Examination of the Productivity and Physiological Responses of Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) to Nitrapyrin and Foliar Fertilizer Treatments

Nutrient stress has been known as the main limiting factor for maize growth and yield. Nitrapyrin, as a nitrification inhibitor—which reduces nitrogen loss—and foliar fertilizer treatments have been successfully used to enhance the efficiency of nutrient utilization, however, the impacts of these tw...

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Main Authors: Dalma Rácz, Lóránt Szőke, Brigitta Tóth, Béla Kovács, Éva Horváth, Péter Zagyi, László Duzs, Adrienn Széles
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-11-01
Series:Plants
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/11/2426
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author Dalma Rácz
Lóránt Szőke
Brigitta Tóth
Béla Kovács
Éva Horváth
Péter Zagyi
László Duzs
Adrienn Széles
author_facet Dalma Rácz
Lóránt Szőke
Brigitta Tóth
Béla Kovács
Éva Horváth
Péter Zagyi
László Duzs
Adrienn Széles
author_sort Dalma Rácz
collection DOAJ
description Nutrient stress has been known as the main limiting factor for maize growth and yield. Nitrapyrin, as a nitrification inhibitor—which reduces nitrogen loss—and foliar fertilizer treatments have been successfully used to enhance the efficiency of nutrient utilization, however, the impacts of these two technologies on physiological development, enzymatic responses, and productivity of maize are poorly studied. In this paper, the concentration of each stress indicator, such as contents of proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), relative chlorophyll, photosynthetic pigments, and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured in maize leaf tissues. In addition, biomass growth, as well as quantitative and qualitative parameters of yield production were examined. Results confirm the enhancing impact of nitrapyrin on the nitrogen use of maize. Furthermore, lower activity of proline, MDA, SOD, as well as higher photosynthetic activity were shown in maize with a more favorable nutrient supply due to nitrapyrin and foliar fertilizer treatments. The obtained findings draw attention to the future practical relevance of these technologies that can be implemented to enhance the physiological development and productivity of maize. However, this paper also highlights the importance of irrigation, as nutrient uptake from soil by the crops decreases during periods of drought.
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spelling doaj.art-40fc5bcd49ea44d389862cc27a535be22023-11-23T01:05:34ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472021-11-011011242610.3390/plants10112426Examination of the Productivity and Physiological Responses of Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) to Nitrapyrin and Foliar Fertilizer TreatmentsDalma Rácz0Lóránt Szőke1Brigitta Tóth2Béla Kovács3Éva Horváth4Péter Zagyi5László Duzs6Adrienn Széles7Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Land Use, Engineering and Precision Farming Technology, University of Debrecen, 138 Böszörményi St., 4032 Debrecen, HungaryFaculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Food Science, University of Debrecen, 138 Böszörményi St., 4032 Debrecen, HungaryFaculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Food Science, University of Debrecen, 138 Böszörményi St., 4032 Debrecen, HungaryFaculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Food Science, University of Debrecen, 138 Böszörményi St., 4032 Debrecen, HungaryFaculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Land Use, Engineering and Precision Farming Technology, University of Debrecen, 138 Böszörményi St., 4032 Debrecen, HungaryFaculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Land Use, Engineering and Precision Farming Technology, University of Debrecen, 138 Böszörményi St., 4032 Debrecen, HungaryFaculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Land Use, Engineering and Precision Farming Technology, University of Debrecen, 138 Böszörményi St., 4032 Debrecen, HungaryFaculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Land Use, Engineering and Precision Farming Technology, University of Debrecen, 138 Böszörményi St., 4032 Debrecen, HungaryNutrient stress has been known as the main limiting factor for maize growth and yield. Nitrapyrin, as a nitrification inhibitor—which reduces nitrogen loss—and foliar fertilizer treatments have been successfully used to enhance the efficiency of nutrient utilization, however, the impacts of these two technologies on physiological development, enzymatic responses, and productivity of maize are poorly studied. In this paper, the concentration of each stress indicator, such as contents of proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), relative chlorophyll, photosynthetic pigments, and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured in maize leaf tissues. In addition, biomass growth, as well as quantitative and qualitative parameters of yield production were examined. Results confirm the enhancing impact of nitrapyrin on the nitrogen use of maize. Furthermore, lower activity of proline, MDA, SOD, as well as higher photosynthetic activity were shown in maize with a more favorable nutrient supply due to nitrapyrin and foliar fertilizer treatments. The obtained findings draw attention to the future practical relevance of these technologies that can be implemented to enhance the physiological development and productivity of maize. However, this paper also highlights the importance of irrigation, as nutrient uptake from soil by the crops decreases during periods of drought.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/11/2426abiotic stressfoliar fertilizermaizenitrapyrinnutrient supplystress response
spellingShingle Dalma Rácz
Lóránt Szőke
Brigitta Tóth
Béla Kovács
Éva Horváth
Péter Zagyi
László Duzs
Adrienn Széles
Examination of the Productivity and Physiological Responses of Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) to Nitrapyrin and Foliar Fertilizer Treatments
Plants
abiotic stress
foliar fertilizer
maize
nitrapyrin
nutrient supply
stress response
title Examination of the Productivity and Physiological Responses of Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) to Nitrapyrin and Foliar Fertilizer Treatments
title_full Examination of the Productivity and Physiological Responses of Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) to Nitrapyrin and Foliar Fertilizer Treatments
title_fullStr Examination of the Productivity and Physiological Responses of Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) to Nitrapyrin and Foliar Fertilizer Treatments
title_full_unstemmed Examination of the Productivity and Physiological Responses of Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) to Nitrapyrin and Foliar Fertilizer Treatments
title_short Examination of the Productivity and Physiological Responses of Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) to Nitrapyrin and Foliar Fertilizer Treatments
title_sort examination of the productivity and physiological responses of maize i zea mays i l to nitrapyrin and foliar fertilizer treatments
topic abiotic stress
foliar fertilizer
maize
nitrapyrin
nutrient supply
stress response
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/11/2426
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