Abstract
By integrating various irrigation and agriculture management techniques, it is possible to considerably improve water productivity. In order to examine the impact of irrigation scheduling (1.0 and 1.2 pan evaporation coefficient), planting method (ridge and raised bed), and potassium silicate foliar application (0 ppm and 100 ppm) on maize (Zea mays L) growth, yield, and water-related factors, a two-season field experiment was conducted in a hot-dry climate region of southern Egypt during 2017 and 2018. The results showed that the seasonal irrigation requirement and consumptive use were higher at 1.2 than the 1.0 pan evaporation coefficient, irrespective of the planting methods. Raised bed planting method saved about 19% of applied water (two seasons average) compared to the ridge planting method. Plants treated with potassium silicates attained higher yields compared to the control, irrespective of the irrigation level and planting method. Moreover, irrigation at 1.2 pan evaporation resulted in the lowest daily ETc values, i.e., 3.15, 6.0, 6.7, and 2.8 mm for plant growth stages, i.e., ini, dev, mid and late. This resulted in the lowest Kc values (0.47, 0.91, 1.16, and 0.61) at different plant growth stages (ini, dev, mid and late). Based on the study findings, it is recommended to use a deficit irrigation of 0.15% based on accumulated pan evaporation values of 1.2, coupled with raised bed planting method and the application of 100 ppm potassium silicates, for optimal maize water productivity and net return.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Find the latest articles, discoveries, and news in related topics.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Data Availability
All data are provided as tables and figures.
References
Hunt JR, Celestina C, Kirkegaard JA (2020) The realities of climate change, conservation agriculture and soil carbon sequestration. Glob Chang Biol 26:3188–3189
Kimaru AN, Gathenya JM, Cheruiyot CK (2019) The temporal variability of rainfall and streamflow into Lake Nakuru, Kenya, assessed using SWAT and hydrometeorological indices. Hydrol 6:88
Zhiña D, Montenegro M, Montalván L, Mendoza D, Contreras J, Campozano L, Avilés A (2019) Climate change influences of temporal and spatial drought variation in the andean high mountain basin. Atmosphere 10:558
Muhammad A, Yao Z, Zhang C, Lu S, Fu S, Mosa WF, Hasan ME, Heli Lu H (2022). Climate change stress alleviation through nature based solutions: A global perspective. Front Plant Sci 13
Gitz V, Meybeck A, Lipper L, Young CD, Braatz S (2016) Climate change and food security: risks and responses. Food Agric Org United Nations (FAO) Rep 110:2–4
Simpson C, Gonzales III J, Enciso J, Nelson SD, Setamou M (2020) Root distribution and seasonal fluctuations under different grove floor management systems in citrus. Sci Hortic 272:109364
Du X, He W, Gao S, Liu D, Wu W, Tu D, Kong L, Xi M (2022) Raised bed planting increases economic efficiency and energy use efficiency while reducing the environmental footprint for wheat after rice production. Energy 245:123256
Becheran DE, Miralles DJ, Abeledo LG, Alvarez Prado S, de San Celedonio RP (2022) Source-sink limitations for grain weight in wheat and barley under waterlogging conditions during pre-anthesis. J Agron Crop Sci 208:76–88
Fischer R, Ramos OM, Monasterio IO, Sayre K (2019) Yield response to plant density, row spacing and raised beds in low latitude spring wheat with ample soil resources: an update. Field Crop Res 232:95–105
Rady MO, Semida WM, Howladar SM, Abd El-Mageed TA (2021) Raised beds modulate physiological responses, yield and water use efficiency of wheat (Triticum aestivum L) under deficit irrigation. Agric Water Manag 245:106629
Ahmad N, Khan MB, Farooq S, Shahzad M, Farooq M, Hussain M (2015) Potassium nutrition improves the maize productivity under water deficit conditions. Soil Environ 34:15–26
Hasanuzzaman M, Bhuyan MB, Nahar K, Hossain MS, Mahmud JA, Hossen MS, Masud AAC, Fujita M (2018) Potassium: a vital regulator of plant responses and tolerance to abiotic stresses. Agronomy 8:31
Soleimani B (2018) Genetic regulation of juvenile plant growth under contrasting levels of phosphorus, potassium and carbon dioxide nutrition in the wild barley introgression library S42IL. . Martin-Luther-University: Halle-Wittenberg
