Maize (Zea mays L.) is not only the most important cereal crop in the world in terms of production but also a significant commodity for ensuring food security. Intensive maize production is heavily reliant on chemical fertilizers which when used indiscriminately can have adverse effects on soil structure and crop quality. Such concerns have given rise to increased interest in the use of natural growth promoting agents called bio stimulants. These substances have the potential to enhance crop production by altering hormonal pathways that are responsible for nutrient uptake and root development. Cytokinins are a group of plant hormones that play key roles in various aspects of growth & development; adenine is a purine derivative and serves as a natural precursor to cytokinins such as L-adenine (L-ADE). In the study reported here the authors examined how different levels of L-ADE affected maize growth & physiology under controlled conditions. Six concentrations of L-ADE (Control, 10⁻² M, 10⁻³ M, 10⁻⁴ M, 10⁻⁵ M, 10⁻⁶ M) were tested at the Soil Bacteriology Section Ayub Agricultural Research Institute Faisalabad. Maize seeds were soaked in respective L-ADE solutions prior to potting; 26 days post-planting growth parameters including root length shoot length root/shoot dry weights and chlorophyll content (a&b) were measured. Results showed that administration at low concentrations stimulated overall growth in maize seedlings particularly those at 10⁻⁵ M; here shoot weight increased more than two-fold compared with the control (4. 40 g vs 2. 60 g) while root weight peaked (1. 98 g vs 1. 35 g). Most notably chlorophyll content rose significantly when L-adenine levels reached 10⁻5 M; both chlorophyll a and b were higher than in untreated plants. Conversely high concentrations especially 10⁻² M and 10⁻³ M had an inhibitory effect such as root lengths were reduced and there was only modest stimulation of shoot growth.
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