The Role of Magnetized Water and Organic Fertilizers in The Management of Saline Agriculture and The Yield of Zea Maize Crop in Arid Regions.

The research included the implementation of a laboratory experiment and a field experiment in two successive seasons, where the laboratory experiment was carried out by using columns of PVC columns, where the effect of magnetized water was tested on several types of soils varying in salinity and spread in the study area east of Aleppo (Kaskis – musharifa Al – Zakia-Rasm al-Hamis). The technology of water magnetization was applied by using a special device manufactured at the Department of Soil Science and land reclamation at the Faculty of agricultural engineering of the University of Aleppo. The device was manufactured for laboratory and field work within a magnetic field whose intensity reached (2000) Gauss. The first type of water was also brought from a well in the village of Rasm al-Hamis (2.1) dS.m-1.the second sample was also brought from a well in the village of musharifa Al-Zakiya (3.4) dS.m-1.the third sample of water used in this study was representative of the water of the Euphrates river canal (0.70) dS.m-1. The technology of using magnetized water deliberately caused a decrease in the PH values of the three types of water, a slight decrease in the values of the electrical conductivity of irrigation water using magnetized water was also observed, and a decrease in the values of the specific weight of irrigation water after its magnetization was observed in the three types of water used. Magnetization with the wash coefficient applied by the experiment (15%) contributed to reducing the electrical conductivity values of the three soils, as it was noted that the effect of the magnetization technique was of a significant nature on the soils of the Hamis sketch, where before the experiment they were classified as high-salinity soils and by the effect of the magnetization technique, at the end of the experiment they turned into low-salinity soils. The results obtained from the Rasm al-Hamis soil confirmed that irrigation water with a washing coefficient, whether magnetized or non-magnetized, effectively contributed to the washing of salts from the surface layer of the soil compared to the soil salinity value before the experiment, which amounted about (4.1) dS.m-1, as the magnetized Euphrates water contributed to the washing of salts from the surface layer of the soil by 10% increase compared to the same treatment irrigated with non-magnetized water, as well as when using the magnetic wells of Rasm al-Hamis and Musharafat Al-Zakiya, where the magnetized water contributed to the washing of salts by 19% and 9.8% more than the same transactions irrigated with ordinary water for the surface layer of the soil, and the decrease was of a significant nature. The results in the soil columns also indicated that a significant decrease in the SAR and ESP values of the three soils was achieved, and therefore magnetization had an important role in washing the sodium cation from the soil. With regard to the future leachate from the soil columns, higher values of electrical conductivity and the rate of absorbed sodium were observed in the leachate of transactions irrigated with magnetized water compared to the leachate of transactions irrigated with ordinary water without magnetization for the three soils. this confirmed the role of magnetization technology in washing salts from the soil solution, especially sodium cation. this has been positively reflected on the physical properties of the soil, where the magnetization technology contributed to improving soil porosity values. the improvement was significant in the soils of Rasm al-Hamis and as a poke and not significant in the soil of Musharafat Al-Zakiya. Moving on to the field experiment, the field experiment was designed using a completely randomized block design with (3) replications, so that the first factor includes irrigation techniques: magnetized water (M) and non-magnetized water (NM), and the second factor is the addition of organic fertilizers to the soil, which included three coefficients: municipal fertilizer (O), humic acid (H) In addition to the control treatment (C). The area of the experimental piece was 16 m2, The number of plants within the experimental plot reached 120 plants. The Maize crop was planted on 29/6/2021 for the first season and on 9/7/2022 for the second. The results indicated the role of magnetization technology in reducing the electrical conductivity values of the studied coefficients compared to the control treatment coefficients in the surface and subsurface layers with an average value of 10.28%. The results also confirmed that magnetization plays an important role in washing the Na+ ion, and this was clearly reflected in the SAR value of the soil, where the SAR value when irrigated with ordinary water was about 3.16, while it decreased to 2.79 when irrigated with magnetized water, and this decrease was of a significant nature, which in turn affected the reduction of ESP values of the soil. The results indicated that magnetization clearly affected soil cations, especially Na+, and also directly affected the SO4-2 ion, where the concentration of SO4-2 decreased by 14.4% when irrigating with magnetized water compared to the control treatment. The results confirmed the role of the magnetization technique in improving porosity values. The data pointed to the important role of municipal fertilizer, potassium Humate in reducing the electrical conductivity values, and the treatment of municipal fertilizer was statistically superior to potassium Humate, whether irrigation with magnetized water or ordinary water. Organic compound with magnetized water also contributed to improving the physical qualities of the soil, which was positively reflected on the values of the index of deterioration of soil properties compared to the control treatment coefficients. This improvement in the physical and chemical properties of the soil positively affected the availability of nutrients in the soil in general, and microelements in particular, which contributed to an improvement in the productivity values of the Maize crop, which reached its highest value when irrigated with magnetic water about 7.43 tons/h, and potassium Humate with irrigation with magnetic water raised the productivity value to 8.49 tons/h, while the treatment of municipal fertilizer with irrigation with magnetic water surpassed the rest of the transactions, where productivity reached about 9.1 tons/h in the first season of the experiment, and the productivity values also improved slightly in the second season compared to the first.

