Interaction Effects of Sowing Date, Irrigation Levels, Chitosan, and Potassium Silicate On Yield and Water Use Efficiency for Maize Grown Under Arid Climate

Abstract

AbstractAdopting foliar antiperspirants reduces the negative effects of water stress on crop production. In this study effects of chitosan (Ch) and potassium silicate (PS) on maize sowing at two sowing dates under irrigation water levels (100% of irrigation water applied −Ir00 and 70% of irrigation water applied −Ir70) were investigated. Thus, during the spring and fall seasons of 2020–2021, a field experiment of two similar experiments was conducted at the experimental farm of Water Studies and Research Complex (WSRC) station, National Water Research Center, Toshka—Abu Simbel City, Egypt, which the sowing dates were allocated in the main plot, then a strip-plot design with five replicates was used. It was found that sowing maize seeds in the fall season led to attaining a higher maize yield than in the spring. Moreover, the adoption of Ir70 provides better maize yield and water use efficiency than Ir100, particularly at the fall season sowing date. In addition, the adoption of the higher Ch concentrations in the spring, led to better improvements in maize yield particularly under Ir70, while the adoption of the higher concentrations of PS in the fall seasons, led to better maize yield. It was concluded based on present findings that applying chitosan as foliar applications with concentrations at 500 (mg l−1) under Ir70 in the fall had significant effects to maintain the higher maize yield, water use efficiency and irrigation water use efficiency in the arid regions as Toshka district and other similar areas.