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Analysis of the effect of agrotechnical parameters and crop year on maize (Zea mays L.) yield using polyfactorial yield trial data
77-100Views:42Field crop production is of paramount importance, the fundamental basis of food production and the source of our livelihood. Maize is one of the world's most important crops, essential for both food and energy security. The research was carried out in Hungary, at the University of Debrecen's Látókép Experimental Site, on calcareous chernozem soil in a complex tillage experiment, set up in 1989 by Prof. Dr. János Nagy. The analysis of the examined years (2015–2023) was carried out in a similar way as in the research of Gombos and Nagy (2019, 2022, 2023, 2024), i.e. we examined the deviation of the total precipitation and mean annual temperature of the given year from the 30-year (1981–2010) site average. RStudio and repeated measures model and LSD post hoc test are used to analyse the maize yield data.
Of the nine years studied, 2015 was the year with the third lowest significant maize yield (7.94 t/ha). The subsequent year 2016 yielded the second highest significant maize yield of the studied period (11.39 t/ha), The 2017 yield (8.64 t/ha) was significantly lower than the preceding year, while 2018 was more favourable for maize (9.18 t/ha). The 2019 harvest produced the statistically third highest maize yield (9.42 t/ha) in the studied period. The yield of 2020 (9.24 t/ha) was not significantly different from that of 2018, but was statistically different from all other years. The yield of maize in the unfavourable year 2021 (7.05 t/ha) was statistically the second lowest in the studied period. Of the nine studied years, the most unfavourable year for maize was the record drought year of 2022, when a yield of 2.52 t/ha was observed. The following year, 2023, recorded the highest maize yield of the studied period, 11.97 t/ha. The greatest impact on maize yield was exerted by the crop year with 73.5%, followed by fertilisation with 24.7%. The effect of tillage was 1%, because the different base crops performed differently depending on the crop year, thus neutralising the effect. -
Impact of different tillage systems on the yield parameters, protein, carbohydrate and oil content of different genotypes of maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids
37-57Views:39The aim of our research is to investigate the effect of different tillage systems on maize parameters (yield, grain moisture content at harvest) and on the nutritional value parameters (starch, protein, oil content). The ploughing primary tillage of maize was compared with the tillage practices (disc tillage, straight knife tillage, strip tillage) that are beneficial for soil structure conservation. The study was carried out in two different crop years with two different rainfall distributions, 2020 and 2021, on mid-heavy meadow chernozem soil in the outskirts of Nádudvar, in a mesoparcel experiment with three hybrids of different maturity (FAO 380, FAO 420, FAO 490).
In 2020, pre-sowing rainfall was low in March and April, only 23% and 39% of the multi-year average, which did not favour spring-sown crops, including maize. In June and July, on the other hand, rainfall was 256% and 217% of the multi-year average. In April, only 52% of the multi-year average fell, while in May it was 144% of the multi-year average. The year as a whole was extremely dry compared to the multi-year average, especially in June and July, when rainfall was only 14% and 69% of the multi-year average, respectively.
The impact of the tillage method on yields was significant in both examined years. In 2020, the yield of ploughing (15.84 t ha-1) was higher than both strip and conservation tillage. In 2021, ploughing was also the highest (5.46 t ha-1), higher than all other tillage methods, but 10.37 t ha-1 lower than in 2020.
In 2020 and 2021, the ranking of hybrids by yield was different. The best yield in 2020 was achieved by the FAO 490 hybrid (16.18 t ha-1), significantly higher than the other two hybrids. In the dry season, the FAO 420 hybrid was able to achieve the highest yield (4.33 t ha-1). Content value analysis of maize grains showed different results in the two crop years. In 2020, the oil content was significantly higher in the reduced tillage of the four tillage methods, with no real difference in the other methods. The analysis of starch content showed no significant difference between ploughing, conservation tillage and strip tillage, and no measurable difference between reduced and strip tillage. The protein content in 2021 showed a difference, with ploughing and conservation tillage demonstrably lower than reduced tillage. Compared to 2020, protein content increased from 6% to 8% in 2021. There was also a significant difference in starch content, with 66% in 2020 and 62% in 2021. -
Effect of the year on yield, grain moisture, and quality parameters of maize (Zea mays L.) (2020–2023)
51-68Views:41Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important arable crops in Hungary, whose yield stability and quality have increasingly depended on annual and climatic conditions in recent years. The period between 2020 and 2023 clearly illustrates that variability in temperature and precipitation patterns fundamentally determines yield performance, grain moisture content, and quality parameters. While in 2020 balanced heat and water availability ensured high yields, favorable starch content, and an extended ripening period, in 2022 the extreme drought and record-high temperatures resulted in a drastic yield reduction, low grain moisture, and moderate starch content.