General and Specific Combining Ability and Genetic Parameters (Zea mays L.) of Single Crosses in Corn

Six inbred lines of maize namely; A (1), B (2), C (3), D (4), E (5) and F (6) were used in half diallel cross. The seeds of inbred lines and its single cross hybrids were cultivated in an experiment using randomized completely block design (RCBD) with three replicates, at Twaitha Research Station, Plant Breeding Improvement Center, Iraq, during autumn season (2016). The parents and F1 were significantly differed at 5% for number of days to tasseling and silking, plant height (cm), ear diameter (cm) and yield per plant. Some hybrids showed a significant desirable heterosis for studied traits such as days to tasseling and silking. While plant height and yield per plant for all hybrids showed a significant desirable heterosis (deviation of F1 from mid parents). The mean squares of general and specific combining ability were highly significant for all traits. The additive and dominance variances were differed from zero for all studied traits. The broad sense heritability values were high for all studied traits. Narrow sense heritability was moderate for number of days to tasseling, plant height and ear diameter, but it was low for number of days to silking and yield per plant. The average degree of dominance was higher than one for all traits.

Effect of Selenium, Sulfur and Phosphor fertilization on Shoot Dry Weight of Maize (Zea mays L.) Grown in Two Different Soils

An experiment was conducted on maize crop (Zea mays L.) in plastic pots in two different soils (Qurna soil, which is poor organic matter and the other soil from Maysan marshes, which is rich in organic matter), to study the effect of selenium, sulfur and phosphate and their interaction on dry weight of shoot of maize crop. Selenium was added at four levels (0, 10, 20 and 40 g Se ha), sulfur at three levels (0, 30 and 60 kg S ha), and phosphorus at three levels (0, 60 and 120 kg P ha).

Effect of NPK, Biofertilizers (Bacillus Subtilis) and (Glomus Mosseae) Additions on Yield and Growth of Maize (Zea mays L.)

Field experiment was carried out at Research Station of the Faculty of Agriculture, Muthanna University, Iraq, during 2014/2015 season, to study the effect of adding NPK, biofertilizers Bacillus Subtilis and Glomus Mosseae on the growth and yield of maize (Zea may L.). The treatments were i.e control (zero: no vaccine), biofertilizers Bacillus subtilis treatments, Glomus mosseae, both biofertilizers (F0, F1, F2 and F3), respectively, Three levels of NPK liquid fertilizer i.e. 0, 5000, 7500 mg )C0, C1, and C2 respectively). The experiment design was RCBD with three replications arranged according to split plot.

Screening Sorghum Varieties Under Different Climatic Conditions in the Central Highlands of Yemen

The study was carried out at Central Highlands Research Farm, in Yemen, during 2014 and 2015 seasons, to study the adaptation of five sorghum varieties introduced from (ICBA) and local variety (white sorghum) against climate changes, to obtain good quantity and high forage yield varieties. RCBD design with three replications was used.

