Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #61189
Title: WATER USE AND WATER USE EFFICIENCY OF TWO DIFFERENT MATURITY CORN HYBRIDS

Author
item Howell, Terry
item Tolk, Judy
item Schneider, Arland
item Evett, Steven - Steve

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/30/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Water use of a shorter maturity corn (Zea mays L.) hybrid (PIO 3737) was compared with a full season hybrid (PIO 3245) under full irrigation in 1994 at Bushland, TX, on a Pullman clay loam (Torretic Paleustoll). Both hybrids were planted on the same day in two 4 ha fields each containing a weighing lysimeter, which measured the water use (ET), and irrigated by sprinklers to meet water use from planting until mid grain fill. ET was decreased from 797 mm to 679 mm for the shorter maturity hybrid with the decline occurring after anthesis of the shorter season hybrid. Grain yield of the shorter maturity hybrid declined by 0.19 kg m**-2 from 1.3 to 1.1 kg m**-2, but grain WUE was identical at 1.66 kg m**-3. Leaf area index was markedly different for the two hybrids and dry matter (DM) was reduced by over 0.8 kg m**-2 indicating a higher harvest index and lower DM WUE for the shorter maturity hybrid.