Maize (Zea mays L.) Agro-Physiological Response to Potassium and Iron Fertilizer under Water Deficit Stress

Subject Areas : Journal of Crop Nutrition Science

Saeed Reza Yaghoobi ¹ , Arash Roozbahani ² , Mohammad Reza Akhavan Mohseni ³

1 - Professor Assistant, Faculty of Agriculture, Samangan Branch, Technical and Vocational University (TVU), North Khorasan, Iran.
2 - Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran.
3 - Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran.

Received: 2017-07-03 Accepted : 2017-09-02 Published : 2017-09-01

Keywords: Seed yield, Foliar application, corn, Fertigation,

Abstract :

This research was conducted to evaluate effect of potassium and iron fertilizers on agro-physiological traits affected different irrigation regime of corn in Shahryar (Tehran province, central of Iran) via a split-split plots arrangement based on randomized complete blocks design with three replications during 2015. The main plot included different irrigation regime (Normal irrigation and stop irrigation at grain filling period). Sub plot consisted different level of K2O (0, 25, 50 kg.ha-1), from water soluble potassium sulfate source. Sub-sub plot included Fe-EDDHA that apply as fertigation 2 kg.ha-1, foliar application Fe-EDTA 2 kg.ha-1, and no iron fertilizer application as control. Application of Fe-EDDHA as fertigation and Fe-EDTA as foliar application in normal irrigation increased corn seed yield from 5232 kg.ha-1 in control to 6622 and 6464 kg.ha-1 respectively but in water deficit situation were not effective. In normal irrigation, application 25 and 50 kg.ha-1 soluble potassium sulfate increased corn seed yield from 5294 kg.ha-1 in control to 6975 and 6048 kg.ha-1 respectively. Under water deficit stress application of 25 and 50 kg.ha-1 soluble potassium sulfate increased corn seed yield from 3921 kg.ha-1 to 4794 and 4807 kg.ha-1 respectively. Maximum corn seed yield was achieved when 25 kg.ha-1 soluble potassium sulfate and Fe-EDDHA applied together in 6392 kg.ha-1. Application soluble potassium sulfate and iron fertilizers increased chlorophyll a, b, and total content in different irrigation regimes. However fertigation of soluble potassium sulfate along with Fe-EDDHA was more efficient to improve chlorophyll a, b, and total and seed yield in water deficit situation.

References:

Abedi Baba-Arabi, S., M. Movahhedi Dehnavi, A. R. Yadavi. and E. Adhami. 2012. Effects of Zn and K foliar application on physiological traits and yield of spring safflower under drought stress. E. J. Crop Prod. 4(1): 75-95. (Abstract in English)
Abolhasani K. and G. Saeidi. 2004. Relationships between agronomic characteristic of safflower under water stress and control. Iranian J. Field Crop Res. 1: 127-138. (Abstract in English)
Afarinesh, A., G. R. Fathi, Chugan, S. A. Syadat, Kh. Alamisaid. and S. R. Ashrafizadeh. 2015. Effects of drought stress and soil compaction on some agronomic traits of maize. J. Plant Prod. 38(2): 13-24. (Abstract in English)
Ahmadi, L., M. Ghobadi, A. Saeidi. and J. Ghaderi. 2016. The study of some physiologic and biochemical traits to drought stress and methods of Fe fertilizer application in chickpea. J. Plant Process Function. 4(14): 165-176. (Abstract in English)
Aien, A. 2012. Proline and soluble carbohydrate contents and potassium, zinc calcium uptake in sesame cultivars under
drought stress. J. Crop Prod. Environ. Stress. 4(3): 39-48. (Abstract in English) 

Amalia-Mohd-Zain, N. and M. Razi Ismail. 2016. Effects of potassium rates and types on growth, leaf gas exchange and biochemical changes in rice (Oryza sativa) planted under cyclic water stress. Agric. Water Manage. 164(1): 83-90.

