Adaptive Agricultural Strategies for Facing Water Deficit in Sweet Maize Production: A Case Study of a Semi-Arid Mediterranean Region

Maize is a crucial global commodity, which used not only for food, but also as an alternative crop in biogas production and major energy-supply ingredient animal diets. However, climate change jeopardizing current maize due to its direct impact on weather instability water availability or indirect effects regional suitability loss. Hence, new areas sweet cultivation should be considered the future. Therefore, this study focuses possibility of producing challenging environment Southern Italy considering rainfed two irrigation regimes (full deficit). The experiment was conducted during subsequent growing seasons under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions. overall results indicated significant difference biomass yield between irrigated non-irrigated treatments, full deficit irrigation. Sweet cultivated gained less than development fruit maturation were delayed. Under irrigation, plants gave lower yields higher percentage panicle weight consisted kernels. Irrigation productivity treatment. These findings indicate feasibility using adaptive agricultural strategies including controlled stress. Given importance production, understanding growth may support future programming thereby contribute e mitigation change.