Root System Architecture Differences of Maize Cultivars Affect Yield and Nitrogen Accumulation in Southwest China

Song Guo, Zhigang Liu, Zijun Zhou, Tingqi Lu, Shanghong Chen, Mingjiang He, Xiangzhong Zeng, Kun Chen, Hua Yu, Yuxian Shangguan, Yujiao Dong, Fanjun Chen, Yonghong Liu and Yusheng Qin
Additional contact information
Song Guo: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
Zhigang Liu: College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Zijun Zhou: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
Tingqi Lu: Mianyang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Mianyang 621023, China
Shanghong Chen: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
Mingjiang He: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
Xiangzhong Zeng: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
Kun Chen: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
Hua Yu: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
Yuxian Shangguan: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
Yujiao Dong: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
Fanjun Chen: College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Yonghong Liu: Crop Research Institute, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
Yusheng Qin: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 2, 1-14

Abstract: Root system architecture (RSA) plays a critical role in the acquisition of water and mineral nutrients. In order to understand the root characteristics that contribute to enhanced crop yield and N accumulation high-yielding and N efficient cultivars under N-stressed conditions. Here, grain yield, N accumulation and RSA traits of six dominant maize cultivars (CD30, ZH311, ZHg505, CD189, QY9 and RY1210) grown in the Southwestern part of China were investigated in field experiment under three different N regimes in 2019–2020; N300 (300 kg N ha −1 ), N150 (150 kg N ha −1 ) and N0 (no N supplied). Using Root Estimator for Shovelomics Traits (REST) for the quantitative analysis of maize root image obtained in the field, RSA traits including total root length (RL), root surface area (RA), root angle opening (RO), and root maximal width (RMW) were quantified in this study. The results showed that Yield, N accumulation and RSA were significantly affected by N rates, cultivars and their interactions. Grain yield, N accumulation and root weight showed a similar trend under N300 and N150 conditions compared to N0 conditions. With the input of N fertilizer, the root length, surface area, and angle increase, but root width does not increase. Under the N300 and N150 condition, RL, RA, RO and RMW increased by 17.96%, 17.74%, 18.27%, 9.22%, and 20.39%, 18.58%, 19.92%, 16.79%, respectively, compared to N0 condition. CD30, ZH505 and RY1210 have similar RO and RMW, larger than other cultivars. However, ZH505 and RY1210 have 13.22% and 19.99% longer RL, and 11.41% and 5.17% larger RA than CD30. Additionally, the grain yield of ZH505 and RY1210 is 17.57% and 13.97% higher compared with CD30. The N accumulation of ZH505 and RY1210 also shows 4.55% and 9.60% higher than CD30. Correlation analysis shows that RL, RA, RO and RMW have a significant positive correlation with grain yield while RO and RMW have a significant positive correlation with N accumulation. Linear plus plateau model analysis revealed that when the RO reaches 99.53°, and the RMW reaches 15.18 cm, the N accumulation reaches its maximum value under 0–300 kg N ha −1 conditions. Therefore, selecting maize cultivars with efficient RSA suitable for different soil N inputs can achieve higher grain yield and N use efficiency.

Keywords: maize; root system architecture; nitrogen rates; cultivars; yield (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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