Arabhanvi, F. and U. K. Hulihalli. 2018. Agronomic fortification with zinc and iron to enhancing micronutrient concentration in sweet corn seed to ameliorate the deficiency symptoms in human beings. Intl. J. Current Micro-Biol. Appl. Sci. 7(2): 333-340.
Arnon, A. N. 1967. Method of extraction of chlorophyll in the plants. Agron. J. 23: 112-121.
Arif, M., M. Tasneem, F. Bashir, G. Yahseen. and A. Anwar. 2017. Evaluation of different levels of potassium and zinc fertilizer on growth and yield of wheat. Intl. J. Bio-Sensors Bio-Electronics. 3(2): 57- 62.
Asgharipour, M. R. and M. Heidari. 2011. Effect of potassium supply on drought resistance in sorghum: plant growth and macronutrient content. Pakistan J. Agric. Sci. 48(3): 197-204.
Aslam, M., M. S. I. Zamir, I. Afzal, M Yaseen, M. Mubeen. and A. Shoaib. 2013. Drought stress, its effect on maize
production and development of drought tolerance through potassium application. Cercetari Agronomice in Moldova.2(154): 99-114.
Banziger, M., G. O. Edmeades. and H. R. Lafitte. 2002. Physiological mechanisms contributing to the increased N stress tolerance of tropical maize selected for drought tolerance. Field Crops Res. 75(3): 223-233.
Baydar, H. and S. Erbas. 2005. Influence of seed development and seed position on oil, faty acids and total tocophorol
contents in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Turkish J. Agric. 29: 179-186.
Chimenti, C. A., J. Pearson. and A. J. Hall. 2002. Osmotic adjustment and yield maintenance under drought in sunflower. Field Crop Res. 75: 235-246.
Caliskan, S., L. Ozkaya, M. E. Caliskan. and M. Arslan. 2008. The effects of nitrogen and iron fertilization on growth, yield and fertilizer use efficiency of soybean in a Mediterraneantype soil. Field Crop Res. 108(2): 126-132.
Chen, G., C. Liu, Z. Gao, Y. Zhang, H. Jiang, L. Zhu, D. Ren, L. Yu, G. Xu. and Q. Qian. 2017. OsHAK1, a High-Affinity potassium transporter, positively regulates responses to drought stress in rice. J. Frontiers in Plant Sci. 8: 1-17.
Dindoost, S. and S. Yousefzadeh. 2014. Zinc, iron and manganese fertilizers foliar application on sunflower (helianthus annuus L., Var. Haisan) under drought stress. J. Res. Agron. Sci. 6(22): 25-41. (Abstract in English)
Donald, C. M. and J. Hamblin. 1976. The Biological yield and harvest index of cereals as agronomic and plant breeding
criteria. J. Adv. Agron. 28: 361-405.
Fanaei, H. R., M. Galavi, M. Kafi, A. Ghanbari Bonjar. and A. H.Shirani-Rad. 2011. Effect of drought stress and potassium on solutes accumulation and chlorophyll of canola and Indian mustard. J. Water Soil Sci. 15(57): 141-156. (Abstract in English)
Glenn, E., R. Pfister, J. J. Brown, T. L. Thompson. and J. Oleary. 1996. Na+ and K+ accumulation and salt tolerance
of Atriplex canescens genotypes. Am. J. Bot. 83: 997-1005. 
Goleg, M., H. Ghorbani. and M. Baradarn Firozabadi. 2016. Effect of drought stress and foliar application of iron oxide nanoparticles on yield, ion content and photosynthetic pigments in sesame. Iranian J. Field Crop Sci. 46(4): 619-628. (Abstract in English)

