A fundamental prerequisite for modern agriculture is to carry out agrotechnical operations in a well thought-out and timely manner. Sowing, as a priority operation at the beginning of the growing season, determines the success of crop production, including the homogeneity of emergence. Our experiment was carried out at the University of Debrecen's Látókép Experimental Station (47° 33' N, 21° 26' E, 111 m asl), testing eight maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids of different maturity in a complex long-term fertilisation experiment. Our experiments were carried out at control and five different nutrient levels ranging from 0 to 300 kg N/ha. Results were averaged across hybrids and nutrient treatments. Germination was recorded on five different days in four replicates. In each plot, two rows of sample plots were randomly assigned. Plots that germinated after day 5 and plots that were deficient were marked. Our results showed that the yields of the first two days were significantly higher than those of the third, fourth and fifth days. The highest grain weight, ear weight and ear length values and yield were measured for plants that emerged on the second day. The protein content of the grain yield of the plants emerged on the first day was significantly higher (by 0.3%) than the protein content of the grain yield of the plants emerged on the second day. Grain moisture at harvest was significantly higher in the plants that emerged on the fourth day than those that emerged on the first two days. The values of yield parameters were strongly influenced by the homogeneity of germination, i.e. the uniform germination of a stand. Our studies show that the distribution of the stand emergence determines the development of grain yield parameters for protein, starch, grain moisture and yield composition.

Keywords: emergence, sowing, long-term field experiment, nitrogen