Table 1.
Effects of Zn various application rates on grain yield, kernel number per spike, and 1,000-kernel weight of the apical, middle, and basal sections of maize spikes under field conditions.
| Zn rate (kg/ha) | Grain yield (g/plant) | Kernel number | 1,000-Kernel weight (g) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apical | Middle | Basal | Apical | Middle | Basal | ||
| 0 | 120 b | 88.5 d | 177 a | 178 a | 233 b | 278 a | 281 a |
| 2.3 | 125 ab | 105 cd | 179 a | 173 a | 238 ab | 284 a | 286 a |
| 5.7 | 128 ab | 114 bc | 176 a | 181 a | 240 ab | 282 a | 282 a |
| 11.4 | 136 a | 129 abc | 182 a | 180 a | 246 ab | 285 a | 291 a |
| 22.7 | 137 a | 140 a | 179 a | 184 a | 244 ab | 282 a | 285 a |
| 34.1 | 140 a | 136 ab | 185 a | 182 a | 250 a | 286 a | 291 a |
| Source of variation | |||||||
| Sections | – | *** | *** | ||||
| Zn | ** | ** | ** | ||||
| Zn* section | – | ns | ns | ||||
Values are the means of four replicates. Means in a column followed by the same letters are not significantly different at P < 0.05 according to Fisher’s LSD test. *** P< 0.001, **P < 0.01. ns, not significant.