EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SOWING TECHNIQUES AND MULCHES ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD BEHAVIOR OF SPRING PLANTED MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L.)

A field trail was carried out to evaluate the effect of different sowing techniques and mulches on the growth and yield attributes of maize. The experiment was conducted at the Agronomic Research Farm, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad during spring season, 2011. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with split plot arrangement having three replications with net plot size of 7.0 m × 4.5 m. Field experiment comprised of five sowing methods (S1: ridge sowing, S2: ridge sowing alternate double sided, S3: bed sowing, S4: furrow sowing and S5 flat sowing) and three mulches (M1: maize pith, M2: wheat straw, M3: rice straw) was conducted during 2011 spring season under the tropical condition. The results showed that cobs length, cob diameter, and number of grains per cob, 1000-grain weight, biological yield and grain yield were maximum under ridge sowing method (S1) following the ridge sowing alternate double sided (S2). Furrow sowing shows least response to the agronomic and yield related parameters of spring maize. Among the mulch treatments; wheat straw mulch (M2) perform better and gave higher grain yield (6.21 Mg ha-1) as compared to the rice straw mulch and maize pith. Sowing techniques and mulches showed statistically non significant results for quality parameters (starch contents, oil contents and protein contents). Interaction of all three quality parameters was also observed non significant.