Maize (Zea mays L.) Yield and Water use Affected by Mycorrhization and Surfactant in Water Stress Conditions

Finding environmentally friendly methods, which may enhance maize yield and physiology in drought stress conditions is of significance. The hypothesis was that the combined use of mycorrhization and surfactant, as a modern technique, improves maize (Zea mays L.) yield and physiology in water deficit conditions. The objective was to test mycorrhization and surfactant on maize yield and physiology in water deficit conditions. A two-year field experiment as a split plot factorial on the basis of a complete randomized block design with three replicates was conducted during 2018-2019. Water deficit levels (water depletion of 30%, 60% and 90% of FWC, main factor), and mycorrhizal inoculation and surfactant application, as sub factors, were tested. Maize growth, yield and yield components including plant height (PH), leaf area index (LAI), photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll), colonization percentage (Col), cob length (CL), number of rows per cob (NRC), number of seeds per row (NSR), 1000-grain weight (1000GW), grain yield (GY), and water use efficiency (WUE) were determined. Mycorrhization and surfactant significantly increased PH, LAI, chlorophyl a, CL, NRC, GY and WUE in water deficit conditions. However, the single effects of mycorrhization significantly enhanced chlorophyll b and total, Col, NSR, and 1000GY. The combined use of mycorrhizal fungi and surfactant, compared with their single use, can more efficiently improve maize growth, yield, yield components and water use efficiency in water deficit conditions by enhancing plant physiology including plant water uptake. Such results are of environmental and economic significance.