Assess Effect of Water Deficit Stress and Clinoptilolite on Corn (Zea mays L.) Crop Production

Zeolite materials can reduce losing soil moisture in arid and semi-arid regions by soil physical improvement. These storage tanks absorb water provided by irrigation and rainfall and reduced permeability of soil. In drought stress condition, water saved in the polymer is gradually depleted and reduces need for re-irrigation.
This research was carried out to evaluate effect different level of water stress and Clinoptilolite on effective traits on Corn seed yield.
This study was done via split plot experiment based on randomized complete blocks design with three replications along 2021-2022 agronomic years. The main factor included Irrigation cycle based on evaporation from class A evaporation pan (I1: 50 mm evaporation or none stress or control, I2: 75 mm evaporation or Moderate stress, I3: 100 mm evaporation or severe stress). Also different level of Clinoptilolite (C1: control, C2: 4 and C3: 8 t.ha-1) belonged to subplots.
According result of analysis of variance effect of different level of water deficit and Clinoptilolite on all studied traits (instead harvest index) were significant but interaction effect of treatments was not significant. Compare different level of Clinoptilolite showed that the maximum amount of seed yield (4837.78 kg.ha-1), biologic yield (10486.7 kg.ha-1) and water use efficiency (1.5 kg.m-3) belonged to 8 t.ha-1 and lowest amount of mentioned traits were for control treatment. Mean comparison result of different level of water deficit indicated that maximum amount of measured traits was noted for control and minimum of those belonged to severe stress treatment.
Adding Clinoptilolite to the soil under water stress conditions caused a 14% increase in biological yield and a 20% increase in corn seed yield in compare to the condition of not using this mineral. So that the consumption of 8 t.ha-1 of zeolite led to produce highest seed yield and it dose advised to farmers in studied region.