteriorated seed lots (V₂ and V₃) was 25.1% and 68.77% less than that for high viability seed lot (V₁). The superiority of V₁ to V₂ and V₃ seeds of maize increased as water limitation increased.

Keywords:

Chlorophyll content, deterioration, grain yield, seedling emergence, viability

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2010
Volume: 8
Issue: 3&4
Category: Agriculture
Pages: 399-402

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