Table 1.

Effects of fulvic acid applied as a foliar spray (FFA, 0.5 L/A) and through the rooting medium irrigation (IFA, 300 L/A) on growth parameters of maize cultivars (P3939 and 30Y87).

Treatments	Cultivar P3939					Cultivar 30Y87
	Leaf length (cm)	Leaf width (cm)	Leaf area (cm2)	Plant height (cm)	No. of leaves	Leaf length (cm)	Leaf width (cm)	Leaf area (cm2)	Plant height (cm)	No. of leaves
Control (0 µM)	23.92 ± 1.12 b	1.55 ± 0.08 b	28.91 ± 2.47 b	33.73 ± 1.86 a-b	6.52 ± 0.33 ab	22.82 ± 1.12 b	1.41 ± 0.08 b	26.91 ± 2.47 b	32.62 ± 1.86 b	6.58 ± 0.33 ab
FFA	28.62 ± 1.12 a	1.77 ± 0.08 a	38.78 ± 2.47 a	35.92 ± 1.86 a	7.12 ± 0.33 a	28.62 ± 1.12 a	1.77 ± 0.08 a	37.78 ± 2.47 a	35.82 ± 1.86 a	7.12 ± 0.33 a
IFA	24.00 ± 1.12 b	1.67 ± 0.08 ab	29.80 ± 2.47 b	34.73 ± 1.86 a	6.70 ± 0.33 ab	23.00 ± 1.12 a-b	1.47 ± 0.08 a-b	28.80 ± 2.47 a-b	33.66 ± 1.86 a-b	6.50 ± 0.33ab
100 µM Cr	17.15 ± 1.46 e	1.15 ± 0.05 d	15.91 ± 1.73 e	23.80 ± 0.64 d	5.90 ± 0.50 b-c-d	16.90 ± 1.56 c-d	1.19 ± 0.09 c-d	15.81 ± 2.67 c	24.35 ± 1.85 d	5.55 ± 0.25 d
100 µM Cr + FFA	21.30 ± 0.92 c	1.30 ± 0.05 b-c	21.82 ± 1.57 c	26.30 ± 1.36 b	6.40 ± 0.50 b	19.90 ± 0.77 b-c	1.30 ± 0.05 b-c	19.52 ± 1.55 b-c	29.50 ± 2.70 c	6.25 ± 0.47 b
100 µM Cr + IFA	19.22 ± 1.78 c-d	1.25 ± 0.08 c	19.66 ± 2.64 c-d	25.02 ± 3.04 b-c	6.25 ± 0.47 b	19.00 ± 1.08 b-c	1.27 ± 0.05 b-c	18.96 ± 1.57 b-c	28.20 ± 5.06 a-c	6.00 ± 0.40 b-c
300 µM Cr	15.45 ± 1.15 e	1.05 ± 0.05 d-e	14.09 ± 1.36 e	20.50 ± 0.98 b-e	5.50 ± 0.70 b-c	15.55 ± 0.87 d	1.10 ± 0.05 d	14.10 ± 1.53 d-e	23.15 ± 1.65 d-e	5.15 ± 0.62 d-e
300 µM Cr + FFA	17.60 ± 2.19 d	1.27 ± 0.05 c-d	19.09 ± 1.81 c-d	24.85 ± 3.63 b-c	5.75 ± 0.25 b-c	16.50 ± 0.54 c-d	1.20 ± 0.08 cd	15.94 ± 1.50 c	25.00 ± 0.99 c-d	5.05 ± 0.47 c
300 µM Cr + IFA	16.65 ± 2.64 d-e	1.23 ± 0.09 d	17.93 ± 3.78 d	22.57 ± 0.73 d	5.61 ± 0.28 d	17.15 ± 1.21 c	1.20 ± 0.08 cd	15.43 ± 2.23 cd	24.65 ± 3.05 c-d	5.00 ± 0.40 c-d

Values represent mean ± standard error (SE), with lowercase letters indicating significant differences among treatments.