Effect of on-farm seed priming and weed control on emergence properties, some of growth indices, biological yield and grain yield of hybrid corn SC301 in Hamedan

To investigate the effects of on-farm seed priming and weed control on some traits in corn (single cross 301), an experiment was arranged in a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications at experimental field of the Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran, in 2010. Experimental factors included, on-farm seed priming in four levels (non-primed, priming with urea solution, priming with zinc sulfate solution and priming with tap water) and weed control in three levels (non-weeding, weeding in 20 days after planting and weeding in 20 and 40 days after planting). For on-farm priming the seeds were placed for 16 hours in solutions of urea (6 g.l-1), zinc sulfate (0.34 g.l-1) and tap water, and after surface drying were planted. The results showed that priming with urea and zinc sulfate solutions had highest emergence rate and lowest time to 50 percent emergence (E50) using urea solution caused the most emergence percentage and emergence energy. The maximum emergence index was observed in urea solution. All treatments compared to non-primed non weeding treatment had higher leaf area index. In other words priming could compensate decreasing effect of weeds on leaf area index. Priming treatments with zinc and urea solutions had highest crop growth rate and total dry weight (Crop Growth Rate: 21.76 and 18.99 gr.m-2.d-1, respectively), (Total Dry Weight: 1086.76 and 1080 gr.m-2, respectively). Corn leaf area index duration was not affected by priming, but increased under once and double weed control respectively 22% and 23.9%. Crop growth rate increase with weed control and priming treatments showed most increase. Urea-once weed control and Zinc Sulfate-once weed control treatments had most biological yield. Zinc sulfate and urea treatments showed respectively, 14 and 12% higher yield than the control. Generally results showed that emergence rate and vigor increased by priming with urea and zinc sulphate solutions, also weed control in companion with seed priming increased the studied growth indices and biological yield.