Effect of source-sink limitation and planting pattern on yield and yield components in corn

With the objective of finding out the effect of source-sink limitation and planting pattern on yield and yield components in corn, an experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design in a split-plot arrangement with 3 replications at the Shahid Salemi Plantation of Ahvaz in 2011. The main ridges enjoyed different planting patterns such as single-row pattern, zigzag twin-row pattern and normal twin-row pattern. Defoliation patterns, such as upper canopy defoliation, lower canopy defoliation, removal of 50% of the ear and leaving leaf and ear untouched, were applied to the secondary ridges. A comparison of data related to the effect of source-sink limitation on grain yield shows that the highest grain yield per square meter (1,045.47 gram) was obtained when leaf and ear remained untouched, while the lowest grain yield per square meter (732.006) was obtained after removing 50% of the ear.