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| Increased plant density and reduced N rate lead to more grain yield and higher resource utilization in summer maize |
| SHI De-yang*, LI Yan-hong*, ZHANG Ji-wang, LIU Peng, ZHAO Bin, DONG Shu-ting |
| Agronomy College, Shandong Agricultural University/State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Tai’an 271018, P.R.China |
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Abstract Planting at an optimum density and supplying adequate nitrogen (N) to achieve higher yields is a common practice in crop production, especially for maize (Zea mays L.); however, excessive N fertilizer supply in maize production results in reduced N use efficiency (NUE) and severe negative impacts on the environment. This research was conducted to determine the effects of increased plant density and reduced N rate on grain yield, total N uptake, NUE, leaf area index (LAI), intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR), and resource use efficiency in maize. Field experiments were conducted using a popular maize hybrid Zhengdan 958 (ZD958) under different combinations of plant densities and N rates to determine an effective approach for maize production with high yield and high resource use efficiency. Increasing plant density was clearly able to promote N absorption and LAI during the entire growth stage, which allowed high total N uptake and interception of radiation to achieve high dry matter accumulation (DMA), grain yield, NUE, and radiation use efficiency (RUE). However, with an increase in plant density, the demand of N increased along with grain yield. Increasing N rate can significantly increase the DMA, grain yield, LAI, IPAR, and RUE. However, this increase was non-linear and due to the input of too much N fertilizers, the efficiency of N use at NCK (320 kg ha–1) was low. An appropriate reduction in N rate can therefore lead to higher NUE despite a slight loss in grain production. Taking into account both the need for high grain yield and resource use efficiency, a 30% reduction in N supply, and an increase in plant density of 3 plants m–2, compared to LD (5.25 plants m–2), would lead to an optimal balance between yield and resource use efficiency.
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Received: 13 November 2015
Accepted:
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| Fund: The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (3117 1497), the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, 2011CB100105), the National Food Science and Technology of High Yield Program of China (2011BAD16B09), and the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest of China (201203096). |
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Corresponding Authors:
DONG Shu-ting, Tel: +86-538-8245838,
E-mail: stdong@sdau.edu.cn
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| About author: SHI De-yang, E-mail: shideyang888@163.com; |
Cite this article:
SHI De-yang, LI Yan-hong, ZHANG Ji-wang, LIU Peng, ZHAO Bin, DONG Shu-ting.
2016.
Increased plant density and reduced N rate lead to more grain yield and higher resource utilization in summer maize. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 15(11): 2515-2528.
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