During critical phenological phases – particularly flowering and grain filling – heat stress and water shortage greatly influenced pollination success, dry matter accumulation, and thus overall crop quality. In unfavorable years, an increase in protein and oil content at the expense of starch was often observed, indicating an inverse relationship between quantitative and qualitative parameters. Although lower grain moisture at harvest can offer technological advantages, rapid water loss may lead to structural damage and an increased risk of mycotoxin contamination.
The results of the examined period highlight that extreme weather factors caused by climate change—heatwaves, drought periods, and precipitation deficits—not only limit yield potential but also alter quality traits. Therefore, in the future, adapting to year-to-year variations will play a key role: the use of stress-tolerant hybrids, optimization of sowing dates, adoption of water-conserving tillage practices, and targeted irrigation strategies can collectively enhance the stability of maize production under changing agroclimatic conditions. -
The impact of irrigation and basal and top dressing fertilisation on the chlorophyll concentration and yield of maize hybrids in extreme dry years
7-30Views:22The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of irrigation and the amount and timing of application of nitrogen basal and top dressing fertilisation on the chlorophyll concentration (SPAD) and grain yield of maize hybrids of different genotypes on chernozem soil with lime deposits in an extreme dry year (2022). It was shown that moisture deficit impaired the uptake and utilisation of fertilisers by plants. The SPAD value was not affected by fertiliser application in the non-irrigated version, with the expection of the Fornad hybrid (V12180, p<0.05). In the irrigated version, all three hybrids reached the maximum value (p<0.05) under the A60 treatment. Chlorophyll concentration was extremely low at all developmental stages due to drought. The maximum SPAD value (p<0.05) (43.2–48.8) was reached at the V8 phenophase in both the non-irrigated and irrigated versions, and then decreased significantly (10.5–15.4) by the harvesting period. A difference in SPAD value was detected between the hybrids at the early vegetation period, between Armagnac and Merida (p<0.05), where Merida had higher SPAD values in both versions. Yield was increased (p<0.05) when N was applied as a basal fertiliser (A120) at 120 kg/ha, except for the non-irrigated version of the Merida hybrid, which is indicative of the drought tolerance of the hybrid (41.0 SPAD value, V6150 treatment, 10.060 t/ha). Chlorophyll content is sensitive to moisture deficit, so that chlorophyll degradation started early in the growing season, irrigation delayed this process, which was reflected in grain yield depending on genotype and fertiliser treatment. The effect of irrigation was greatest in the treatment V6150 (5.267 t/ha) of the Armagnac hybrid, V690 (4.075 t/ha) of the Fornad hybrid and A120 (4.160 t/ha) of the Merida hybrid. It was found that, under specific conditions (extreme drought), chlorophyll concentration is an effective aid in selecting drought tolerant hybrids. Furthermore, under natural rainfall conditions, in extreme drought years, the early maturity Merida (FAO 380) hybrid can be recommended for cultivation with the V6150 treatment, while the medium maturity Armagnac (FAO 490) hybrid can be recommended for cultivation by applying the A120 treatment, if irrigation is possible. The one-year results of the field experiment are not sufficient to make a definite conclusion, but such an extreme drought year has not occurred in Hungary for four decades. -
Analysis of the yield parameters of super sweet maize (Zea mays L. convar saccharata Koern) in different crop years under irrigation
29-46Views:39The success of sweet maize production is mainly determined by the significant variation in the effects of the crop year. In Hungary, a large number of drought periods justify the use of irrigation. Without irrigation, cultivation is risky, and in a severely drought year, even the return on costs is uncertain. Our tests were carried out in three different years (2020, 2021, 2022). In the growing season (May-August), the rainfall was 138 mm more in 2020, 65 mm less in 2021 and 140 mm less in 2022 compared to the long-term average. The water requirements of sweet maize were met by drip irrigation throughout the period. Based on the experimental results, compared to the yield of 11,359 t/ha in the extreme dry year of 2022, the yield was 5,828 t/ha higher in 2020 and 7,127 t/ha higher in 2021. Based on the results of the scientific research, it has been concluded that sweet maize production without irrigation is risky, but in extreme drought years irrigation cannot fully compensate for the weather effect due to high heat stress. -
Results of a water and nutrient management (NPK) long-term experiment
79-95Views:40The analysis of various nutrient replenishment levels was performed in a multifactoral long-term field experiment at the Látókép Experiment Site between 1996–2021. During the long-term fertilisation experiment, the N150 kg ha-1 dose resulted in the highest yield (10.74 t ha-1) averaged over the examined crop years and irrigation. As a result of the analysis of each nutrient level, it can be concluded that irrigation reduced the differences between crop years and this effect was strengthened by fertilisation. It can be concluded that optimum fertilisation and irrigation can mitigate the unfavourable effect of crop years. -
Effect of some agrotechnical factors on maize (Zea mays L.) on the chemical composition of grain yields
