Improving the Effectiveness of some Antioxidants by Spraying with Vitamin E, B9 and Arginine of Two Varieties of Maize

A field experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Experiment Station - College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences - University of Baghdad - Al-Jadriyah in the fall seasons of 2021 and 2022 to investigate the role of vitamins E and B9 and the amino acid arginine in enhancing the activity of antioxidant in two maize varieties. The experiment was implemented following the randomized complete block design (RCBD) in a split-plate arrangement with three replicates. It involved two factors: the main factor, comprising two maize varieties (Baghdad 3 and Sarah), and the secondary factor, included spraying vitamins E and B9 at concentrations of 1 and 2 g.L -1 and the amino acid arginine at two concentrations of 100 and 200 mg.L -1 , in addition to the control treatment (without spraying). The first spray was applied when the plants had six fully grown leaves, the second spray was applied when they had eight fully grown leaves, and the third application was at the complete ten-leaf stage (for 75% of the plants). The antioxidant activity of the enzymes SOD, CAT, and APX increased in the variety Sarah, superior to the variety Baghdad 3 by 8.16 and 8.19%; 20.26 and 18.70 %; and 9.81 and 8.62% and the percentage of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) in the leaves of this variety decreased by 15.38 and 12.18% compared to the variety Baghdad 3 for the first and second seasons, respectively. Spraying the amino acid arginine, at a concentration of 100 mg L -1 was more effective than vitamins E and B9 in increasing the effectiveness of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and APX) in plant, while the effect of vitamin E at a concentration of 2 gm L -1 was clear in reducing H 2 O 2 in plant for the first and second seasons.