Iranian Journal of Field Crops Research

Iranian Journal of Field Crops Research

Effect of Foliar Application of Glycine and Methanol on Yield and Some Morphological and Physiological Traits of Forage Maize (Zea mays L.) at Three Planting Dates

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
M Ramezani
F Paknejad
M. R Ardakani
D Habibi
M. N Ilkaee
Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Ka. C., Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
10.22067/jcesc.2025.92871.1387
Abstract
Introduction
Maize (Zea mays L.) is considered as one of the best forage crops due to its adaptability to various climatic conditions, as well as its production of suitable forage per unit area, high quality of silage, and high absorbability in livestock. Suitable planting date is one of the important factors in determining the yield potential of crops especially in maize, and also the use of methanol and glycine spraying increased plant growth, especially in delayed crops. For this purpose, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of methanol, glycine, and their interaction on three different planting dates on maize in Simorgh city, Mazandaran, Iran. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of methanol and glycine on delayed planting dates and whether or not foliar spraying of these compounds can reduce the negative effects of late planting in maize.
Materials and Methods
This study was carried out as a factorial in the form of randomized complete block design with three replications at three separate fields in the promotional research farm of Jihad Agricultural Center, Simorgh city, Mazandaran province, on fodder maize as the second crop after rice harvest during summer and autumn of 2020. The maize hybrid used was Single Cross 201. The treatments were composed of glycine at three levels: [0 (control), 1 and 2 mg l-1], methanol at three levels: [0 (control), 10 and 20% v/v], and three planting dates: [August 6, 16 and 27]. Foliar spraying of maize plants with methanol and glycine solutions was performed in three times during the growing season, including the 4-6 leaf stage, 8-10 leaf stage and before tassel emergence stage, at time of 9-11 am.
Results and Discussion
The results of this study showed that the highest values of dry matter yield of maize fodder was 1944.59 kg ha-1 that related to the interaction treatments of methanol 20 % spraying and glycine 2 ppm spraying in planting date of 6.8.2020. Use of methanol and glycine spraying and also the increasing of their concentration increased the yield and physiological and morphological characteristics of fodder maize. Delay in maize cultivation (27/8/2020) reduced its yield and physiological and morphological characteristics. The highest amount of dry fodder yield 19415.59 kg ha-1 was related to the interaction effects of methanol 20% v/v and glycine 2 mg l-1 on the planting date of August 6 and the lowest dry fodder yield was related to the control treatment 2568.76 kg ha-1 on August 27. The use of methanol and glycine partially reduced the negative effects of the delayed maize planting. Determining the appropriate planting date for crops is of particular importance because it affects the traits and various stages of growth and development and optimizes the efficiency of using environmental factors affecting yield. Delaying maize planting reduces the yield, which is due to a shortening of the vegetative growth period and a decrease in the amount of carbohydrates and minerals transferred to the grain. Methanol increases plant performance by affecting various metabolic pathways such as growth and development and activating genes involved in jasmonic acid biosynthesis and plant defense mechanisms. The use of glycine has increased ear yield due to the production of amino acids during nitrogen metabolism.
Conclusion
Methanol and glycine application reduced the negative effects of delayed planting of forage maize on August 27. The application of methanol 20% v/v and glycine 2 mg L-1 on August 27 was able to increase the dry yield of forage by 168% compared to the control on the same planting date, which can be attributed to the increase in plant growth rate by methanol and glycine. Therefore, to increase the yield of forage corn and reduce losses due to late planting, application of 20% by volume methanol and 2 mg L-1 glycine can be recommended in humid climate areas similar to Mazandaran. However, for a more detailed study, higher concentrations of methanol and glycine can also be recommended.
Keywords
Delayed cultivation
Maize yield
Planting date
Single cross 201
Subjects

Authors retain the copyright. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

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  • Receive Date 03 April 2025
  • Revise Date 16 May 2025
  • Accept Date 01 June 2025
  • First Publish Date 29 June 2025