Agric. Sci. Digest, 21 (2) : 91 - 93, 2001
TOTAL DRY MATTER PRODUCTION AND LEAF AREA INDEX
IN RELATION TO YIELD IN MAIZE
Ramesh Thatikunta1 • M. Yakadri 2 and L M. Rao 1
College of Agriculture,
Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Rajendranagar. Hyderabad - 500 030. India
ABSTRACT
Total dry matter production and leaf area index valu.es of sixteen prereleased maize. genotypes were analyzed. MRC 7 with maximum leaf area index of 2.37 and maximum dry matter of
787 g/m 2 showed poor harvest index. MRC 8 and 13 with optimum leaf area index of 1.61 at 75
and 90 DAS respectively showed better partitioning and recorded high seed yield, Hence, optimum leaf area index, better partitioning of dry matter coupled with high seed yield Can be taken
as the criteria for selection of genotypes.
Maize (Zea mays L.) is cultivated over
an area of 0.64 lakh ha with production of
2.02 lakh t hi rabi season in Andhra Pradesh
(ANGRAU, 1994). The growth and yield of
the crop shows variation With planting densities (Govil and Pandey, 1998), nitrogen levels
(Prasad et al., 1990) and sowing season viz.,
kharif or rabi (Kumar and Singh, 1999). To
understand the physiological reason for the
variation in growth and dry matter production,
sixteen prerelease maize cultures were evalu~
ated.
The maize cultivars were grown in
Student's Farm,College of Agriculture,
Rajendranagar, Hyderabad on red soil during
rabi, 1998 in a randomized block design replicated thrice. Each cultivar was grown in eight
rows of 5. Om length with intra and inter row
spacing of 0.75 and 0.2m respectively. Fertilizer, nitrogen @ 60 kg/ha was applied in three
equal splits as basal and at 25 and 50 OAS.
Phosphorous @ 40 kg/ha and potash @ 30
kg/ha was also applied as basal dose.
Irrigation's were given at ten days interval and
necessary plant protection measures were
taken. Five plants were sampled for leaf area
to calculate leaf area index (LAI) and total dry
matter (TOM) production at fifteen days interval.
l
2
Department of Plant Physiology
Department of Agronomy.
Maize genotypes recorded maximum
LAI values at two different periods of crop
growth. Eleven genotypes showed increase in
LAI from 0.07 to 2.37 by 75 OAS, and five
genotypes viz., MRC 2, 5, 6, 8 and 12 recorded LAI of 0.09 to 2.28 by 90 OAS.LAI
values declined thereafter. Significantly highLAI
of 1.71 to 2.37was recorded by MRC 7 be-·
tween 60-105 OAS (Table 1). Govil and
Pandey, (1998) reported an increase in LAI
values with increased plant densities of 4.5, 9
or 13.5 plants/m2 • LAI of 3-4 was found to
be optimum for high light interception in many
annual crops (Evans, 1979). LAI values around
5 is recommended for maize hybrids with a
plant population of 6.0 plants/m2 (Shiv Raj.,
1987).
A continuous increase of TOM (13 to
787 g/m:) was recorded till maturity in all the
maize genotypes (Table 2). Choudhary and
Prasad (1994) reported a similar increase in
dry matter up to harvest in three. maize cultivars. In the present study, MRC 9 showed an
initial significant high dry matter at 30 DAS
(26 g/m 2 ) but was on par with MRC 10, 13,
8, 5, 2, 11 and 12 at 45 DAS. Another genotype MRC 7 which recorded high LAI of 2.28
(Table 1), also gave maximum dry matted233787 g/m 2) as compared to all other genotypes
92
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE DIGEST
between 60-105 DAS (Table 2)..MRC 2 and for higher biomass proouced is due to high pho16 were next best in dry matter proouction tosynthetic rate, leaf area/plant, number of
(605-734 g/m2) between 90-105 DAS, but leaves and chlorophyll contentin maize (Mehta
showed poor HI values of 18 and 17.7 respec- and Sarkar, 1992). In any case, high yielders
tively (Table 3) Variation in performance of were those maize genotypes, which showed
genotypes was also observed with growing sea- high dry matter partitioning between flowerson (Choudhary and Prasad, 1994). Heterosis ingand maturity (Duncan, 1979).