Sajid M, Haq SU, Jan A, Noor F, Ali QS, Alam M, Zaman A, Shah FA, Mosa WF, Abada HS (2022) Effect of foliar application with potassium nitrate and copper sulfate on fruit yield and quality of pear (Pyrus communis L.) trees. Int J Fruit Sci 22:759–768
Oosterhuis DM, Loka DA, Raper TB (2013) Potassium and stress alleviation: physiological functions and management of cotton. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 176:331–343
Aslam M, Zamir M, Afzal I, Yaseen M, Mubeen M, Shoaib A (2013) Drought stress, its effect on maize production and development of drought tolerance through potassium application. Cercetări Agronomice în Moldova 46:99– 114
El-Gedwy E-SM (2020) Effect of water stress, nitrogen and potassium fertilizers on maize yield productivity. Annals Agric Sci Moshtohor 58:515–534
Mosa WF, Sas-Paszt L, Górnik K, Ali HM, Salem MZ (2021) Vegetative growth, yield, and fruit quality of guava (Psidium guajava L.) cv. Maamoura as affected by some biostimulants. Bioresources 16:7379–7399
Martineau E, Domec J-C, Bosc A, Dannoura M, Gibon Y, Bénard C, Jordan-Meille L (2017) The role of potassium on maize leaf carbon exportation under drought condition. Acta Physiol Plant 39:1–13
Ainsworth EA, Bush DR (2011) Carbohydrate export from the leaf: a highly regulated process and target to enhance photosynthesis and productivity. Plant Physiol 155:64–69
Grzebisz W, Gransee A, Szczepaniak W, Diatta J (2013) The effects of potassium fertilization on water-use efficiency in crop plants. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 176:355–374
Allen RG, Pereira LS, Raes D, Smith M (1998) Crop evapotranspiration-guidelines for computing crop water requirements-FAO irrigation and drainage paper 56. Fao, Rome 300:D05109
Mosa WF, Abd EL-Megeed NA, Ali MM, Abada HS, Ali HM, Siddiqui MH, Sas-Paszt L (2022) Preharvest foliar applications of citric acid, gibberellic acid and humic acid improve growth and fruit quality of ‘Le Conte’Pear (Pyrus communis L.). Horticulturae 8:507
Zellner W, Datnoff L (2020) Silicon as a biostimulant in agriculture. In Biostimulants for sustainable crop production. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing: p149–196
Laane H-M (2018) The effects of foliar sprays with different silicon compounds. Plants 7:45
Zellner W, Tubaña B, Rodrigues FA, Datnoff LE (2021) Silicon’s role in plant stress reduction and why this element is not used routinely for managing plant health. Plant Dis 105:2033–2049
Artyszak A (2018) Effect of silicon fertilization on crop yield quantity and quality—A literature review in Europe. Plants 7:54
Morsey DI, Sharabin EM (2021) Analytical study of the strategy of agriculture the most important grain crops varieties in Assiut governorate. Egypt J Agric Econ 31
FAO (2017). Water for sustainable food and agriculture a report produced for the G20 presidency of Germany. 1–27
CAPMAS E (2012). Central agency for public mobilization and statistics. Study of water resources and rational use in Egypt. (Ministry of Planning). pres_capmas@capmas.gov.eg, www.capmas.gov.eg
Gameh M, Ahmed E, Dardiry M, Elmahdy A (2020) Evaluating DSSAT program for simulating wheat yield production with different irrigation and nitrogen applications under upper Egypt conditions. Arch Agric Sci J 3:255–272
Rosa L, Chiarelli DD, Tu C, Rulli MC, D’Odorico P (2019) Global unsustainable virtual water flows in agricultural trade. Environ Res Lett 14:114001
Piper CS (1966). Mechanical analysis of soil by International Robinson’s Pipette method. Soil and plant analysis
Singh RA (1980) Soil physical analysis; Kalyani Publishers
Brower JE, Zar JH, Von Ende C (1984) Field and laboratory methods for general ecology. William C. Brown, Dubuque, Iowa
Rowell D (1994) Soil science: methods and applications. Longman Group Ltd., UK
Cottenie A (1980) Soil and plant testing as a basis of fertilizer recommendations (No. 38/2)
Mady AY, Shein E (2019) Optimizing particle size distribution measured by laser diffraction technique for estimating soil hydraulic properties. Soil Environ 38:214–221
Jensen ME (1983) Design and Operation of Farm Irrigation Systems. American Society of Agricultural Engineers. St Joseph, MI p 827
