Abstract

A field experiment was carried out to study the role of anti-transpiration treatments in some growth and dry matter traits of maize crop growing under the water stress conditions during the two autumn seasons of 2016 and 2017. The randomized complete block design (RCBD) with split plots order was used in the study, which included three levels of water stress: depleting 50, 60 and 70% of the available water symbolized by I1, I2and I3, and equivalent to 580, 420 and 340 mm/season, respectively, where water stress represented the main factor, while the second factor was represented by the anti-transpiration treatments: Salicylic acid at 200 mg/l, Vapour Gard at 15 ml/l, Kaolin clay at 200 mg/l and Leaf sil at 15 ml/l referred to by the symbols S1, S2, S3 and S4, respectively, in addition to the control treatment S0 (without spraying). The results showed no significant differences between the two treatments of depleting 50% of the available water and depleting 60% of the water in the traits of number of days to tasseling, number of leaves, leaf area, leaf area index, plant dry matter, and crop growth rate, indicating the possibility of providing the water amount up to 1600 m3/ha in both the seasons. The plants treated by depleting 50% of the available water gave the highest average of plant height compared to the other treatments, whereas the treatment of depleting 70% of the available water gave the lowest averages of all studied traits. Spraying anti-transpiration agents increased the studied growth traits under the water stress conditions. The treatments of spraying salicylic acid, kaolin and vapour guard gave significant variations in comparison with the control treatment (without spraying).