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Effects of Temperature, Soil Water Status and Depth of Planting on Germination and Emergence of Maize (Zea Mays) Adapted to Semi-Arid Eastern Kenya

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

J. K. Itabari ,
P. J. Gregory  and
R. K. Jones
J. K. Itabari
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science, University of Reading, London Road, Reading, RG1 5AQ, England
P. J. Gregory
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science, University of Reading, London Road, Reading, RG1 5AQ, England
R. K. Jones
Affiliation:
ACIAR/CSIRO Dryland Project, PO Box 41567, Nairobi, Kenya
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Summary

The effects of temperature and soil water potential on maize germination were investigated in controlled environment conditions and the effects of depth of planting and a mulch on maize emergence were studied in a field experiment in eastern Kenya. The rate of germination increased to an optimum temperature of 33.6°C above a base temperature of 6.1°C and decreased above the optimum to zero germination at 42.9°C. The thermal time for median germination increased from 51.5°Cd to 56.4°Cd as soil matric potential decreased from -5 to -40 kPa. Soil water content, depth of planting, and their interaction had significant (P < 0.001) effects on final germination and emergence but mulch, or any interactions involving mulch, had no such effects. Increasing depth of planting by 1 cm increased the thermal time required for emergence by 2.8°Cd, and decreasing water content by 1% increased the thermal time required for emergence by 3.2°Cd.

Germinación y emergencia del maíz

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 29 , Issue 3 , July 1993 , pp. 351 - 364
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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