Effect of the sowing date on the relationship of morphological properties of maize ears

Abstract

The aim of this study was to observe effects of the sowing date on the relationships among morphological properties of maize ears. The trial was set up in Zemun Polje in 2019 and encompassed five sowing dates with the initial one on April 1, and then on every 10 days until May 10 (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5). Three inbred lines (L1, L2, L3) were used as a material. During sowing, seeds were classified according to their size into small (6.5-8.4 mm), large (8.5-11 mm) and the primary seed fraction (6.5-11 mm). The parameters for the following morphological ear traits were determined under laboratory conditions: ear weight, ear length, ear thickness, cob weight and the grain yield. Obtained results indicated the significant contribution of all factors in expression of observed traits, as well as the significance of the interactions. The inbred L1 was the most stable genotype for the ear weight and the cob weight. The ear length and the ear thickness varied the least in all genotypes. The initial sowing dates (S1 and S2) were the most important for the ear weight. The third sowing date was the most important for the ear length (19.81cm) and the ear thickness (5.94cm). The highest cob weight was recorded in plants sown on the fifth sowing date (S5). The LSD tests showed that the differences in the morphological traits of ears of different sowing dates were significant between S5 and the remaining four sowing dates (p<0.05). Various fractions used in sowing affected all traits.