Effects of seed priming and planting density on the forage wet yield of silage corn (S.C704) in delay planting

Seed priming in the delayed cropping have increased chances of plant establishment and leads to increase yield. In order to an experiment was carried out as split-split plot based on randomized complete block design (RCBD) in four replications in Mazandaran Agriculture Research Center, Qaemshahr, Iran in 2010. Delayed sowing dates were at two levels (27 July and 13 August) as the main factor and plant density on two levels (70 and 90 thousand plants per hectare) as the sub factor and the sub-sub factor in four levels seed priming including; control no seed priming, pure water, PEG concentration 8% and KNO3 concentration 0.5%. The results showed that fresh weight per plant and forage yield per hectare lower than delay planting with 19.4 and 24.0 %, respectively. Because the plant height (12.3%), leaf (22.7%) and ear diameter (12.9%) were lower. Ratio the fresh ear weight to total in delay planting 8.8% had increase. Forage yield in 90000 plants per hectare was more than 70000 plants per hectare with 11.5%. Percent lignin with increasing plant density 4.7% was higher. Priming statistically on forage yield had not significant effect. But the highest number of ear and ratio ear fresh weight to total and the lowest ratio stem fresh weight to total was obtained in PEG. Maximum ear diameter was obtained with pure water.