Determining the effect of foliar spraying of moringa silver nanoparticles synthesized from aqueous leaf extract of Moringa oleifera on the growth, yield, and carotene content of four genotypes of maize (Zea mays L.) was this study’s aim. The research, carried out during the spring of 2022–2023, occurred at the Governorate of Kerbala, Kerbala, Iraq. The experiment, conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD), had a split-plot arrangement and three replicates. The main plots included the foliar application of moringa silver nanoparticles with four concentrations (0, 200, 400, and 600 mg L^-¹), while the subplots comprised four maize genotypes, i.e., NadH-9055, NadH-362, NadH-386, and NadH-315. The results showed the nano-moringa extracts (400 and 600 mg L^-1) caused a significant increase in leaf area and 500-grain weight, while an increased concentration (600 mg L^-1) exceeded for grain yield and total carotene content. The outcomes also revealed the maize genotype Nadh-315 was superior in leaf area compared with the rest of the genotypes. The genotype Nadh-362 was excellent in the 500-grain weight and grain yield. The results enunciated that moringa silver nanoparticles positively affected the growth traits of maize genotypes that differed in their color intensity, which positively reflects on yield traits and carotene content.

Keywords: Maize (Z. mays L.), genotypes, moringa silver nanoparticles, growth and yield traits, leaf area, carotene content

Key findings: The concentration of moringa silver nanoparticles (600 mg L^-1) emerged superior in maize grain yield and carotene content. The maize cultivar NadH-9055 also excelled over other genotypes for most traits.