Wheat Triticum aestivum L. is one of the most important agricultural products, and meets the highest nutritional needs of humans in various countries. This study aims to evaluate the compatibility and stability of 25 wheat genotypes for two crop years in five regions (Karaj, Qazvin, Isfahan, Varamin and Damavand) in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results of variance analysis in the additive main effects and multiplication interaction (AMMI) method showed that the effect of genotype and the genotype × environment interaction in the first, second, and mean two crop years had a significant difference at the level of one percent probability. Based on the results obtained from the first and second principal components, G8, G4 and G22 genotypes were identified as superior genotypes. Isfahan was an ideal environment for this study. The results obtained from the comparison of the Duncan method showed that G14, G12, and G1 genotypes had suitable ranks. Graphical analysis was used to study the genotypes of wheat and the environment, and the genotype × environment interaction. Based on the ranking genotypes in the first and second principal components and an average of two years, G2 and G21 genotypes were identified as high yielding, and G21 genotypes as stable. G18 and G23 genotypes were selected as the best genotypes in all three experimental periods, based on the multidimensional diagram. The results of the ideal genotype diagram were G12 and G21 genotypes; and based on the results of the ideal environment diagram, Damavand and Varamin environments were identified as ideal environments. AMM1 covered 69.6% and AMMI2 75.6% of the data variance in the first year of the experiment. In the second crop year, 78.1% of the total variance of the data was explained based on the AMMI1, and 71.1% based on the AMM2.

Maize is one of the most widely used plants in the agricultural industry, and the fields of application of this plant are broad. The experiment was conducted at the Látókép Crop Production Experimental Station of the University of Debrecen, Hungary. Three mid-ripening maize hybrids with different FAO numbers were used in the present study. The effects of different nitrogen supplies were examined as a variable rate of abiotic stress and the interrelationship among the essential nutrients through the nutrient acquisition and partitioning of the different vegetative and generative plant parts. The results showed that NPK application compared to the control treatment (no fertilizer application) increased DM in all tissues of maize, while increasing nitrogen application from 120 to 300 kg ha⁻¹ had no significant effect on this trait. The highest protein content was obtained with the nitrogen application of 120 kg ha⁻¹, and the higher nitrogen fertilizer application had no significant effect on this trait. Seeds and leaves had a maximum zinc and manganese value in terms of nitrogen content (protein). Dry matter was positively correlated with nitrogen, potassium, and manganese content, while the dry matter had a negative correlation with nickel content. In general, to achieve a maximum quantitative and qualitative yield, it is recommended to use NPK fertilizer with a rate of 120 kg ha⁻¹ N for maize cultivation.

Increasing the productivity of cereals such as maize while protecting the environment remains a fundamental impetus of healthy food production systems. The use of biostimulants is one of the sustainable strategies to achieve this balance, although the ability of biostimulants to enhance maize productivity varies. Moreover, research on the efficacy of biostimulants is ubiquitous with limited comprehensive global analysis. In this context, this systematic review evaluated the sole and interactive effects of biostimulants on the yield and quality of maize grain from a global perspective. Changes in yield (t ha^-1), protein content (%), starch content (%) and oil content (%) of maize grain were assessed. Results revealed that sole and combined application of biostimulants significantly improved grain yield. Irrespective of the region, the highest and the lowest grain yields ranged between 16-20 t ha^-1 and 1-5 t ha^-1, respectively. In sole application, the promising biostimulants were chicken feather (16.5 t ha^-1), and endophyte Colletotrichum tofieldiae (14.5 t ha^-1). Sewage sludge × NPK (15.4 t ha^-1), humic acid × control release urea (12.4 t ha^-1), Azospirillum brasilense or Bradyrhizobium japonicum × maize hybrids (11.6 t ha^-1), and Rhizophagus intraradices × earthworms (10.0 t ha^-1) had higher yield for the interactive effects. The effects of biostimulants on grain quality were minimal, and all attributes improved in the range from 0.1 to 3.7%. Overall, biostimulants had a distinct improvement effect on yield, rather than on the quality of grain. As one way of maximising maize productivity, soil health, and the overall functioning of crop agroecosystems, the integrated application of synergistic microbial and non-microbial biostimulants could provide a viable option. However, the ability to produce consistent yield and quality of grain improvement remains a major concern.