109-120Views:19In a long term experiment (established in 1983), we investigated the grain yield parameters of maize in the year 2023 with favourable water supply on chernozem soil with calcareous loess. The tests were carried out with the DA 7250 NIR instrument. Crop rotation did not significantly affect protein, oil and starch content. The effect of irrigation varied depending on the rotation. In mono- and tri-cultures, irrigation decreased protein content (mono: dry 7.20%, irrigated 6.90%; tri: dry 7.44%, irrigated 7.24%), while starch content increased (mono: dry 64.97%, irrigated 65.22%; tri: dry 64.78%, irrigated 65.06%). Opposite effects were observed in bicultural conditions (protein - dry: 6.88%, irrigated: 7.21%; starch - dry: 65.16%, irrigated 64.18%). Among the agrotechnical elements, fertilisation had the highest significant effect on protein and starch content of maize. In all three crop rotations, increasing fertiliser rates increased the protein content (mean of dry and irrigated treatments from 6.51% to 7.39% in monoculture, from 6.56% to 7.35% in biculture, from 6.97% to 7.35% in tri-culture), 55%), while, on the contrary, the starch content was reduced (from 65.99% to 64.55% in monoculture, from 65.78% to 63.94% in biculture, from 65.15% to 64.42% in triculture). The oil content was not affected by fertilisation. -
Effect of basal and top-dressing fertilisation and irrigation on leaf area index and yield in maize stands
101-118Views:19The effects of basal and top-dressing fertilisation and irrigation on leaf area index (LAI) and yield in maize in an extreme dry year (2022) were investigated. The studies were carried out in Hungary, at the University of Debrecen Látókép Experiment Site on calcareous chernozem soil. In the field experiments, nitrogen (N) was applied as a basal and top-dressing fertiliser in split rates in a non-fertilised control (A0). The spring application rates of 60 and 120 kg N/ha (A60, A120), applied as spring basal fertiliser, were followed by two top dressings at V6 and V12 phenophases (V690, V6150 and V12120, V12180), at rates of +30 and +30 kg N/ha, respectively. The application rate was 115 mm of irrigation water. Based on the results of the test year, it can be concluded that in the different phenological stages (V8, V10, V12, Vn, VT, R1 R3, R6), averaged over the hybrids and treatments, LAI values increased in the vegetative development stage. The highest value was observed in the Vn phenological phase (irrigated 3.074±0.595; non-irrigated: 2.495±0.324) (p<0.05). The lowest LAI values were measured in the A0 treatment (irrigated: 1.663±0.633; non-irrigated: 1.324±0.455), while the highest values were measured in both irrigated (2.620±0.928 m2/m2; p<0.05) and non-irrigated (1.702±0.622; p<0.05) conditions in the A120 treatment. There was no significant increase in LAI as a result of top-dressing. The lowest fertiliser rate (A60) increased yield by 92.3% under irrigated conditions and by 64.7% under non-irrigated conditions compared to the A0 treatment. The 120 kg N/ha basal treatment resulted in a further yield increase compared to the 60 kg N/ha basal treatment (irrigated: +19.8%; non-irrigated: +24.4%). The highest significant yield was obtained with the A120 treatment (irrigated: 11.863±1.104 t/ha; non-irrigated: 8.649±0.971 t/ha; p<0.05). A different degree of correlation between LAI and yield was found as the phenological stages progressed. Under irrigated conditions, LAI values measured at the VT (r=0.753***) phenophase had the greatest effect on yield. Under non-irrigated conditions, the Vn (r=0.602***) phenological stage showed the strongest correlation between the two factors. The research carried out contributes to increase the target yield, to achieve sustainable production and to make appropriate decisions in extreme dry years. -
Impact of land use practices on the ecological nitrogen balance indicators of extensive grassland vegetation
127-143Views:17The effects of different grassland management practices on plant stand structure were investigated in an experiment at the Karcag Research Institute in 2017–2020, which was set up in 2009. The experimental grassland must comply with Natura 2000, the standards for organic grassland certification and the requirements of the horizontal agri-environmental programme. Support schemes that prioritise ecological considerations predispose to different grassland use patterns in a given grassland production area, a fact that justifies the relevance of this research. The specific objective of this research is to clarify the changes in vegetation structure under the most common grassland management practices in the Central Tisza landscape, based on Borhidi’s N balance, an ecological indicator for the meadow Solonetzic soil type typical of the region. In the experimental site with the medium meadow solonetzic soil type, the following grassland utilisation types were investigated in three replications: zero utilisation, i.e. fallow grassland, mulched grassland, where the phytomass was also not removed after stubble mowing, mowing, which meant removing the main crop once a year, and meadow utilisation, where the grass was grazed by sheep after mowing the main crop. In May of each year, a cenological survey was carried out at the time of flowering of the dominant grassland species and the plant species were classified according to Borhidi's ecological nitrogen balance. The highest grouse diversity was found in meadow grassland, 21 plant species, and the lowest in fallow grassland, 6 species. The obtained result may indicate the effect of the open layer of the unutilised phytomass in generating plant species selection in the plants forming the grassland association. It was found that, by the tenth year of the