Morpho-Physiological Response of Sweet Corn (Zea mays L. Var saccharata Sturt) Bonanza F1 Variety to Drought Stress and Potassium Fertilizer Application
Abstract
Sweet corn (Zea mays L. Var saccharata Sturt) has a high demand in Indonesia, but its productivity is threatened by drought; therefore, it is necessary to analyze its growth under drought stress conditions. This study aims to observe the morphological and physiological responses of sweet corn plants to drought stress and potassium administration. The research was conducted over a three-month period at the experimental garden of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Riau. A Factorial Completely Randomized Design (RA LF) was used with two factors: drought stress and potassium fertilization. The study consisted of three levels of potassium fertilization, with three replications, resulting in a total of 18 experimental units. The first factor: A1 = everyday; A2 = drought stress. The second factor: K 1 = 2.3 g K 2 O plant -1; K 2 = 2.8 g K 2 O plant -1; K 3 = 180 kg K 2 O ha -1. Analysis of Variance was continued with the Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test at 5% level. The observed parameters consisted of physiological and morphological factors in sweet corn plants. The study found that drought stress negatively impacted the physiological parameters of sweet corn, including reduced plant water content and increased proline levels. Additionally, drought stress decreased key morphological traits, including plant height, root condition, cob husk weight, cob husk length, and cob husk diameter. However, the application of potassium fertilizer, particularly at a dose of 3.4 g K₂O plant-1, significantly improved the length of the cob husk. Overall, increasing potassium application under drought stress conditions tended to enhance both morphological and physiological parameters of sweet corn.
Downloads
References
Agustiar, A., Panggabean, L. E., & Azwana, A. (2017). Respon pertumbuhan dan produksi jagung manis (Zea mays saccharata Sturt) terhadap pemberian pupuk cair Bayprint dan sekam padi. Agrotekma: Jurnal Agroteknologi dan Ilmu Pertanian, 1(1), 38. https://doi.org/10.31289/agr.v1i1.1102
Ali, A. E. E., Husselmann, L. H., Tabb, D. L., & Ludidi, N. (2023). Comparative proteomics analysis between maize and sorghum uncovers important proteins and metabolic pathways mediating drought tolerance. Life, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/life13010170
Ali, Y., Nawaz, T., Ahmed, N., Junaid, M., Kanwal, M., Hameed, F., Ahmed, S., Ullah, R., Shahab, M., & Subhan, F. (2022). Maize (Zea mays) response to abiotic stress. In Maize Genetic Resources - Breeding Strategies and Recent Advances. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.102892
Al-Shammary, A. A. G., Al-Shihmani, L. S. S., Fernández-Gálvez, J., & Caballero-Calvo, A. (2025). A comprehensive review of impacts of soil management practices and climate adaptation strategies on soil thermal conductivity in agricultural soils. Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology, 1–31.
BPS. (2024). Distribusi perdagangan komoditas jagung Indonesia 2024. https://www.bps.go.id/id/publication/2024/12/31/dcea00863d1491044890e57b/distribusi-perdagangan-komoditas-jagung-indonesia-2024.html
Dato, C. D., Arsa, I. G. B. A., & Kasim, M. (2023). The components of growth and productivity results of three varieties of corn (Zea mays L) under drought stress through watering frequency. Jurnal Agrisa, 12(2), 147–161.
Fahri, R., & Khairani, S. (2023). Pengaruh pemberian kalium terhadap fisiologis dan morfologis kedelai pada cekaman kekeringan. AGRORADIX: Jurnal Ilmu Pertanian, 6(2), 45–49.
Farooq, M., Wahid, A., Kobayashi, N., Fujita, D., & Basra, S. M. A. (2009). Plant drought stress: Effects, mechanisms and management. In Sustainable Agriculture (pp. 153–188). Springer.
