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Plant Science Today (PST)

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The effect of potassium fertilizer and planting dates on the growth and production of maize (Zea mays L.)

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.9827
Submitted
4 June 2025
Published
22-09-2025
Versions

Abstract

An agricultural field experiment was conducted in Ramadi City, Western Iraq, during the fall season of 2023 to evaluate the effects of 3 planting dates (25 March, 5 April and 15 April) and 3 potassium fertilizer levels (100, 150 and 200 kg K₂O ha-1) on maize (Zea mays L.) variety Buhuth 106. Variations in planting dates significantly influenced plant height, leaf area, ear length, number of ears per plant, 300-grain weight and total grain yield. Among the tested dates, planting on 25 March resulted in the highest values for all measured traits, with plant height, leaf area, ear length, number of ears per plant, 300-grain weight and grain yield reaching 202.00 cm, 3990 cm², 15.138 cm, 1.824, 73.82 g and 4.372 t ha-1, respectively. Significant differences were also observed among potassium fertilizer levels for the same traits. Application of potassium at 100 kg K₂O ha-1 produced the highest mean values across all measured parameters, recording 187.156 cm plant height, 3490 cm² leaf area, 13.413 cm ear length, 1.752 ears per plant, 71.15 g 300-grain weight and 3.301 t ha-1 grain yield. The combined effect of the experimental variables also demonstrated a clear influence on grain yield, as planting on 25 March combined with the application of 100 kg K₂O ha-1  resulted in the highest recorded grain yield of 5.210 tonnes.

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