experiment, a change of control plants occurred in treatments representing mulched and meadow utilisation. The change of Festuca pseudovina to a dominant grassland component in the meadow use suggests grazing of the swards at low stubble height. Despite the accumulation of leafy phytomass, the highest coverage of nitrogen-preferring grassland constituents was not in the zero and mulched treatments left unused, but in the mowing treatments. The obtained result may suggest that Alopecurus pratensis, maintaining its position as a leader plant under mowing and being classified as a Borhidi indicator plant for nutrient-rich sites, determined the outcome. In order to clarify the reproducibility of the experimental results, due to the different soil conditions, it may be justified to carry out studies with a similar orientation in other sites and grassland associations. -
Design and analysis of long-term experiments – in memoriam Béla Győrffy (1928–2002) –
115-138Views:15Long-term experiments are indispensable for the analysis of the long-term effects of various crop production methods and technologies. The long-term experiments have been set up in Martonvásár by Győrffy Béla more than 60 years ago and can be considered as part of the national heritage. Measurements made on plots of long-term experiments (LTE) are generally taken each year in the case of crop yield and other plant measurements. While the ANOVA procedure may be applied to repeated measurement data, under restrictive assumptions, other statistical procedures based on multivariate methods are more realistic. A more satisfactory alternative is to perform a mixed model analysis using REML (residual maximum likelihood) methodology. In the long-term crop rotation experiment, we analysed the multifactorial distinction beetween the wheat and maize crop sequences vs. continous cropping using discriminant analysis. The effect of various fertiliser treatments and the year on the yield of maize was studied in long-term maize monoculture and maize-wheat diculture experiments. -
Agro-meteorological characteristics of the 2023 growing season in long-term maize experiments at Debrecen-Látókép
29-39Views:35The agrometeorological characteristics of the 2023 maize growing year were analysed and evaluated primarily on the basis of meteorological measurements at Debrecen-Látókép. Our results are also valid for the wider Debrecen area, since – at least this year – the water supply of the crop was not mainly dependent on local rainfall.
Following the exceptional drought of 2022, the very significant precipitation in the period September-January was sufficient to saturate the soils to field water capacity. Most of February and March 2023 were dry, allowing soil preparation, but the weather only became favourable for sowing in the second half of April, following a cool, wet period. Temperatures and sunshine conditions in May, which were in line with the long-term average, provided favourable conditions for the early vegetative development of maize, and there was no water deficit despite less rainfall than usual. In June, the weather continued to be moderate and warm, with above average rainfall, which is considered ideal for the second half of the vegetative development phase. July was warmer and drier than average, but without extremes such as in the summers of 2021 or 2022, and the slightly cool and moderately wet weather of the first decade of August had a positive effect on yield development. The warmest period of the summer, after the sensitive phenophase of maize, only resulted in a spectacular acceleration of ripening in mid-August. Record warm, dry weather in September favoured grain water release and harvesting.
The initial water supply was adequate for field water capacity, the moderately warm growing season, balanced temperatures and around average precipitation in the Debrecen area provided overall favourable agro-meteorological conditions for maize. -
Possibilities for reducing drought stress in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) through various foliar treatments
57-80Views:19Abiotic stress factors, especially drought and heat stress, which are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, pose significant challenges to potato production. The aim of this research was to examine the effects of different irrigation schemes and foliar treatments – salicylic acid, silicon, hydrogen peroxide, and microelements – on the physiological parameters, yield, and quality characteristics of potatoes under drought conditions. In a field experiment conducted in Sonkád (Hungary) during the 2024 growing season, a medium-late Manitou variety was used. During the study, two irrigation doses and four types of foliar treatments were tested in a split-plot design. Based on the results, full and 50% irrigation significantly increased stomatal conductance, NDVI, leaf area index, and yield. Among the foliar treatments, silicon and hydrogen peroxide had a positive effect on relative chlorophyll content and NDVI, but did not result in a significant increase in yield. Treatments with salicylic acid, microcomplex, silicon, and the total dose significantly increased starch content, while the application of silicon increased the amount of reducing sugar content. The results of the first year of experiments indicate that foliar treatments applied without irrigation can only occasionally mitigate the negative physiological effects of water deficiency, but irrigation is essential to achieve significant improvements in yield and quality. The research may contribute to technological developments aimed at increasing drought tolerance in potato production, but further experiments are needed.
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