Table 6.

The solitary effects of adopting water stress and applying different applications methods of potassium humate and zinc applications under partial root-zone drip irrigation techniques on maize agronomic traits during the growing seasons of 2019/2020 and 2020/2021

Studied factors		Root length (cm)	Ear weight (g plant−1)	Grain index (%)
PRIs techniques
FDI		19.3 ± 5.0 b	201.6 ± 51.8 b	200.1 ± 59.9 b
ADI		24.3 ± 4.4 a	215.5 ± 64.8 a	211.5 ± 56.2 a
Irrigation levels (Ir)
100 (%)		22.1 ± 4.4 a	206.7 ± 61.4 b	199.5 ± 39.4 b
75 (%)		21.6 ± 8.7 b	210.4 ± 58.9 a	212.1 ± 71.8 a
Applications (EAP)
Control		19.2 ± 6.2 h	162.2 ± 24.7 e	160.5 ± 17.4 g
KH F		20.4 ± 5.9 f	181.6 ± 25.7 d	194.7 ± 41.8 e
Zn F		19.9 ± 5.9 g	179.0 ± 21.8 d	169.7 ± 20.5 f
KH S		21.3 ± 5.9 e	212.9 ± 23.5 c	221.2 ± 26 bc
Zn S		21.0 ± 5.6 e	213.5 ± 36 c	207.0 ± 21.5 d
KH F + Zn F		22.4 ± 6.1 d	216.7 ± 20.6 c	225.4 ± 21.4 b
KH F + Zn S		23.4 ± 6.1 c	231.5 ± 15.4 b	217.0 ± 31.8 c
KH S + Zn F		24.0 ± 6.13 b	233.6 ± 31.3 b	218.6 ± 51 bc
KH S + Zn S		25.0 ± 6.1 a	246.0 ± 42.8 a	238.4 ± 48.9 a
Source of variation	df	p-values
PRIs techniques	1	< 0.001	0.001	0.015
Irrigation levels (Ir)	1	< 0.001	0.012	< 0.001
Examined applications (EAP)	8	< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001
PRIs × Ir	1	< 0.001	0.002	0.127 NS
PRIs × EAP	8	0.997 NS	< 0.001	< 0.001
Ir × EAP	8	0.997 NS	< 0.001	< 0.001
PRIs × Ir × EAP	64	< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001

Abbreviations: PRIs Partial root-zone drip irrigation techniques, FDI Fixed partial root-zone drip irrigation, ADI Alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation. control (tap water applications), KH F (foliar applications of potassium humate = 3 g L⁻¹ water), Zn F (foliar applications of chelated zinc = 1.25 kg ha⁻¹), KH S (applications of potassium humate applied through the drip irrigation systems = 3 g L⁻¹), Zn S (chelated zinc applied through the drip irrigation systems at a rate of 1.25 kg ha⁻¹)