Maize crop yield in function of salinity and mulch¹

Produtividade da cultura do milho em função da salinidade e da cobertura morta vegetal

HIGHLIGHTS:

The use of water with high salinity (4.0 dS m^-1) reduced the mass of the ear with and without straw and the diameter of the ear.

Vegetable mulch mitigates the deleterious effects of salts on productivity.

The presence of vegetation mulch increased mass of the ear with and without straw and the diameter of the ear.

ABSTRACT

Irrigation with saline water affects the agronomic performance of the maize crop; however, the use of vegetal mulch may mitigate salt stress and promote an increase in yield. In this way, this study aimed to evaluate the grain yield of the maize plants submitted to different water salinity levels in the presence and absence of mulch. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial scheme. The first factor was the salinity of the irrigation water (1.0 and 4.0 dS m^-1) and the second, with and without mulch, and five replicates. The variables analyzed were: unhusked ear mass, husked ear mass, cob mass, straw mass, husked ear diameter, husked ear length, and yield. The irrigation water with higher electrical conductivity affects negatively the ear mass with and without straw, ear diameter and ear length. The use of vegetation cover on the soil increased the unhusked ear mass with and without straw, ear diameter and length. The water with higher salinity (4.0 dS m^-1) reduces the maize grain yield but with less intensity in the presence of mulch.

Key words:
Zea mays L.; salt stress; soil cover