This study was conducted to investigate the response of maize hybrids to drought stress and to select the most drought-tolerant cultivar compared to other hybrids. The experiment was performed on six maize hybrids in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications under regular irrigation and limited irrigation in the vegetative and reproductive stages in Iran. Drought tolerance indices (TOL, MP, GMP, STI, SSI, and HAR) for the grain yield of genotypes were calculated, and principal component analysis was based on them. The results obtained from estimating the indices showed that the SC647 and KSC704 hybrids, while having good performance in both conditions, also have drought tolerance. Examining the correlation between drought tolerance indices and yield in both conditions, among the indices used to detect drought tolerance, STI, MP, and GMP indices can be considered suitable for selecting high-yielding hybrids in these conditions. The principal components analysis on the stress-tolerance index showed that MP and GMP indices could be used as the best indices with high coefficients to select stress-tolerance hybrids. SC647 and KSC704 hybrids were identified and selected as hybrids with high tolerance to moisture stress. The results of drought tolerance indices in the emergence stage of the crest showed that the KSC260 hybrid has the lowest level of stress sensitivity. SC647 hybrids showed the lowest susceptibility to drought stress in the ear emergence stage.

Maize, regarded as a staple economic crop, attracts special global attention with the aim to enhance its production. Foliar fertilisation offers a complementary method to traditional soil fertilisation amongst resource-limited agricultural systems, providing a more efficient solution to nutrient deficiencies, especially in suboptimal soil conditions. This study aimed to analyse foliar fertiliser formulation research directions and their application in maize production. A literature search was conducted in the Web of Science (WoS) database. Bibliometric analyses were performed using the VOSviewer software (version 1.6.17). The changes in the publication trends of documents were tested using the Mann–Kendall test. The production effects of foliar fertilisation were independently synthesised. The results showed a strong positive increase in publication trends regarding maize foliar fertilisation (R² = 0.7842). The predominant nutrients that affected maize production were nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, iron, and manganese. The timely foliar application of nutrients corrected deficiencies and/or sustained nutrient supply under several abiotic stresses. Foliar application at critical growth stages like flowering and grain filling boosted carbohydrate and protein content, lipid levels, kernel size, mineral content, and the weight of the maize grain. This review identified important research gaps, namely genotype-specific responses, interactions with other agronomic practices, and long-term environmental effects.

In this study, 12 maize hybrids were planted and evaluated to determine the effect of genotype and genotype-environment interaction (GEI) base GGE (genotype plus genotype-by-environment) using a Graphical biplot technique in four research stations (Arak, Birjand, Shiraz and Karaj) within two years using a Randomized Complete Blocks Design (RCBD). The combined analysis of variance showed that the effects of the environment, genotype and genotype-environment interaction (GEI) were significant in the one percent probability level. GGE biplot results indicated that the first and second principal components (PC1 and PC2) explained more than 83% of the grain performance variation. Simultaneous study of grain performance and hybrid stability using the biplot of average environment coordinates showed that the KSC705 genotype had the highest yield and stability. Polygon view divided the studied areas into two mega-environments (MEs) and identified the best genotypes in each mega-environment (ME). In the first mega-environment (ME1), the Karaj and Shiraz with KSC706 and KSC400 genotypes were detected, and were the best; and in the second mega-environment (ME2), Arak and Birjand with KSC704 and KSC707 genotypes performed better. The biplot graph for the correlation between the genotypes categorized the studied hybrids into four groups positively related to each other based on the angles between vectors. The KSC704 and KSC707 genotypes were desirable in the yield in Shiraz and Karaj and KSC706 were in Arak and Birjand. Additionally, Arak-Birjand, Karaj-Shiraz showed a positive and significant correlation. Birjand and Karaj had most genotype interaction with each other.