EVALUATION OF HYBRID VARIETIES OF MAIZE AT DIFFERENT PLANTING DISTANCES

Authors

  • Mohammed Subhi Al-Taweel Center for Arid Farming and Conservation Agriculture Research, University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq
  • Abbas Abdullah Taha Department of Field Crops, College of Agriculture, University of Kirkuk, Kirkuk, Iraq
  • Abdullah Nazim Al-Mallah University of Al-Hamdaniya, Nineveh, Iraq
  • Ammar Habib Mahmoud Center for Arid Farming and Conservation Agriculture Research, University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq
  • Azhar Omar Ali Center for Arid Farming and Conservation Agriculture Research, University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq

Keywords:

Genotype, intra-row spacing, plant density, grain yield, yield components, semi-arid environment, genetic parameters, principal component analysis, maize, Zea mays L

Abstract

In semi-arid region, resource availability is a key factor limiting crop performance, and the effect of genotype × plant population density is great on maize (Zea mays L.) productivity. The main and interactive effects of four maize genotypes (SAGUNTO (V1), CRYSTAL F1 (V2), P2 700 (V3), and 720 (V4)) and three intra-row spacings (20, 25, and 30 cm) were evaluated for growth parameters, yield components, and grain yield under field conditions in Mosul, Iraq. This experiment was designed in a factorial randomized complete block design and replicated three times. The results showed that there were substantial genotypic differences for most of the agronomic traits. With a mean grain yield of 9.18 tons ha⁻¹, the 20-cm spacing recorded the highest yield, which was 18.2% and 39.2% higher than the 25-cm (7.77 tons ha⁻¹) and 30-cm (6.60 tons ha⁻¹) spacings, respectively. Genotype V1 (SAGUNTO) was the best of all the genotypes, obtaining the highest yield of 10.68 ton ha⁻¹ at 20 cm spacing. A significant genotype × spacing (G×S) interaction was observed with V4 (720) being highly tolerant of wider spacing (7.23 tons ha⁻¹ at 30 cm). The first two components, explaining a total of 62.94% of the variation, were strongly loaded with yield associated traits in the principal component analysis. The results highlight the need to optimize the density of maize plants to maximize productivity of the crop in semi-arid environments, depending on the specific genotype.

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Published

2026-11-05

How to Cite

Al-Taweel, M. S., Taha, A. A., Al-Mallah, A. N., Mahmoud, A. H., & Ali, A. O. (2026). EVALUATION OF HYBRID VARIETIES OF MAIZE AT DIFFERENT PLANTING DISTANCES. Kyzylorda Scholarly Review, 4(1), 50–56. Retrieved from https://bulletin.ouk.kz/index.php/bulletin/article/view/206

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2027): Kyzylord Scholarly Review

Section

Articles

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