Table 1. Leaf area index of sixteen maize cultivars
Cultivars
S.Em
30
0.14
0.39
0.08
0.08
0.11
013
0.08
0.14
0.10
0.09
0.07
0.09
0.10
0.07
0.09
0.09
0.10
CD (P=0.05)
0.20
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
45
0.42
0.56
0.33
0.61
0.68
0.59
0.61
0.87
0.57
0.63
0.56
0.37
0.62
0.40
0.59
0.63
0.02
0.05
Leaf area index at DAS
60
75
1.18
1.42
0.87
1.94
0.51
0.72
1.52
1.87
1.22
1.97
1.54
1.81
1.71
2.37
1.25
1.47
1.08
2.02
1.17
1.47
1.08
1.36
0.73
1.37
1.36
1.61
0.94
1.25
1.06
1.27
1.28
1.59
0.05
0.06
0.09
0.13
105
1.13
1.49
0.45
1.18
1.47
90
1.28
2.14
0.54
1.30
2.05
1.89
2.28
1.61
1.98
1.08
1.27
1.48
1.33
0.75
1.03
1.02
1.84
1.42
1.55
0.93
0.85
1.29
1.11
0.65
0.84
1.00
0.06
0.12
0.05
0.09
90
467
616
360
442
511
560
668
494
527
507
494
414
534
365
449
605
21.7
44.2
105
649
734
407
474
607
640
787
600
600
607
573
507
615
405
547
709
26.0
53.1
1.72
Table 2. Total dry matter (g/m 2) of sixteen maize cultivars
Cultivars
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
S.Em
CD (P=0.05)
30
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
20
26
33
13
20
13
13
13
13
2.7
5.6
45
42
53
51
40
53
42
24
56
60
60
49
49
56
25
38
51
5.8
11.9
Total dry matter at DAS
75
60
116
327
329
138
133
256
247
191
180
371
362
147
480
233
185
374
120
376
125
347
354
147
80
309
125
389
145
296
102
274
176
369
11.5
23.6
14.5
29.5
Vol. 21, No, 2.. 2001
Significantly high HI values of 37.7,
37.3 and 36.3 v.ere recorded in three cultivars viz., MRC 13.3 and 8 respectively. Two
cultivars among these, MRC 8 and 13 recorded
LAIof 1.61 at 75 and 90 DAS respectively,
which is considered as optimum LAI. On the
other hand, MRC 7 (broad leaf type) which
recorded maximum LAI of 2.28 at 90 DAS
did not record high HI. In the present study,
MRC 13,8 and 3 with high HI, recorded sig-
oificantly high hundred seed weight values of
31.3,28.7 and 27.7 g respectively (Table 3).
Association between total biological production
and partitioning of dry matter to grain (HI) in
maize was reported by Shiv Raj (1987). Positive correlation between grain yield with LAI,
LAD, CGR (Bangarwa et aI., 1990) and grain
yi~ld with NAR, TOM, total nitrogen and grain
nitrogen of winter maize cultivars have been
reported by Kumar and Singh. (1999).
Table 3. 100 seed weight, harvest index and seed yield of sixteen maize cultivars
100 seed weight (g)
Harvest index
Seed yield (Qjha)
24.3
24.3
27.7
24.7
20.3
20.0
20.7
28.7
15.0
24.7
20.3
19.0
31.3
14.7
24.3
17.3
30.0
18.0
37.3
25.0
26.0
30.7
29.7
36.3
19.3
24.0
31.0
19.0
37.7
247
26.3
17.7
19.57
13.34
23.23
15.7H
18.01
22.23
21.34
24.68
13.78
14.90
2001
14.45
23.13
9.78
13.78
12.45
S.Em
0.97
2.58
1.13
CD (P=0.05)
1.99
5.26
2.31
Cultivars
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
MRC
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
From the results it is evident that genotypes MRC 8 and 13 which recorded optimum
LA! values of 1.61 showed better partitioning
of dry matter and high yield. Hence, the pa-
rameters viz., optimum LAI, better partitioning of dry matter coupled with high seed yield
can be taken as the criteria for selection of
genotypes for rabi cultivation.
REFERENCES
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Ranga Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad.
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Choudhary, S.K. and. Prasad. J. S. (1994). Adv. Agric. Res. in India. 1: 48-61.
Duncan, w.G. (1979). In: Crop physiology (Evans, L. T. Ed.). Blackie and Sons Publishers PIll. Ltd. L~..:)mbay
pp 23-50.
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Govil, S. R. and Pandey, H. N. (1998). Indian J. Plant Physiol. 3: 276-278.
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