Journal
PLANTS-BASEL
Volume 10, Issue 8, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/plants10081532
Keywords
climate change adaptation; global warming; WEMA maize; Sub-Saharan Africa; Zea mays L
Categories
Funding
- North-West University
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study found that under heat stress conditions, varieties WE5323 and ZM1523 amended with poultry manure performed the best in terms of grain yield, while heat stress significantly reduced growth and yield attributes of maize. Grain number, grain weight, and cob weight were identified as important yield attributes in maize production and should be considered in maize breeding programs.
A rise in global temperature will reduce maize yield, particularly in Africa, where maize is a staple food. Therefore, improving maize yield under heat stress will promote food security in the region. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of heat stress on the grain yield of drought-tolerant maize varieties under varied growth conditions. The experimental design used was a 2 x 3 x 3 x 2 factorial fitted into a completely randomized design with four replications. The factors were heat stress, maize variety, soil amendment, and soil type. The results showed a better yield from sandy clay loam over loamy sand soil. Varieties WE5323 and ZM1523 amended with poultry manure gave the best yield under the non-heat and heat-stressed environments, respectively. Heat stress reduced the cob weight, grain weight, grain number, and stover dry weight by 64, 73, 69, and 23%, respectively. Grain number, grain weight, and cob weight were the most informative yield attributes in this study and should be considered in a maize selection program. The ranking for the maize varieties was WE5323 > ZM1523 > WE3128. Drought-tolerant maize varieties can be useful in heat stress mitigation. This information is useful for the simulation of maize yields for heat stress-prone areas in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available