Ibrahim MUBARAK⁽¹⁾* and Samir AL-AHMAD⁽¹⁾

(1). Scientific Agricultural Research Center of Tartous, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research – GCSAR, Tartous, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Dr. Ibrahim MUBARAK, Email: imubarak1976@gmail.com, Mob.: 0932328681)

Received:   8/02/2025           Accepted:  26/06/2025

Abstract

Determining the optimal nitrogen fertilizer requirements and plant density of the sweet corn crop (Sugar king cultivar., the most widespread foreign cultivar in the Syrian coastal plains) is an urgent need from an economic and environmental point of view. Field experiments were conducted during two consecutive years 2022 and 2023 at the Zahid Water and Irrigation Research Station in Akkar Plain, to evaluate the response of this sweet corn cultivar to four planting distances 20, 30, 40, and 50 cm within planting row with 70-cm-row spacing, and to five levels of added nitrogen fertilization 0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 kg N/ha, with three replicates. Results showed that planting distance at 20 cm produced the highest crop yield. It decreased significantly with increasing planting distance; while it improved with the addition of nitrogen fertilizer up to 120 kg N/ha level, then it decreased significantly with increasing the applied N-fertilizer level. Unlike the common practice among local farmers in the study area, which is based on planting this sweet corn hybrid at large spacings (50 cm) and fertilizing it with large and exaggerated amounts of nitrogen fertilizer, it is recommended to adopt both planting distance at 20 cm and level of added nitrogen fertilization at 120 kg N/ha because of their higher economic return.

Keywords: Sugar king hybrid; Drip irrigation; Clay soil; Husked cob yield.

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