Effect of density and planting pattern on yield and yield

پژوهشهای زراعی ایران

Article 19, Volume 5, Issue 1 - Serial Number 9, 2007, Pages 187-200   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/gsc.v5i1.915

Authors

A Yadavi^{* 1}; E Zand²; A Ghalavand¹; M AghaAlikhani¹

¹-

²Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization

Abstract

In order to evaluate competition ability of Grain maize (Zea mays L.) against redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) a field experiment was conducted at Esfahan on 2003. In this research the effect of corn spatial arrangement on yield and yield components of corn (647 Three Way Cross hybrids) under different levels of redroot pigweed infestation was investigated. Treatments were arranged in a factorial split experiment based on RCBD with three replications. Factorial arrangement of corn densities (74000 and 111000 plant ha-1) and planting patterns (single row, rectangular twin row and zigzag twin row) formed the main plots. Split-plots referred to pigweed densities (0, 4, 8 and 12 plant m-1). Results showed that both grain and biological yield of corn increased as corn density rates increased but rows number per cob, number of grains per row of cob and 1000 grains weight decreased. The effects of planting arrangement on yield and yield components despite rows grain in cob, 1000 seeds weight and harvest index were statistically significant. Corn grain yield and yield components decreased significantly by increasing pigweed density. The effect of redroot pigweed density on corn grain and biological yield loss was predicted using Cousence hyperbolic yield equation. It showed that maximum grain yield loss and biological yield loss happened in single row arrangement and low corn density. Rows number per cob and grain numbers per row in higher corn density treatment showed lower reduction slopes under pigweed competition. In addition, grain rows numbers per cob and corn harvest index in twin arrangement treatments decreased lower than single row treatment under pigweed competition. The results of this research indicated that corn competition ability against redroot pigweed could be increased using dense population (1/5 fold of general density) and zigzag twin row arrangement.