Evaluation of vegetative performance of maize with plowing management at Buner

An experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station Buner in summer 2014 to study the effect of plowing time i.e. in dark (at night) and in sunlight (at day) and sowing time i.e. immediate after plowing and 12 hours later, on various maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids. For this purpose, two fields were selected, one for daytime plowing and other for night time plowing. Night plowing was done at 10.00 p.m. while daytime plowing at 8.00 a.m. Furthermore; half of the plowed field was sown immediately after plowing and the rest, 12 hours later in both plowing treatments. Three hybrids of maize i.e. Monsanto-2021, Rafhan-3313 and Rafhan-3304 were planted in each field under randomized complete block design with four replications. All standard agronomic practices were adopted during the experiment for all treatments. All the observed parameters were significantly affected by plowing time, while sowing time had no impact. Generally, a significant interaction among plowing and sowing time was observed for the recorded parameters. Early emergence (7 days) was observed for the field plowed at night. Plowing the field at usual daytime delayed emergence (9 days). Delayed tasseling (52.9 days), delayed silking (58.6 days),largerleaf area (850 cm2), delayed maturity (114 days), taller plants (271cm), greater stover yield (12328 kg ha-1) and accelerated crop growth rate (24.98 gm-2.day-1) were recorded for the field plowed at night. There were also significant differences among various hybrids, where Monsanto-2021 delivered better results. Plowing the field at night proved superior in term of crop growth rate as compared to the field plowed at usual daytime. Night plowing is recommended to increase vegetative performance of maize. Sowing can be done immediately after night plowing or on the subsequent day of plowing. Hybrids particularly, Monsanto-2021 is recommended for better performance. Keywords: Maize; Night plowing; Monsanto-2021; Rafhan-3313 and Rafhan-3304 http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2017.60005