3.4. Effects of HLS on development stages
Humic treatment improved not only growth factors but
also may influence the development of maize plants. Significant differences in the number of leaves and flowers
occurred at the end of the experiment. HLS increased the
number of leaves up to 12%. The number of staminates
(male flowers) of treated plants was 25% higher than those
plants grown in the reference solution. HLS application
enhanced flowering during plant development as well as
at harvest time only treated plants present cobs (Table 3).
Furthermore, plants cultivated with the HLS solution produced
more than one cob per plant. This enhancement in
organ production underlines the effects of HLS on the precocity
of some developmental processes.