The impact of irrigation on yield components of maize

Maize is the most widely cultivated crop on arable land in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Yields are quite inconsistent due to several factors, with one of the most significant being the lack of moisture during the growing season, particularly during the pollination period. Irrigation is a measure taken to mitigate the harmful effects of drought. A maize field trial was conducted over two growing seasons (2022/2023) with three replications. The local hybrid BL-43 was sown in three irrigation treatments and two fertilization variants. During the season, morphometric parameters of maize plants were measured. Statistically highly significant differences were observed between yields and yield components. The greatest differences were found in plant height among the irrigation treatments, as well as between the two years of study. Maize yield showed high variability under the influence of the applied treatments. The highest yield (11,031 kg ha-¹) was achieved with the 100% irrigation treatment combined with a higher rate of mineral fertilizer. Irrigation treatment had a much greater effect on yield components and total maize yield than fertilization. Applying irrigation at 50% and 100% of the required norm increased the values of yield components and overall maize yield in 2023 by about 27%. In the drought year (2022), the increase was 27% with 50% irrigation and 37% with 100% irrigation. In the dry year of 2022, when total precipitation was 35% lower compared to the multi-year average, irrigation had a stronger effect on maize yield components. Besides the irrigation, further research should consider the improvement of soil organic matter content and soil health as tools for improved drought resistance.