2024, Vol. 7, Issue 3, Part E

author(s)
Navanathnayak, Shivamurthy D, Angadi SS and Andhebsurn S

abstract
A field trial was carried out at the Main Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka, during the rabi season of 2021-22 to study the effects of different phases and levels of Detopping on the yield and yield characteristics of rabi maize. The field experiment had sixteen treatment combinations with one control, and it was set up in a split plot design with three replications. The four stages of detopping viz., at 15, 20, 25, and 30 days after silking in main plot and there were four detopping levels in the sub-plot viz., detopping up to two, three, four, and five leaves stages of crop. The results showed that when detopping was done 30 days after silking with the top two leaves, increased grain production (6604 kg ha^-1), stover yield (7845 kg ha^-1), and harvest index (43.30%) were observed. With the exception of grain yield of detopping took place 25 days after silking with the top two leaves. Nevertheless, detopping the top two leaves 30 days after silking resulted in noticeably higher yield and yield attributing traits, including cob length (16.67 cm), cob girth (16.87 cm), number of rows per cob (15.41), number of seeds per row (27.92), number of seeds per cob (406) and 100 seed weight (36.15 g). The control treatment (no detopping) recorded significantly higher yield and yield attributing traits.