26. Growth and dry matter production of hybrid maize through exogenous application of chitosan and thiourea under drought stress
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Abstract
Abstract
Exogenous application of chitosan and thiourea could mitigate the water stress in maize plants due to their positive effects on maize growth and physiological processes. Therefore, application of chitosan and thiourea were studied in maize hybrids grown in plastic pots under water stress conditions during April, 2017. Maize hybrids (CML537/CML312 and Fakher-e-NARC) were sown in pots under 30 % pot soil moisture potential under greenhouse conditions. Three levels of Chitosan (125 mg L-1, 250 mg L-1 and 500 mg L-1) and thiourea (500 mg L-1, 750 mg L-1and 1000 mg L-1) were exogenously applied at 20th, 30th and 40th days after germination of maize plants. Completely randomized design two factors factorial was used having three replication. Plant growth parameters i.e. shoot length, root length, shoot dry weight and root dry weight were significantly affected by bio- regulators. However significant interaction between maize hybrids and treatments were noted. Application of thiourea @1000 mg L-1 and hybrid CML537/CML312 significantly improved growth and dry matter production. Hence, it is recommended for better performance for growth and dry matter production of Hybrid maize.
Keywords: Chitosan; Maize; Thiourea; Water stress