Ferreira, N. C. R., Rötter, R. P., Bracho-Mujica, G., Nelson, W. C. D., Lam, Q. D., Recktenwald, C., Abdulai, I., Odhiambo, J., & Foord, S. (2023). Drought patterns: Their spatiotemporal variability and impacts on maize production in Limpopo Province, South Africa. International Journal of Biometeorology, 67(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-022-02392-1
Fu, Y., Ghanbarian, B., Horton, R., & Heitman, J. (2024). New insights into the correlation between soil thermal conductivity and water retention in unsaturated soils. Vadose Zone Journal, 23(1), e20297.
Gardiol, J. M., Serio, L. A., & Della Maggiora, A. I. (2003). Modelling evapotranspiration of corn (Zea mays) under different plant densities. Journal of Hydrology, 271(1–4), 188–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(02)00347-5
GEA, S. S. (2021). Pengaruh aplikasi biochar dan mikoriza dalam meningkatkan ketahanan tanaman terhadap cekaman kekeringan, tampilan dan hasil tanaman jagung manis (Zea mays saccharata Sturt). [Skripsi tidak dipublikasikan].
Gribaldi, G. (2012). Peningkatan pertumbuhan dan produksi jagung manis melalui penerapan sistem pengolahan tanah dan pemberian mulsa pada lahan. Jurnal Lahan Suboptimal: Journal of Suboptimal Lands, 5(2), 119–126.
Hasanuzzaman, M., Bhuyan, M. H. M. B., Nahar, K., Hossain, M. S., Mahmud, J. A., Hossen, M. S., Masud, A. A. C., Moumita, & Fujita, M. (2018). Potassium: A vital regulator of plant responses and tolerance to abiotic stresses. Agronomy, 8(3), 31.
Khan, P., Abdelbacki, A. M. M., Albaqami, M., Jan, R., & Kim, K.-M. (2025). Proline promotes drought tolerance in maize. Biology, 14(1), 41.
Kooyers, N. J. (2015). The evolution of drought escape and avoidance in natural herbaceous populations. Plant Science, 234, 155–162.
Kusrini, N., & Suharyani, A. (2024). Analisis komparatif pendapatan usaha tani jagung manis dan usaha tani jagung pipil di Kecamatan Singkawang Selatan. Jurnal Borneo Akcaya, 10(1), 1–9.
Laskari, M., Menexes, G., Kalfas, I., Gatzolis, I., & Dordas, C. (2022). Water stress effects on the morphological, physiological characteristics of maize (Zea mays L.), and on environmental cost. Agronomy, 12(10), 2386. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12102386
Lestari, D., Adiwirman, A., Wawan, W., Andriani, M., & Wardani, D. K. (2020a). Pengaruh cekaman kekeringan dan pemberian pupuk K terhadap fisiologis dan pertumbuhan tanaman jagung manis (Zea mays L. var saccharata Sturt). Jurnal Ilmiah Inovasi, 20(2).
Lestari, D., Adiwirman, A., Wawan, W., Andriani, M., & Wardani, D. K. (2020b). Pengaruh cekaman kekeringan dan pemberian pupuk K terhadap fisiologis dan pertumbuhan tanaman jagung manis (Zea mays L. var saccharata Sturt). Jurnal Ilmiah Inovasi, 20(2).
Liu, M., Liu, X., Song, Y., Hu, Y., Yang, C., Li, J., Jin, S., Gu, K., Yang, Z., & Huang, W. (2024). Tobacco production under global climate change: Combined effects of heat and drought stress and coping strategies. Frontiers in Plant Science, 15, 1489993.
Liu, S., & Qin, F. (2021). Genetic dissection of maize drought tolerance for trait improvement. Molecular Breeding, 41(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-020-01194-w
Lunduka, R. W., Mateva, K. I., Magorokosho, C., & Manjeru, P. (2019). Impact of adoption of drought-tolerant maize varieties on total maize production in South Eastern Zimbabwe. Climate and Development, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2017.1372269
Luo, D., Wang, C., Jin, Y., Li, Z., & Wang, Z. (2023). Different hydraulic strategies under drought stress between Fraxinus mandshurica and Larix gmelinii seedlings. Journal of Forestry Research, 34(1), 99–111.
