Effect of the Rate of Nitrogen Application on Dry Matter Accumulation and Yield Formation of Densely Planted Maize

Juan Zhai, Guoqiang Zhang, Yuanmeng Zhang, Wenqian Xu, Ruizhi Xie, Bo Ming, Peng Hou, Keru Wang, Jun Xue () and Shaokun Li ()
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Juan Zhai: Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology and Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Guoqiang Zhang: Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology and Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Yuanmeng Zhang: Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology and Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Wenqian Xu: Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology and Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Ruizhi Xie: Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology and Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Bo Ming: Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology and Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Peng Hou: Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology and Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Keru Wang: Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology and Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Jun Xue: Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology and Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Shaokun Li: Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology and Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 22, 1-14

Abstract: Planting maize ( Zea mays L.) reasonably densely and adding amounts of appropriate nitrogen fertilizer are essential measures to improve the efficiency of maize yield and nitrogen use. In this study, two planting densities of 7.5 × 10 4 plants ha −1 and 12.0 × 10 4 plants ha −1 were established with the maize varieties DengHai 618 (DH618) and XianYu 335 (XY335). Simultaneously, 18 levels of nitrogen application were established, including a lack of nitrogen (N0) and increments of 45 kg ha −1 nitrogen up to 765 (N765) kg ha −1 . The variables studied included the effects of the rate of nitrogen application on the characteristics of dry matter accumulation and the yield under drip irrigation, and they were integrated into water–fertilizer integration. The results indicated that the yield, harvest index, and dry matter accumulation of maize displayed a trend of increasing and then tending to be flat as the amount of nitrogen applied increased. The use of linear plus platform equation fitting indicated that the change in yield with nitrogen administered had the lowest turning point at N = 279 and N = 319, respectively. The next parameter that was measured was the harvest index. When highly dense maize was grown before silking, the rate of nitrogen applied was more obviously impacted by the accumulation of dry matter. The harvest index contributed 22.9–27.2% of the yield, and the total dry matter accumulation before and after silking contributed more than 70% of the production. Increasing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer is beneficial to prolonging the dry matter accumulation time and increasing the dry matter accumulation rate. The accumulation amount of dry matter was positively correlated with accumulation time and rate, and the correlation between dry matter and accumulation rate was greater. In conclusion, applying the right amount of nitrogen can dramatically increase the harvest index, accumulation of materials, and yield, with dry matter accumulation having the greatest influence on yield. The creation of dry matter is influenced by the time and rate of its accumulation, with its rate serving as the primary controlling factor.

Keywords: maize; dense planting; drip irrigation; water–fertilizer integration; material accumulation; harvest index (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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