MAIZE PRODUCTIVITY AND CROP - WATER RELATIONS AS AFFECTED BY IRRIGATION LEVELS AND COMPOST RATES.

A field experiment was conducted during 2014 and 2015 growing seasons at Al-Arish Agric. Res. Station, Al-Arish Governorate, Egypt. This trial aimed to investigate the effect of irrigation levels i.e. 1800, 2100 and 2400 m3fed-1 as interacted with compost rates i.e. without compost supplying , 2 and 4 tonfed-1 on maize growth, yield, yield components and  some crop -water relationships. A split-plot design with four replicates was adopted. The most important results could be summarized as follows:- 1-     Most of the studied maize growth parameters, grain and stover yields, grain yield attributes and chlorophyllous pigments as well N, P and K contents were significantly affected due to the adopted irrigation water levels in 2014 and 2015 seasons. Increasing irrigation water level from 1800 to 2100 or 2400 m3fed-1, resulted in gradual increases in all of the abovementioned parameters, as well as ETc and WUE values. 2-     Likely, the adopted compost rates exerted significant effects to alter all of the investigated parameters e.g. growth, grain yield and yield attributes and chemical constituents as well. The highest compost rate (4 tonfed-1) exhibited the highest figures of the abovementioned characters besides ETc and WUE, comparable with 2 tonfed-1 rate and without compost addition, in 2014 and 2015 seasons. 3-     The interaction of the highest irrigation water level e.g. 2400 m3fed-1 and supplying the compost at 4 tonfed-1rate resulted in the highest values the investigated growth, grain and stover yields and yield attributes parameters ,chemical constituents as well as ETc and WUE in 2014 and 2015 seasons. So, it is recommended to apply such interaction to obtain both acceptable maize yield and water utilization figures under Al-Arish conditions.