EFFECT OF IRRIGATION INTERVALS AND FOLIAR SPRAY WITH SALICYLIC AND ASCORBIC ACIDS ON MAIZE

The present study was carried out at the Experimental Farm of Sakha Agriculture Research Station Kafr El-sheikh, Egypt during the growing seasons 2013 and 2014 to study the effect of foliar spray of salicylic and ascorbic acids (vitamin C) on growth, yield and yield components of maize (Zea mays) hybrid SC.128 under irrigation interval treatments. The experimental design was a split-plot with four replicates. The main plots were devoted to irrigation intervals:- 1-irrigation every 15 days (control). 2- irrigation every 20 days (moderate water deficit). 3- irrigation every 25 days (severe water
deficit).While the sub plots were assigned to foliar applications of salicylic acid (SA) and ascorbic acid (AA):
1-sprayed with water (control).
2- sprayed with 100 ppm of salicylic acid (SA).
3- sprayed with 200 ppm of salicylic acid (SA) 4- sprayed with 100 ppm of ascorbic acid(AA). 5- sprayed with 200 ppm of ascorbic acid (AA). 6- sprayed with 100 ppm of salicylic acid(SA). + foliar with 100 ppm of corbic
acid(AA).Following data were recorded :- plant height, leaf area, photosynthetic pigments (chl. a, chl. b and total chl.),ear height, ear weight, ear length, ear
diameter, number of grains ear -1,grains weight ear-1, 100-grains weight and grain yield (ard./fed). All growth parameters were significantly reduced with widening intervals irrigation 25 days while ascorbic acid, particularly at 200 ppm tended to mitigate the adverse effect of water deficit on growth and yield components to maize plants. It is suggested that ascorbic acid could be a promising material used to reduce the harmful effect of water stress on the
growth and yield of maize plants.