Phocaides A (2000) Technical handbook on pressurized irrigation techniques. FAO, Rome, p 372
Nhamo L, Mabhaudhi T, Magombeyi M (2016) Improving water sustainability and food security through increased crop water productivity in Malawi. Water 8:411
Nissen O (1983) MSTAT-C, a microcomputer program for the design, management and analysis of agronomic research experiments. Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
Dai A (2011) Drought under global warming: a review. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Clim Chang 2:45–65
Akbarzadeh A, Shahnazari A, Ahmadi MZ, Akbarzadeh M (2022) Partial root zone drying increases peppermint essential oil yield and water productivity. Agric Water Manag 263:107459
Balbaa MG, Osman HT, Kandil EE, Javed T, Lamlom SF, Ali HM, Kalaji HM, Wróbel J, Telesiñski A, Brysiewicz A (2022) Determination of morpho-physiological and yield traits of maize inbred lines (Zea mays L.) under optimal and drought stress conditions. Front Plant Sci 13:959203
Malorni L, Cozzolino R, Magri A, Zampella L, Petriccione M (2023) Influence of plant-based biostimulant (BORTAN) on qualitative and aromatic traits of rocket salad (Diplotaxis tenuifolia L.). Plants 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12040730
Moursy M, ElFetyany M, Meleha A, El-Bialy MA (2023) Productivity and profitability of modern irrigation methods through the application of on-farm drip irrigation on some crops in the northern Nile Delta of Egypt. Alex Eng J 62:349–356
Zhang G, Hou Y, Zhang H, Fan H, Wen X, Han J, Liao Y (2022) Optimizing planting pattern and nitrogen application rate improves grain yield and water use efficiency for rain-fed spring maize by promoting root growth and reducing redundant root growth. Soil Tillage Res 220:105385
Zheng J, Fan J, Zhou M, Zhang F, Liao Z, Lai Z, Yan S, Guo J, Li Z, Xiang Y (2022) Ridge-furrow plastic film mulching enhances grain yield and yield stability of rainfed maize by improving resources capture and use efficiency in a semi-humid drought-prone region. Agric Water Manag 269:107654
Zheng H, Shao R, Xue Y, Ying H, Yin Y, Cui Z, Yang Q (2020) Water productivity of irrigated maize production systems in northern China: a meta-analysis. Agric Water Manag 234:106119
Teixeira EI, George M, Herreman T, Brown H, Fletcher A, Chakwizira E, de Ruiter J, Maley S, Noble A (2014) The impact of water and nitrogen limitation on maize biomass and resource-use efficiencies for radiation, water and nitrogen. Field Crop Res 168:109–118
Zhang X, Zhao J, Yang L, Kamran M, Xue X, Dong Z, Jia Z, Han Q (2019) Ridge-furrow mulching system regulates diurnal temperature amplitude and wetting-drying alternation behavior in soil to promote maize growth and water use in a semiarid region. Field Crop Res 233:121–130
Manchanda G, Garg N (2008) Salinity and its effects on the functional biology of legumes. Acta Physiol Plant 30:595–618
Youssif NE, Osman H, Salama Y, Zaghlool SA (2018) Effect of rice straw and applications of potassium silicate, potassium humate and seaweed extract on growth and some macronutrients of sweet pepper plants under irrigation deficit. Arab Univ J Agric Sci 26:755–773
Anjos FAD, Ferraz RLDS, de Azevedo CA, Costa PDS, Melo ASD, Ramalho VRDA (2021) Relationship between physiology and production of maize under different water replacements in the Brazilian semi-arid. Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental 26:21–27
Jin N, He J, Fang Q, Chen C, Ren Q, He L, Yao N, Song L, Yu Q (2020) The responses of maize yield and water use to growth stage-based irrigation on the loess plateau in China. Int J Plant Product 14:621–633
Saleh EMA (2020) Can irrigation water saving options cope with water scarcity in Egypt? IJAAER 6:167–176
Atta Y, Abd-Elfatah A, Mustafa EF (2021) Water saving and increasing water productivity using new planting methods for wheat crop. J Soil Sci Agric Eng 12:769–776
El-Sorady GA, El-Banna AA, Abdelghany AM, Salama EA, Ali HM, Siddiqui MH, Hayatu NG, Paszt LS, Lamlom SF (2022) Response of bread wheat cultivars inoculated with azotobacter species under different nitrogen application rates. Sustain 14:8394