Genetic Behavior of Some Quantitative Traits of Yellow Maize (Zea mays L.) Single Crosses

Half diallel set of crosses between six inbred lines of maize were executed at Maize Research Department, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Syria, during 2010 and 2011 seasons to study heterosis, general and specific combining ability components for grain yield (ton/ha), ear height, length and diameter (cm), and silking date (day) compared with control varieties Basel-1 and the hybrid Spirou S-4- 985 to identify the best hybrid in terms of yield. Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD) was used with three replicates.

The Effect of Planting Date on Growth and Productivity of Bean and Sweet Corn by Using Intercropping (Line: Line) Under the Conditions of Bseren- Hama Province

The objective of the research is to identify the optimal date of planting when mutual intercropping (line: line) is used in planting beans Phaseolus vulgaris L. and sweet corn Zea mays rugose L.

Effect of Water Stress in yield and its components on Tow Genotypes of Corn at Different Growth Stages in ى Western Area-Homs Province

The research was carried out at a field in Talkalakh region- Al smeka village in Western Area-Homs Province . The research objectives to study the effect of water stress conditions on tow hybrids of Zea mayes L. ( Basel1 and Basel2) during different phonological stages(seedling, vegetative growth, flowering, physiological maturity) and control (no water stress) . Split-plot design with three replications was used.

Inheritance of grain yield and its components in line by tester method of maize (Zea mays L.)

This study was carried out at the Scientific Agriculture Research Center, Al-Ghab, Syria, during 2013 –2014 growing seasons to estimate heterosis, combining ability, phenotypic correlation and path analysis for plant and ear height, ear length, ear diameter, number of rows per ear, number of kernels per row, 100 kernel weight and grain yield per plant for eighteen hybrids produced by the line × tester method, the major findings were: inbred lines, testers, hybrids and combining ability mean squares were significant for all traits, indicating that additive and non-additive gene actions were the important in inheritance of all traits. The ratios of σ2 GCA/σ2 SCA showed that non-additive gene action was more important in controlling all traits except of number of kernel per row. Heterosis percentage for all traits were significant compared with the check variety except of ear height trait. GCA effects showed that the lines P1 and P7 were good combiners for grain yield per plant, also, SCA effects showed that P2×P8, P5×P8, P4×P9 and P1×P7 crosses were the best F1 combiners for grain yield per plant. Results of phenotypic correlation and path analysis values showed that ear length, ear diameter and number of kernel per row were positively and significantly associated with grain yield per plant, also, these traits can be considered as selection criteria may lead to the improvement of grain yield in maize.

Response of maize (Zea mays L.) to phosphorus application and dynamics in some Syrian soils

A pot exrpriment was conducted in a greenhouse in Tishreen University. The experiment included three soils differ in their chemical properties: 1) heavy clay red soil rich in iron oxides; 2) a silty loam basiltic soil; 3) a heavet clay red soil rich in total calcium carbonate (34.8 %). Treatments include application of different levels of triple super phosphate (TSP, 46 % P2O5) ranged from 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 150, to 200 mg P/kg soil. Pots were sowned with maize (2 plants/pot) and grown for 48 days. At harvest, plant were hatvested before flowering by cutting shoots and extracting roots which were oven dried and weight were recorded prior to digestion and P determination in shoot and root tissues. Samples of rhizosphere soils from each pot replicate were taken for P fractionation and determination. The response of maize to P application differs at period test according to soil type. The increase in growth was linear with increasing P level of application in theheavy red and calcareous red soils, while was polynomial in basilitic soil. The speed of growth increase in response to P application was influenced by native available P in the soil prior to application. The application of P led to linear increase in resin-P and MRP fraction in the bicarbonate extract, but not the Po fraction of the bicarbonate extract. The quantities of fixed applied P varied according to level of P application, the ratio of P uptake by maize plants, and chemical properties of the soil type. The proportion of applied P that was fixed increased linerarly with increasing level of P application. It constitutes 41.7,68.5 and66% at level of P application (20 mg/kg soil), and decreasing to30.2, 41.9 and 59.1% at level of P application (200 mg/kg soil) for red, basiltic, and calcerous red soils, respectively.