Interplot and intraplot border effects on maize genotypes under two levels of moisture availability

Abstract

The performance of three maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids, grown under two irrigation levels, was used to investigate the effects of soil moisture competition between adjacent plots, the transmission of these effects into multi-row adjacent plots and types of multi-row plots and plot borders most effective in shielding from these interplot competition effects. On the basis of grain yield, competition effects intended to the second rows of five-row plots necessitating more than five-row plots to accurately evaluate the full transmission of interplot competition effects into adjacent plots. Evaluation of genotypes in one-row plots all with the same common border row genotype to make them three-row plots would be more suitable for evaluation of relative competitiveness for soil moisture under soil moisture stress conditions compared to no border rows or border rows of the same genotype being evaluated.