The hybrid maize ZPTC 209 is a modern, high-yielding variety developed with consideration of contemporary seed production technologies. In 2008, its production was organized on an area of 40 hectares at the "Elixir Agrar" farm in Serbia. The climatic conditions that year were favorable in terms of temperature, but rainfall distribution was uneven, requiring six irrigations of 30 mm each. As a result, a harvest of 218 tons of ears with grain moisture of 44% was obtained, demonstrating the hybrid's high potential under appropriate care and agronomic practices. The seeds of the ZPTC 209 hybrid exhibit high uniformity in size: 68% of seeds fall within the 6.5 to 8.4 mm fraction, and 32% within the 8.5 to 11.0 mm fraction. High grain moisture at harvest necessitated a prolonged drying process, which lasted from 157 to 165 hours and required 50-60% more energy and twice as much time compared to drying grain with moisture of 20-25%. The average seed yield was 2.1 tons per hectare, confirming the hybrid's effectiveness under intensive farming conditions. Additionally, research has shown that root exudates from maize hybrids, including ZPTC 209, influence the germination of seeds of the parasitic plant Orobanche cumana. Seeds of Orobanche from different populations respond differently to root exudates, which is unrelated to their virulence. Orobanche seedlings can penetrate maize roots but die in the outer cortex layers, indicating the hybrid's natural resistance to this parasite. This makes ZPTC 209 promising for use in agronomic technologies aimed at reducing soil contamination with Orobanche seeds.
