There is growing interest in using a reduced rate of mineral fertilizer along with water-saving superabsorbent polymer (WSAP) for field crop production in arid and semiarid regions of the world. | Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Turk J Agric For (2016) 40: 365-378 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article Evaluation of effects of water-saving superabsorbent polymer on corn (Zea mays L.) yield and phosphorus fertilizer efficiency 1 2 2, 3 4 5 Adem GÜNEŞ , Nurgül KITIR , Metin TURAN *, Erdal ELKOCA , Ertan YILDIRIM , Nazmiye AVCI 1 Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey 2 Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yeditepe University, İstanbul, Turkey 3 Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey 4 Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey 5 Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey Received: Accepted/Published Online: Final Version: Abstract: There is growing interest in using a reduced rate of mineral fertilizer along with water-saving superabsorbent polymer (WSAP) for field crop production in arid and semiarid regions of the world. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of hydrogel applications on the phosphorus fertilizer efficiency parameter, yield, and selected physiological properties of corn (Zea mays L.) grown at different levels of water deficiency in greenhouse conditions. The experimental design consisted of 3 completely randomized blocks in a factorial arrangement, with 9 hydrogel doses (0%, , , , , , , , and ), 4 phosphorus fertilizer doses (0, 80, 160, and 240 kg ha–1), and 4 water deficiency levels (50%, 65%, 80%, and 100%). Overall, 432 pots were used in this study. We found that the irrigation interval of WSAP (control) application treatment at water deficient conditions (WDC 50%) was 6 days, although this value could be .
