Influence of Soil Type and Compaction on Maize Yield

The goal of this paper was to determine the yield of different maize hybrids depending on soil type and compaction. The experiment was carried out in 2016 and 2017 on the territory of the Leskovac municipality, including three different soil types (alluvium, vertisol, and parapodzol). The experiment comprised nine hybrids of different FAO maturity groups (NS 4051, AGR DIAN, ZP 427, NS 5211, ZP 555, AS 534, NS 6030, ZP 666 and Becar). The highest average yields were achieved on alluvium, then on parapodzol, and the lowest yields were obtained on vertisol. The highest average yields on all examined soil types were achieved in the FAO 500 maturity group, and the lowest in the FAO 400 maturity group. The highest average yield on vertisol was achieved in the FAO 500 maturity group, on parapodzol in the FAO 400 maturity group, and on alluvium in the FAO 600 maturity group. The highest average yield (11.90 t ha-1) was achieved with the ZP 666 hybrid on alluvium, and the lowest (4.60 t ha-1) with the NS 6030 hybrid on vertisol. The largest soil compaction in the ploughing layer was determined in vertisol, then in parapodzol, and the smallest in alluvium. These data on average yields indicate the convenience of certain soil types for maize production, and provide guidelines for growers to select the most yielding hybrids for their fields.