In maize cultivation of East Java, Indonesia, stand irregularities and decreases of population may result from such causes as the damages of Java downy mildew and seedling fly.
In this report, data on the seasonal changes of infection of Java downy mildew and the seasonal damages by seedling fly were presented, and then the effects of nonuniformity of stand on maize yield were examined.
1) maize plants which were sown 2 to 3 weeks after the onset of rainy season showed the highest infection rate of downy mildew. In this period, Harapan variety was infeted more than 90%, while, on Kretek variety, about 50% of infection rate was obsered. However, infection rate decreased gradually according to the late sowing, and on maize plants sown at March, the increase of infection rate was observed again.
On the other hand, the highest damages by seedling fly was shown at period when infection of downy mildew showed the lowest rate, that is, at late January and early February. It was apparently observed that there was a time lage on the outbreak of both damages.
2) Uniformal stand plots and nonuniformal stand plots were set artificially by sowing the different number of seeds per hill, and grain yield, rate of steril plant and 100 grains weight were compared between both plots.
3) On the comarison of yield per unit area, uniformal 2 plants plot showed the highest yield, and the yield of uniformal 3 plants plot was slightly lower than that of uniformal 2 plants plot.
On the comparison among nonuniformal plots, although alternating 1 and 3 plants plot and 1, 2 and 3 plants plot are same as uniformal 2 plants plot on number of plants per unit area, both nonunif ormal plots showed the lower yield than uniformal 2 plants plot.
4) The difference on yield between uniformal plot and nonuniformal plot, as mentioned above, may be explained as follows.
(1) On nonuniformal plot, mutual compensation among each hill. (2) It was supposed that the serious drought at tasseling and silking stage arrested the mutual compensation among maize plant hill.
5) The rate of steril plant on 2 plants hill increased with the increase of number of plants on adjacent hill, and decreased on the contrary cases. While, on the cases 1 and 3 plants hill, no effect was obsrved about this character.
6) Grain weight per hill consisting of 1 and 2 plants decreased as number of plants on adjacent hill increased, and on grain weight per hill consisting of 3 and 2 plants, the contrary relation was noticed. The same tendencies were obseved on 100 grains weight.
7) Coefficient of variation for grain weight per plant within each plot was calculated.
The results showed that value which was obtained from the plot consisting of 3 plants per hill, was larger than that of the plots consisting 1 and 2 plants per hill.
From this fact, it is thought that mutual compensation among plants acts ordinary with-in a hill, in order to maintain the grain yield per hill to some level.
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