Resumo

TUCUCH-HAAS, Cesar et al. Effect of salicylic acid on growth, nutritional status, and performance of maize (Zea mays). Agrociencia [online]. 2017, vol.51, n.7, pp.771-781. ISSN 2521-9766.

Salicylic acid (AS) may modulate several physiological and biochemical processes in plants, and may contribute to improve crop yield. These processes are also induced in maize (Zea mays) cultivation, but their effects on bioproductivity are not very well known. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of applying AS to maize leaves on growth, nutrient status, and yield of the local variety Xmejen-nal, State of Yucatan, Mexico. We conducted two independent experiments with randomized complete block designs, under field conditions, using two AS concentrations, 0.1 and 1 µM, and distilled water as control. Seven day-old plants were sprayed daily with this solution, for a week. The following variables were measured during harvest: plant height and diameter; above-ground dry biomass; cob diameter, length, and weight; grain yield (g plant-1); nitrogen, phosphorus (P2O5) and potassium (K2O) content, in above-ground tissue and grain. Applying 1 µM of AS increased (p≤0.05) grain yield per plant, total dry biomass, and N, P2O5 and K2O content. Additionally, spraying maize plants with 1 µM and 0.1 µM AS resulted in 29 and 21 % increases (p≤0.05) in cob length, respectively, as compared to the control. Grain yield showed a highly significant and positive correlation with all cob variables, suggesting that the increase of grain yield may be linked with the effect of AS on the cob.

Palavras-chave : Zea mays; biomass; cob; nitrogen; phosphorus; potassium.

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