Enhancing maize ( Zea Mays L.) resilience to climate change: The role of supplemental irrigation and fertiliser microdosing in improving grain‐filling rates of drought‐tolerant varieties in northern Benin
Mouiz W. I. A. Yessoufou, Pierre G. Tovihoudji, Sissou Zakari, P. B. Irénikatché Akponikpè
Irrigation and Drainage September 22, 2026 DOI: 10.1002/ird.70231 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Field experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Three maize varieties (DMR-ESR-W, TZE-Y POP STR, 2000Syn EE-W) grown under field conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Intervention | Supplemental irrigation |
| Dose | microdose: 25 kg N + 4 kg P + 8 kg K ha-1; recommended: 76 kg N + 13 kg P + 25 kg K ha-1 |
| Topics | Microdosing |
| Key findings | Supplemental irrigation raised the maize grain-filling rate from 70 to 90 g/day, and drought-tolerant varieties filled grain at 90-110 g/day versus 70 g/day for a drought-sensitive variety. Supplemental irrigation and drought tolerance each shortened grain-filling duration. The authors argue that breeding programmes should incorporate resource-efficient practices like supplemental irrigation and fertiliser microdosing to improve maize productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT: Maize productivity depends on grain‐filling, which requires understanding the interactions among genotype, water and nutrient management. However, these interactions remain poorly investigated in Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). This study investigates the influence of supplemental irrigation (SI) and fertiliser microdosing on grain‐filling and yields of maize varieties. Field experiment involved three maize varieties (one drought‐sensitive variety: DMR‐ESR‐W; two drought‐tolerant varieties: TZE‐Y POP STR and 2000Syn EE‐W), two water regimes (rainfed vs. SI) and three fertiliser levels (unfertilised control, microdose: 25 kg N + 4 kg P + 8 kg K ha −1 and recommended: 76 kg N + 13 kg P + 25 kg K ha −1 ). The grain‐filling rate (GFR) reached 70 and 90 g day −1 under the rainfed and SI regimes, respectively. The GFR was higher in drought‐tolerant varieties (90–110 g day −1 ) than in drought‐sensitive varieties (70 g day −1 ). The effective grain‐filling duration and active grain‐filling period were 2 days shorter under SI than under rainfed conditions and 3–5 days shorter under drought‐tolerant varieties than under drought‐sensitive varieties. The highest GFR occurred under SI combined with mineral fertiliser. The optimisation of maize productivity in SSA will require breeding programmes to consider resource‐efficient practices, including SI and fertiliser microdosing.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on microdosing, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microdosing Clinical Study: Pharmacokinetic, Pharmacogenomic (SLCO2B1), and Interaction (Grapefruit Juice) Profiles of Celiprolol Following the Oral Microdose and Therapeutic Dose Healthy volunteers matched for SLCO2B1 genotype | 2011 | Pharmacokinetic study | n = 30 |
| Microdosing psychedelics has no impact on cognitive function in naturalistic settings Participants during their microdosing regimen | 2023 | Observational within-subjects design | n = 17 |
| PK and PK / PD Modeling of Bcl2 Inhibitor S65487 in Patients With AML and Investigation of Nonlinearity With Microdosing Phase I/II cancer patients and healthy volunteers | 2026 | Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling study | |
| Technical pen-based printhead for high-precision microdosing of personalized therapies. | 2026 | Experimental study | |
| Analysis of Serotonin in Caenorhabditis Elegans Subjected to Micro-Dosing with Psilocybin| Iris Publishers Caenorhabditis elegans | 2025 | Experimental study |