Grzebisz, W., A. Gransee, W. Szczepaniak. and J. Diatta. 2013. The effect of potassium fertilization on water use efficiency in crop plants. J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. 176(3): 355-374.
Hasanuzzaman, M., M. H. M. B. Bhuyan, K. Nahar, M. S. Hossain, J. A. Mahmud, M. S. Hossen, A. A. C. Masud, L. Moumita. and M. Fujita. 2018. Potassium: A vital regulator of plant responses and tolerance to abiotic stress. Agron. J. 8(3): 31-38.
Heidari, M., M. Galavi. and M. Hassani. 2011. Effects of sulfur and iron fertilizers on yield, yield components and nutrient uptake in sesame under water stress. Afr. J. Bio-Tech. 10(44): 8816- 8822.
Hu, W., D. A. Loka, T. R. Fitzsimons, Z. Zhou. and D. M. Oosterhuis. 2018. Potassium deficiency limits reproductive success by altering carbohydrate and protein balances in cotton. Environ. Exp. Bot. 145: 87-94.
Jaleel, C. A., P. Manivanannan, A. M. Wahid, H. J. Froog, R. Al-Juburi. and R. Somasundaram. 2009. Drought stress in plant: A review on morphological characters and pigments composition. Intl. J. Agric. Biol. 11: 100-105.
Janmohammadi, M., H. Abdoli, N. Sabaghnia, M. Esmailpour. and A. Aghaei. 2018. The effect of iron, zinc and organic fertilizer on yield of chickpea in Mediterranean climate. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis. 66(1): 49-60.
Karimi, R. 2017. Potassium-induced freezing tolerance is associated with endogenous abscisic acid, polyamines and soluble sugars changes in grapevine. Scientia Horticulturae. 215(24): 184-194.
Khezerloo, F., F. Jalili. and J. Khalili Mahaleh. 2010. Drought stress and nitrogen and potassium on sorghum (Var. Speed feed) forage production. J. Res. Agron. Sci. 2(8): 51-66.
Lv, X., T. Li, X. Wen, Y. Liao. and Y. Liu. 2017. Effect of potassium foliage application post-anthesis on seed filling of wheat under drought stress. Field Crops Res. 206: 95-105.
Martineau, E., J .C. Domec, A. Bosc, P. Denoroy, V. A. Fandino, J. Lavres. And L. Jordan-Meille. 2017. The effects of potassium nutrition on water use in field-grown maize (Zea mays L.). Environ. Exp. Bot. 134: 62–71.
Martinez-Cuenca, M. R., F. Legaz, M. A. Forner-Giner, E. Primo-Millo. and D. J. Iglesias. 2013. Bicarbonate blocks iron translocation from cotyledons inducing iron stress responses in citrus roots. J. Plant Physiol. 170(10): 899-905.
Movahhedi-Dehnavi, M. and M. Jalil Sheshbahre. 2017. Soybean leaf physiological responses to drought stress improved via enhanced seed zinc and iron concentrations. J. Plant Process and Function. 5(18): 13-21. (Abstract in English)
Norastehnia, A. and M. Farjadi. 2016. The effect of the interaction between water stress and potassium nitrate on some of the physiological responses of Nicotiana tabacum L. Nova Biologica Reperta. 2(4): 260-271.
Oosterhuit. D. M., D. A. Loka. and T. B. Raper. 2013. Potassium and stress elleviation: Physiological functions and management of cotton. Hournal Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. 176(3): 331-343.
Premachandra, G. S., H. Saneoka. and S. Ogata. 1991. Cell membrane stability and leaf water relations as affected
by potassium nutrition of waterstressed maize. J. Exp. Bot. 42(239): 739-745.
Ramezanpour, M. R., M. Dastfal. and M. J. Malakouti. 2009. Potassium effect on drought stress in wheat on Darab region, Fars province. Iranian J. Soil Sci. 22(1): 127-135. (Abstract in English)

Shiri, M. R., R. Choukan. and R. T. Aliyev. 2015. Drought stress effects on gene action and combining ability of maize inbred lines. Seed Plant Improvement J. 31(3): 421-440. (Abstract in English)
Soleimanzadeh, H., D. Habibi, M. R. Ardakani, F. Paknejad. and F. Rejali. 2010. fect of potassium levels on antioxidant enzymes and malondialdehyde content under drought stress in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Am. J. Agric. Biol. Sci. 5(1): 56-61.
Tabatabaei, S. A. and E. Shaleri. 2015. Short communication: effect of drought stress on maize hybrids yield and determination of the best hybrid using drought tolerance indices. Environ. Stress Crop Sci. 8(1): 121-125. (Abstract in English)
Ullah Jan, A., F. Hadi, M. Midrarullah, M. Asif Nawaz. and K. Rahman. 2017. Potassium and zinc increase tolerance to salt stress in wheat (Triricum sativum L.). Plant Physiol. Bio-Chem. 116: 139-149.
Wang, M., Q. Zheng, Q. Shen. and S. Guo. 2013. The critical role of potassium in plant stress response. Intl. J. Molecular Sci. 14(4): 7370-7390.
Zahoor, R., W. Zhao, H. Dong, J. L. Snider, M. Abid, B. Iqbal. and Z. Zhou. 2017. Potassium improves photosynthetic tolerance to and recovery from episodic drought stress in functional leaves of cotton. Plant Physiol. Bio-Chem. 119: 21-32.
Zimerman-Lax, N., D. Tamir- Ariel, M. Shenker. and S. Burdman. 2017. Decreased potassium fertilization is associated with increased pathogen growth and disease severity caused by Acidovorax citrulli in melon foliage. J. General Plant Pathol. 84(1): 27-34.