Morphological, physiological and yield response of maize (Zea mays L.) to seed treatments

[摘要] English: Increasing crop yields for an ever growing world population has currently become a topic of great importance for agronomists and plant physiologists alike. The main objective is to find the cheapest and most effective methods to obtain this goal. In this regard seed treatment is one of the approaches that offer great potential. With this in mind, the underlying study was undertaken in order to test a range of products including prototypes and commercially available products. During the laboratory and glasshouse screening phases optimal concentrations for the plant growth regulators ComCat® (25 mg kg-1 seed) and SS (12.5 mg kg-1 seed) were identified in terms of seedling growth response. Additionally, the two fertilizer products Teprosyn® and Seniphos® initially showed promise in this regard when applied on their own or in combination with the plant growth regulators and the uptake enhancer AnnGro�?. However, of all the seed treatments and purely based on the eventual marked yield increase obtained, ComCat® (+500 kg ha-1) on its own and Teprosyn® in combination with SS and AnnGro�?(+800 kg ha-1) proved to be the most promising. Although the metabolic response of maize seedlings to the different seed treatments were followed in terms of selected events, no clear picture emerged in terms of the mechanisms of action underlying the eventual yield increase. It became clear that this aspect needed special attention in a follow-up study over a total growing season. From this study it is recommended that ComCat® on its own as well as the Teprosyn®/SS/AnnGro�?combination treatment can be considered strongly as seed treatments of maize under rain fed conditions, but this should be followed over more seasons. This recommendation is purely based on the consistent enhancing effect that both treatments revealed in terms of seedling growth and final yield. The potential of these treatments should also be evaluated under irrigation conditions.

[发布机构] University of the Free State