Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 24 ISSUE 3
Written by Ioana Claudia DUNĂREANU, Dorina BONEA

Due to climate modifications, extremely dry years are becoming more frequent in Romania, the Oltenia region being one of the most affected areas. In this context, farmers must choose the most suitable hybrids for their farm, because the level of grain yield and its quality depend on this choice. This study was designed to compare the phenology, grain yield and associated traits of some maize hybrids belonging to two different maturity groups (4 semi-early and 4 semi-late), under the combined effect of drought and heat in 2022. Experiences were placed under field conditions at Agricultural Research and Development Station (ARDS) Simnic, the Oltenia region, Romania in a randomized block design on a reddish brown soil. The obtained results showed that the maize hybrids from the semi-early maturity group outperformed maize hybrids from the semi-late maturity group with a grain yield advantage of 865 kg/ha (+30%). The semi-early hybrids Magnus (4,334 kg /ha) and DKC 4598 (3,814 kg/ha), closely followed by HSF 1180-17 (3,719 kg/ha) were superior for grain yield compared to other hybrids, showing a good adaptability to extreme drought conditions in the central part of Oltenia.

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