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Seventeen maize entries comprising advanced breeding lines and commercial varieties alongwith a check "Soan-3" were evaluated at Agricultural Research Institute, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan during 2008. Analysis of variance revealed that maize varieties differed significantly for days to 50 percent silking, plant height and grain yield per hectare. Varieties Sahiwal-2002 and AZC-3 took maximum days (56) to 50 percent silking whereas variety EV-1097 took minimum days (44). The highest plant height (222 cm) was attained by Margala and Sahiwal-2002 against the lowest (155 cm) by Agaiti-2002. Maize variety EV- 5098 produced higher grain yield (5.804 t/ha) whereas variety AZC-3 produced the lowest (3.332 t/ha). Islamabad Gold and Sahiwal-2002 produced significantly at par grain yield with the check. The maize varieties showed wide genetic back ground and hence yield ranged from 3.332 to 5.804 tons per hectare. Varieties EV-5098, Sahiwal-2002 and Islamabad Gold were found as the most promising. These varieties possess the potential to increase average maize grain yield in D.I.Khan region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance of monoculture and mixed cropping of non-traditional legumes with oats cereal was evaluated at National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan under rainfed conditions of Pothowar. Three nontraditional winter legumes i.e. common vetch (Vicia sativa L.), medics (Medicago polymorpha L.) and senji (Melilotus indica L.) were sown during first week of November, 2007 at recommended seed rates in pure stands and ratio of 50:50 of each in mixed cropping with oats (Avena sativa L.). The experiment was laid out in RCBD with three replications and plot size was 6 x 3 m2. Nitrogen fertilizer @ 80 kg and phosphorus @ 57 kg per hectare were incorporated in soil at the time of seedbed preparation. The results revealed that oats - vetch mixture produced 16 and 18 percent higher green fodder yield compared with oats - medics and oats - senji mixtures, respectively. In pure stands maximum green fodder yield was obtained from oats crop which was 51, 66 and 80 percent higher than vetch, medics and senji legumes, respectively. This increase in green fodder yield of oats cereal is the result of more efficient utilization of natural resources by Poaceae family plants than the Fabaceae family producing more tillers, number of leaves and plant height. The analysis of soil after final harvest showed more organic matter in vetch plots followed by oats - vetch mixture and lowest in pure oats crop. This showed opposite response of plants belonging to Poaceae and Fabaceae families indicating the need of mixed cropping of these plants to harvest the higher biomass and maintain soil fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]