EFFECT OF PRECEDING CROP AND NITROGEN RATE ON GRAIN YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS OF MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L.)

The experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm of El Gemmeiza, Agricultural Research Station, El-Gharbia Governorate, Egypt, during 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 growing seasons. The experimental design was strip plot with three replications. Main plots were devoted to preceding crops, faba bean, sugar beet and wheat .Maize cultivar S.C. 128 was grown after three winter crops. While nitrogen fertilizer rates (60, 75, 90 and 105 kg N/fed) were allocater sup plots. Results showed that All characters of maize were significantly affected by preceding winter crops and nitrogen levels in both seasons . Results indicated that preceding crops significantly affect on maize yield. The highest yield (18.41 and18.10 ardab/fed) in both seasons ,res,and yield components were obtained after faba bean as preseding crop and 105 kgN/fed. Whereas, the lower yield of maize (14.46 and 14.95) were obtained after wheat as preseding crop and 60 kg N/fed. In both seasons, The interaction between preceding crop x nitrogen rates not significant on all traits of maize crop in both seasons. The highest values of cereal units were observed by sugar beet as preceding crop. Generally, it can be concluded that fertilizing with 105% kg N/fed with faba bean as preceding crop to maize may be to improve the productivity of maize crop under the conditions of the present study .