Response of Maize to Different Application Methods and Rates of Fulvic Acid and Zn under Soil Affected by Salinity Conditions

Abstract

The use of Zn fertiliser can boost plant growth, blooming, and biomass output. ABSTRACT Two field experiments were conducted at the Experimental Farm, Faculty Egypt, during of 2021 and 2022 seasons to investigate the effect of different methods and rates of fulvic acid (FA) and Zn on yield and its components of maize. In both seasons, the two filed experiments were set up in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The treatments were as follows; The control treatment (T1), soil application of FA at the rate of 12 kg/ha at 30 and 45 DAS (T2), soil application of Zn at the rate of 12 kg Zinc sulphate/ha at 30 and 45 days (T3), spraying of FA at the rate of 1.2 kg/ha at 40 and 50 days (T4), spraying of Zn at the rate of 1.2 kg/ha at 40 and 50 days (T5), soil application of FA and Zn at the rate of 12 kg/ha at 30 and 45 days (T6), spraying of FA and Zn at 40 and 50 days (T7), soil application of FA and spraying of Zn (T8), and soil application of Zn at 35 and 45 days and spraying of FA at the rate of 1.2 kg/ha at 40 and 50 days (T9 in both seasons. The results showed that soil application of Zn at 35 and 45 days and spraying of FA at 40 and 50 DAS (T9) gave the highest mean values of yield and its components of yellow hybrid of maize followed by soil application of FA and spraying of Zn (T8) which gave the same trend while the control treatment recorded the lowest mean values of the studied characters of maize in both seasons under this study conditions.