Effect of Selenium in Reducing Heat Stress in Spring Maize and its Reflects on Grain Yield

Abstract

"A field experiment was applied in the research station of the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences - University of Baghdad - Al-Jadriya Complex during the spring cycle of the 2020 agricultural season with the aim of studying the effect of selenium in reducing heat stress to which yellow corn is exposed during the pollination and fertilization phase in the spring loop and its reflection on the yield and its components For two synthetic varieties. A randomized complete block design was used with the arrangement of split plates with three replications, such as the first factor in the main panels two synthetic varieties of yellow corn (5018 and Baghdad 3) and the secondary plates five parameters of selenium and included three levels of seed soaking with selenium (0, 2 and 5 mg. L -1). Selenium spray at two concentrations of 10 and 20 mg L-1 in addition to the comparison treatment (without soaking or spraying) The results showed that the two cultivars did not differ significantly in most of the characteristics of the grain yield and some of its components, while the selenium treatments were significantly superior to the grain yield compared to the comparison treatment. The treatment of plant spraying with selenium at a concentration of 20 mg L-1 led to an increase in the fertility rate. By 12.91%, this treatment increased the grain yield by 69.23%. This is as a result of its superiority in the characteristic of the length of ear, the number of active ear, the number of rows in the ear, the number of grains in the row, the number of grains in ear and the number of grains in plant. In general spraying trt. gave best results than soaking so we recommended spraying selenium in order to reduce the effect of high temperatures in spring maize."