Elmardy NA, Yousef AF, Lin K, Zhang X, Ali MM, Lamlom SF, Kalaji HM, Kowalczyk K, Xu Y (2021) Photosynthetic performance of rocket (Eruca sativa. Mill.) grown under different regimes of light intensity, quality, and photoperiod. PLoS One 16:e0257745
Abd El-Halim AE-HA, Abd El-Razek UAE-H (2014) Effect of different irrigation intervals on water saving, water productivity and grain yield of maize (Zea mays L.) under the double ridge-furrow planting technique. Arch Agron Soil Sci 60:587–596
Abbas M, Bakhsh A, Aleem M, Ashraf M, Idrees MB, Buttar NA (2017) Maize productivity analysis under drip irrigation and bed planting. J Glob Innov Agric Soc Sci 5:32–38
Akbar G, Asif M, Islam Z, Hameed S (2020) Furrow bed irrigation system: installation and management. Pak J Agric Res 33:406–413
Maruyama S, Shebl SMM, Abdel-Gawad KI, Kubota A, Shimizu K, Ishikawa N, Mohamed AEDH (2017) Agricultural production-cultivation techniques and farming. In Irrigated agriculture in Egypt: Past present and future, ed. M. Satoh and S. Aboulroos, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. p 225–54
Ahmadi SH, Sepaskhah AR, Zarei M (2018) Specific root length, soil water status, and grain yields of irrigated and rainfed winter barley in the raised bed and flat planting systems. Agric Water Manag 210:304–315
Youssef MA, Yousef AF, Ali MM, Ahmed AI, Lamlom SF, Strobel WR, Kalaji HM (2021) Exogenously applied nitrogenous fertilizers and effective microorganisms improve plant growth of stevia (stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) and soil fertility. AMB Express 11:1–10
Gomaa M, Kandil EE, El-Dein AA, Abou-Donia ME, Ali HM, Abdelsalam NR (2021) Increase maize productivity and water use efficiency through application of potassium silicate under water stress. Sci Rep 11:1–8
Meena V, Dotaniya M, Coumar V, Rajendiran S, Kundu S, Subba Rao A (2014) A case for silicon fertilization to improve crop yields in tropical soils. Proceed National Acad Sci Ind Sect B: Biol Sci 84:505–518
Guntzer F, Keller C, Meunier J-D (2012) Benefits of plant silicon for crops: a review. Agron Sustain Dev 32:201–213
Maghsoudi K, Emam Y, Pessarakli M (2016) Effect of silicon on photosynthetic gas exchange, photosynthetic pigments, cell membrane stability and relative water content of different wheat cultivars under drought stress conditions. J Plant Nutr 39:1001–1015
Coskun D, Deshmukh R, Sonah H, Menzies JG, Reynolds O, Ma JF, Kronzucker HJ, Bélanger RR (2019) The controversies of silicon's role in plant biology. New Phytol 221:67–85
Mihaličová Malčovská S, Dučaiová Z, Maslaňáková I, Bačkor M (2014) Effect of silicon on growth, photosynthesis, oxidative status and phenolic compounds of maize (Zea mays L.) grown in cadmium excess. Water, Air, Soil Pollut 225:2056
Acknowledgments
Authors would like to extend their sincere appreciation to their University.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Funding
Open access funding provided by The Science, Technology & Innovation Funding Authority (STDF) in cooperation with The Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Conceptualization, Ahmed M. Abdelghany.; Data curation, Yasser M. Ahmed., Abeer A. A. Bakr, Sobhi F. Lamlom and Ahmed M. Abdelghany; Formal analysis, Ahmed M. Elmahdy, and Ahmed M. Abdallah; Funding acquisition, Gawhara A. El-Sorady; Investigation, Ahmed M. Abdelghany; Methodology, Yasser M. Ahmed, Ahmed M. Abdallah and Ahmed M. Elmahdy; Project administration, Ahmed M. Elmahdy; Resources, Aly A.A. Elbana, Gawhara A. El-Sorady, and Sobhi F. Lamlom; Software, Sobhi F. Lamlom.; Supervision, Ahmed M. Abdelghany; Validation, Abeer A. A. Bakr, Aly A.A. Elbana and Sobhi F. Lamlom; Writing – original draft, Ahmed M. Elmahdy; Writing – review & editing, Ahmed M. Elmahdy, Sobhi F. Lamlom and Ahmed M. Abdelghany.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Conflict of Interest
“The authors declare no conflict of interest.”
Consent for Publication
Not applicable.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
About this article
Cite this article
Elmahdy, A.M., Ahmed, Y.M., Bakr, A.A.A. et al. Revolutionizing Maize Farming with Potassium Silicate Foliar Spray and Water Management Techniques. Silicon 15, 7121–7135 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-023-02540-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-023-02540-1