Enhancing Corn (Zea mays L.) Productivity under Varying Water Regimes with At-Plant Application of Xyway Fungicide

Abstract

A fungicide’s ingredients can play a physiological role in crop water-management decisions. Our greenhouse study in 2021 demonstrated that Xyway LFR@FMC at-plant fungicide can significantly improve water-saving potential in corn. In 2022 and 2023, a field study was conducted to validate this finding. The 1.11 L ha−1 of Xyway LFR@FMC and no-fungicide/check were the main plot effects. Three water regimes, high (HI) and low (LO) numbers of irrigation events and rainfed (RF), were the subplot effect. Plants treated with Xyway LFR@FMC had significantly higher plant height, stem diameter, and leaf water potential (LWP), and had 11.9, 13.4, and 18.3% higher yield under RF, LO, and HI, respectively, in 2022. In 2023, there were no significant differences for the yield components and growth parameters when the combined effect of fungicide treatments and water regimes was considered. However, plants treated with the fungicide had a higher number of rows per ear, kernel number per row, and cob diameter compared to the check. There was no significant separation for yield among the water regimes in 2023, but the crop yield was overall higher for the fungicide-treated plots. Our results indicate that Xyway LFR@FMC fungicide has the potential to improve plant growth and protect the yield when limited water is applied.