| Shade avoidance triggered by light with altered red to far-red ratio (R:FR) reflected from neighbouring weed species may reduce the tolerance of maize to subsequent drought stress. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that a reduction in root biomass caused by low R:FR will reduce the ability of maize to recover from subsequent drought stress. Field studies were conducted under non-limiting resource conditions. Maize seedlings were exposed to low R:FR reflected from neighbouring weeds until the 6 leaf tip stage. Subsequently, drought stress was imposed until leaf rolling of the youngest leaf was observed in all plants, after which water was provided until harvest. Drought stress reduced yield components consistently. The interaction, however, of light quality effects on maize root biomass and drought stress was observed only with rate of leaf appearance in one year of the study. This lack of interaction may be attributed to severity and duration of the drought stress. |
