The impact of soil amendment of super absorbent polymer on grain yield and yield components of corn in center of Iran

Abstract

Corn is one of the most important cereal crop grown in Iran. A complete randomized design with four replications was used to analysis the influence of soil amendment of super absorbent polymer on grain yield and yield components of corn in center of Iran in 2016 and 2017. Treatments with super absorbent polymer were 0 kg/ha (S1), 15 kg/ha (S2), 30 kg/ha (S3), and treatments with fertilizers were 50% (F1), 75% (F2), 100% (F3), which could be combined into nine pots. The influence of super absorbent polymer was significant on spike weight in 2017, above-ground biomass in 2016, one hundred seed weight in 2016, and grain yield in 2017. There was no meaningful influence of super absorbent polymer on spike weight in 2016, above-ground biomass in 2017, 100 seed weight in 2017 and grain yield in 2016. Fertilizer treatments had significant influence on spike weight, above-ground biomass, 100 seed weight, and grain yield in both 2016 and 2017. The interaction between SAP and fertilizers had significant effect on above ground biomass in 2017. In both years, the highest spike weight, above ground biomass, 100 seed weight and grain yield was related to S3 (30 kg/ha), followed by S2 (15 kg/ha) and S1 (0 kg/ha), respectively. 100% application of fertilizer (F3) had obtained the maximum spike weight, above ground biomass, 100 seed weight and grain in both 2016 and 2017. Our data have shown that the applied SAP had a remarkable effect on corn growth and yield under different fertilization treatments, and its application of 30 kg/ha gave the best corn production index.