{
  "abstract": "Changing sowing dates has been a farming low-cost strategy to mitigate climate induced water stress during the juvenile stage of crops. This study evaluates the potential of drought-tolerant maize varieties and fertilizer microdosing to enhance maize productivity under different sowing dates in rainfed conditions. We conducted a two-year strip split-plot trial with three sowing dates (early, normal, and late), five maize varieties (DMR, TZEE, TZE, 2008Syn, and 2000Syn) and five fertilizer treatments (control: no fertilizer, three microdosed rates MD1: 25 kg N + 4 kg P ha-1, MD2: 25 kg N + 8 kg P ha-1, MD3: 35 kg N + 8 kg P ha-1, and the recommended rate RR: 76 kg N + 13 kg P ha-1). DMR is a drought-susceptible variety; and TZEE, TZE, 2008Syn, and 2000Syn are drought-tolerant. Results show that grain yield was 9.9% higher and 10.2% lower under early and late sowing, respectively, compared to normal sowing. Grain yield was 29.9, 37.8, 26.5 and 12.5% higher under TZEE, TZE, 2008Syn, and 2000Syn, respectively compared to DMR; and 153.3, 200.9, 247.2 and 220.8% under MD1, MD2, MD3 and RR, respectively compared to control. DMR achieved its highest mean grain yield under the recommended fertilizer rate, whereas the drought-tolerant varieties achieved their highest mean yields under MD3. The findings confirm that late sowing reduced maize performance, while drought-tolerant varieties and fertilizer microdosing independently improved average productivity.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Laboratory of Hydraulics and Environmental Modeling (HydroModE Lab), Faculty of Agronomy (UP/FA), Université de Parakou, Parakou, Bénin.",
    "Institute of Science and Technology for Innovation in Africa (ISTI-Africa), Parakou, Benin."
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mouiz W I A Yessoufou",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3476-9590"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Pierre G Tovihoudji"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sissou Zakari"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "P B Irénikatché Akponikpè"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e7txc3gb35ycv.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0361710",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13716213",
  "id": "e7txc3gb35ycv",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361710",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Africa"
    ],
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      "heading",
      "Agriculture"
    ],
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      "heading",
      "Agrochemicals"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Agronomy"
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    [
      "heading",
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    ],
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      "heading",
      "Benin"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Biology and Life Sciences"
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    [
      "heading",
      "Cereal Crops"
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    [
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      "heading",
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      "Plant and Algal Models"
    ],
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      "1102|Crop Yield and Soil Fertility"
    ],
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      "/Biology and life sciences/Agriculture/Agrochemicals/Fertilizers"
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      "/Biology and life sciences/Agriculture/Agronomy/Horticulture/Planting"
    ],
    [
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      "/Biology and life sciences/Agriculture/Crop science/Crops/Cereal crops"
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      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Plants/Grasses/Maize"
    ],
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      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Plant science/Plant anatomy/Leaves"
    ],
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      "plos",
      "/People and places/Geographical locations/Africa/Benin"
    ],
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      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Animal studies/Experimental organism systems/Model organisms/Maize"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Animal studies/Experimental organism systems/Plant and algal models/Maize"
    ],
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      "/Research and analysis methods/Model organisms/Maize"
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  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13716213?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13716213",
  "pmid": "42949950",
  "published": "2026-10-28",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e7txc3gb35ycv.ris",
  "sources": [
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      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:17Z",
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:plant science",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Growth, yield and nutrient-use responses of drought-tolerant maize varieties to sowing date and fertilizer microdosing in northern Benin",
  "title_text": "Growth, yield and nutrient-use responses of drought-tolerant maize varieties to sowing date and fertilizer microdosing in northern Benin",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:23:15Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e7txc3gb35ycv",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}