Acta Agriculturae Slovenica (May 2010)
Variation of physiological traits and yield components of some maize hybrid (Zea mays L.) in agroecological conditions of Kosovo
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate some physiological traits and yield of different maize hybrids in growth conditions of Kosovo. The field experiment was conducted in 2006 and 2007 in Kosovo, near Prishtina. The experiment was based on a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. For calculating and statistical analysis 10 plants per each plot were randomly chosen. In the study, seven commercial maize hybrids belonging to different FAO groups (FAO 300, 400 and 600), originating from two breeding institutions: Maize Dept. of Bc Institute Rugvica - Croatia (Jumbo 48 [H-1], BC418 [H-2], BC408 [H-3], BC288 [H-4], BC394 [H-5]) and from Pioneer Hi-Bred Int. (Austria) (Pregia [H-6] and Colombo [H-7]), were included. For traits ear leaf area (LA), absolute growth rate (AGR), crop growth rate (CGR) and biological dry matter (BDM) higher values were obtained in the 2nd year in comparison to the 1st year, however the harvest index (HI) of the 1st year was of a higher value than the 2nd year. Also, for all investigated traits, except for HI, statistically significant differences were obtained among the studied maize hybrids. The highest values for all traits, except for HI, expressed the H-6 and these values were statistically significant higher than those of all other hybrids, but not for BDM. Our results indicated that the H-6 was the most appropriate for cultivation in agroecological conditions in Kosovo, while the H-4 and H-5 were less appropriate in the given conditions.
