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Stimulating maize growth under different water regimes through foliar application of micronutrients
Views:32Drought and nutrient stress constrain maize growth, production and productivity. Precision agricultural tools such as foliar fertilisation and irrigation enhance maize growth through mitigation of stresses at different growth stages. The study conducted at Látókép Crop Production Experimental Site, University of Debrecen, Hungary during year 2023, assessed the physiological and growth performance of two maize hybrids exposed to foliar fertilisation under precision drip irrigation and non-irrigated conditions. Foliar fertilizers composed of; nitrogen (10 g/l), zinc (8 g/l), K2O (8.5 g/l), P2O5 (0.83 g/l), and S (8.93 g/l). Data on plant height, leaf area index (LAI), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and relative chlorophyll content (SPAD) were collected at the V12, R1, R4, and R6 analysed using a T-test in Genstat software (12th edition). Results showed significant increases in all parameters at the V12, R1, and R4, but NDVI, LAI, and SPAD declined at R6 under both irrigation and non-irrigated conditions. Foliar fertilisation of the two maize hybrids under precision drip irrigation conditions showed that NDVI and plant height had a significant difference (p < 0.05) while no significance difference was noted for SPAD and leaf area index. The percentage LAI due to foliar fertilisation under irrigated conditions was 16.86% and 18.39% for FAO490 and FAO290 respectively however the effect was slightly higher for FAO290 than FAO490. FAO490 and FAO290 hybrids recorded a 23.45% and 10.05% foliar fertilisation effect respectively over control under non-irrigated conditions. FAO490 hybrid consistently performed better under irrigated conditions compared to FAO290 which performed better under non-irrigated conditions. FAO490 hybrid consistently performed better under irrigated conditions compared to FAO290 which performed better under non-irrigated conditions.
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Identifying maize yield drivers using statistical analysis and multilayer perceptron modelling
Views:22Maize yield formation is jointly determined by crop-year conditions, water availability, nutrient management, and their interactions, which may include complex nonlinear relationships. This study aimed to identify the principal agronomic and physiological variables associated with maize yield using classical statistical analyses complemented by multilayer perceptron modelling. Field data collected in Debrecen, Hungary, during 2024–2025 included crop year, irrigation, fertilizer treatment, phenological stage, SPAD chlorophyll readings, and grain yield. Pearson correlation and linear regression quantified individual relationships, while four MLP scenarios evaluated combined predictive effects. Fertilizer was positively associated with yield in both years and irrigation regimes, with the strongest relationship under irrigation in 2025 (r = 0.770; R² = 0.594). The SPAD–yield relationship generally strengthened during crop development, reaching its maximum at R3 under irrigation in 2025 (r = 0.916; R² = 0.839). The best-performing MLP scenario included year, fertilizer, and irrigation, confirming their central role in yield prediction and formation.
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Effects of solar radiation and night temperature on potential maize yield in two different crop years
Views:310Hungary's climate is undergoing change, and the heat unit (GDD) values have increased annually in the past nearly 50 years. In this study, we evaluate the performance of a maize hybrid in normal (2021) and drought (2022) crop years, along with the optimal agrotechnical factors (drip irrigation and high nutrient). In the potential experiment, we obtained a yield of 20.65t/ha in 2021 and 13.8t/ha in 2022. We examined the reasons for the large (33%) yield difference between the two years. By breaking down the weather data daily, it can be determined that the solar radiation (SR) and sunshine duration during the V6-V8 stage have an effect, and cloud cover affects the development of the reproductive organs of maize (ear differentiation). In the two years studied, we measured a significant difference in the SR value in the V6-V12 development stages (36% and 30% less SR was measured in 2022 vs 2021). The higher temperature (R1-R6) (2022) accelerated the phenological development of maize, so maize reached the black layer formation faster. The results indicate that in the future, we must also address the responses of maize to temperature changes with different levels of solar radiation and their dry matter incorporation dynamics.