Abstract
Response of maize to temperature, carbon dioxide and irrigation levels under the conditions of greenhouse
Maize is one of the major cultivated crops of Turkey. There has been a significant increase in studies of maize under interactive effects of elevated CO2 concentration and other factors, but the interactive effects of elevated CO2 and increasing irrigation and temperature on maize has remained unclear. In this study, the effects of different temperature regimes (16/30 °C and 22/36 °C day/night), CO2 (ambient CO2 and elevated CO2) conditions and irrigation treatments (full irrigated and reduced irrigated) on early growth characterstics of maize were studied as pot experiments under greenhouse conditions. The plant height, chlorophyll content, leaf area, leaf fresh weight, dry weight, relative water content, paraquat sensitivity index and membrane injury were examined. Results suggested that the temperature was a primary important factor because of the direct influence on all observed characteristics in maize. Water stress-associated with high temperature was often considered to be a limiting factor in maize production. In addition, it was observed that CO2 and irrigation also influential climate factors depending on the temperature.
Keywords
Climate change, CO2, maize production, temperature, irrigation