EVALUATION OF GROWTH AND YIELD TRAITS IN CORN UNDER IRRIGATION REGIMES IN SUB-TROPICAL CLIMATE

A field experiment was conducted to determine the best irrigation practice for maize crop under subtropical condition of Nature, Bangladesh. For this study, four irrigation conditions (I-0 under rain fed condition i.e. control, I-1-one time irrigation, I-2-two times irrigation and I-3-three times irrigation) and two hybrid verities of maize (BARI hybrid maize-7 and BARI hybrid maize-9) was used to access the effect of irrigation practices on yield and yield parameters of maize crop. Study was conducted at Natore Sugar Mill area, Natore, Bangladesh during Rabi season in 2013-14. All recommended crop production practices were used during the study. Results of the study revealed that irrigation pattern significantly influenced the plant height, plant girth, total leaves plant(-1), effective leaves plant(-1), number of non-effective leaves plant(-1), total roots plant-1, cob length, cob grain free, cob girth, grain line cob(-1), grain no. line(-1), total grains cob(-1), grain weight cob(-1), 1000 grain weight, grain yield (tha(-1)), straw weight plant(1), straw yield (tha(-1)) and biological yield. Further, results of grain yield suggested that application of three times irrigation (13) produced highest grain yield (10.09and 10.21t ha(-1)) in BARI hybrid maize-7 and BARI hybrid maize-9, respectively. Some varietal effect was also reported on almost all the traits and yield related parameters. The BARI hybrid maize-9 achieved better grain production as compared to the BARI hybrid maize-7. Based on the results, full irrigation is the best treatment to achieve the optimum growth and yield of maize.