Mushtaq, A., Jabeen, A., Yousouf, M., Malik, M. A., Mukhtar, T., Amin, T., Showkat, S., & Rafiq, A. (2025). Post-harvest quality management of sweet corn: Disorders, losses and preservation strategies. Food Nutrition, 1(1), 100007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fnutr.2025.100007
Rahman, S. U., Han, J.-C., Yasin, G., Imtiaz, M. T., Zhao, X., Alharbi, S. A., Alfarraj, S., & Alarfaj, A. A. (2025). Synergetic effects of potassium and biochar on morphological, physiological, and biochemical attributes of maize crop grown under different levels of drought stress. BMC Plant Biology, 25(1), 402.
Ramadhan, A., Kurniawan, T., & Ali, J. (2022). Pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman jagung manis (Zea mays saccharata Sturt) akibat perbedaan dosis pupuk NPK dan konsentrasi POC campuran daun kirinyuh dan kulit pisang. Jurnal Ilmiah Mahasiswa Pertanian, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.17969/jimfp.v7i4.22458
Rehana, M., Ahmad Dar, N., Singh, L., Sheikh, T. A., & Ahmad Dar, Z. (2017). Phenology, growth and quality of sweat corn (Zea mays saccharata L.) as influenced by sowing dates and plant spacing. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 6(8). https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.608.061
Sanusi, B., Inyass, A. Z., Zubaidatu, S., Barbra, T. E., Saleh, H., & Umar, M. L. (2025). Effect of drought stress on some morphological, physiological and biochemical parameters in soybean (TGX-1835-10E) variety. Discover Plants, 2(1), 1–12.
Sheoran, S., Kaur, Y., Kumar, S., Shukla, S., Rakshit, S., & Kumar, R. (2022). Recent advances for drought stress tolerance in maize (Zea mays L.): Present status and future prospects. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.872566
Syauqi, A. H., & Amzeri, A. (2023). Seleksi tanaman jagung toleran pada cekaman kekeringan. Rekayasa, 16(1), 113–124.
Tardieu, F., Simonneau, T., & Muller, B. (2018). The physiological basis of drought tolerance in crop plants: A scenario-dependent probabilistic approach. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 69(1), 733–759.
Wasaya, A., Affan, M., Ahmad Yasir, T., Mubeen, K., Rehman, H. U., Ali, M., Nawaz, F., Galal, A., Iqbal, M. A., & Islam, M. S. (2021). Foliar potassium sulfate application improved photosynthetic characteristics, water relations and seedling growth of drought-stressed maize. Atmosphere, 12(6), 663.
Weisany, W., Razmi, J., & Pashang, D. (2023). Improving seed germination and physiological characteristics of maize seedlings under osmotic stress through potassium nano-silicate treatment. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, 1274396.
Yang, C., Lu, J., Xiong, Z., Wang, B., Ren, T., Cong, R., Lu, Z., & Li, X. (2024). Potassium deficiency enhances imbalances in rice water relations under water deficit by decreasing leaf hydraulic conductance. Physiologia Plantarum, 176(3), e14360.
Zandalinas, S. I., Mittler, R., Balfagón, D., Arbona, V., & Gómez‐Cadenas, A. (2018). Plant adaptations to the combination of drought and high temperatures. Physiologia Plantarum, 162(1), 2–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.12540
Zhou, Y., Zhang, T., Wang, X., Wu, W., Xing, J., Li, Z., Qiao, X., Zhang, C., Wang, X., & Wang, G. (2023). A maize epimerase modulates cell wall synthesis and glycosylation during stomatal morphogenesis. Nature Communications, 14(1), 4384.
Copyright (c) 2025 Datik Lestari, Akbar Maulana Firmansyah, Rizal Perlambang CNAWP, Mira Andriani, Theo Mahiseta Syahniar, Putri Rahayu Ratri
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with Jurnal Agronomi Tanaman Tropika (JUATIKA) agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the Jurnal Agronomi Tanaman Tropika (JUATIKA) right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially) with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in Jurnal Agronomi Tanaman Tropika (JUATIKA).
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in Jurnal Agronomi Tanaman Tropika (JUATIKA). Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
More Information
