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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2026, Vol. 25 Issue (11): 4452-4482    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2026.09.032
Special Focus: Crop sciences and production in China: A decade of progress and prospects Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Maize science and production in China: A decade of progress and future prospects

Bo Ming1*, Zhaobin Dong2*, Jianfeng Weng1*, Si Shen3*, Junjie Fu1*, Xuehai Zhang4*, Tao Cui5*, Zhirui Yang6*, Haoxiang Qin2, Yikang Jiao3, Zhaoyang Li3, Zhenyuan Chen3, Cheng Huang3, Bo Hong3, Huili Yang4, Dong Ding4, Xiantao He5, Tengfei Zhu6, Chaohui Zhu6, Zhengbiao Gu10, Jiuran Zhao11, Dayun Feng1, Jiwang Zhang12#, Jie Shi9#, Tinglu Fan8#, Guohua Mi7#, Dongxing Zhang5#, Shunli Zhou3#, Wen-Xue Li1#, Jihua Tang4, 13#, Shaokun Li1#

1 State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement/Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China

2 State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-breeding/Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding/National Maize Improvement Center/College of Agronomy and Biotechnology/School of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

3 State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-breeding/College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

4 State Key Laboratory of High-Efficiency Production of Wheat–Maize Double Cropping/College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China

5 College of Engineering, China Agricultural University/Key Laboratory of the Soil–Machine–Plant Systematic Technology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100193, China

6 State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience/Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding/College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

7 College of Resources and Environmental Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

8 Dryland Agricultural Institute, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730070, China

9 Plant Protection Institute, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Baoding 071000, China

10 School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214022, China

11 Maize Research Institute, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China

12 College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, China

13 The Shennong Laboratory, Zhengzhou 450046, China

 Highlights 
● China’s maize production has shifted from area expansion toward yield-driven growth.
● High-density planting remains a major pathway for increasing yield, but requires stronger control of population structure and stress risks.
● Grain quality and harvest suitability are becoming increasingly important as maize end uses diversify.
● Enotype×environment×management (G×E×M) integration and digital technologies will enable more controllable, resilient, and resource-efficient maize production systems.
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摘要  

2025 年,玉米占我国粮食总产量的 40% 以上,产量达 3.0124 亿吨,这得益于过去十年间遗传育种、农艺管理与机械化水平的大幅提升。我国玉米播种面积进一步扩大的空间有限,依靠适度可控的增密种植提升群体生产力,将仍是我国玉米增产的主要途径。本文以产量-品质-种植密度耦合关系为核心,从系统视角综述了近年相关研究进展。 在该体系中,种植密度是决定玉米群体生产力的关键因素;籽粒品质决定玉米能否适配多元化终端用途与机械化收获;基因型-环境-管理互作(G×E×M)则决定高密度种植能否转化为稳产,同时提升资源利用效率。基础研究层面,泛基因组组装、多组学整合与高通量表型分析技术,推动解析了产量潜力、籽粒品质以及作物对生物、非生物胁迫抗逆性的遗传构架。结合基因组预测、双单倍体技术与定向基因组编辑,上述技术资源显著提升了耐密性、抗逆性、宜机收获性与终端品质优良等位基因的挖掘和聚合效率。生产体系层面,高密度种植配合分生育期精准的水肥及植株生长调控,搭建起将遗传潜力转化为稳产、提升资源利用效率的一体化技术路径。与此同时,籽粒脱水与收获籽粒含水量的区域模拟研究,助力玉米由摘穗收获向籽粒直收模式转型,缓解收获后品质劣变与烘干环节的制约。综上,上述技术进展推动形成产量-品质-密度协同提升的循环体系。展望未来,缩小产量差距不能仅依靠提高种植密度或采用单项技术,必须构建可控的高密度生产体系:在基因型-环境-管理(G×E×M)框架下,实现改良品种、分阶段作物管理、气候风险适应、品质导向生产与数字决策支撑技术,同具体基因型、环境、栽培管理条件精准匹配。 因此,未来目标并非单纯追求更高产量,而是打造可控性更强的玉米生产体系,同步实现产量、籽粒品质、收获效率、资源利用效率提升,以及对环境波动的抗逆能力增强。上述协同发展的科技成果,将为筑牢我国粮食安全、推动玉米可持续生产奠定坚实、可推广的技术基础。



Abstract  Maize accounted for more than 40% of China’s national grain production in 2025, when maize output reached 301.24 million tons, reflecting substantial contributions from advances in genetics, agronomic management, and mechanization over the past decade.  With limited scope for further expansion of maize-sown area, increasing population productivity through higher but controllable planting density will remain a major pathway for improving maize yield in China.  This review synthesizes recent advances through a systems framework centered on the yield–quality–density nexus.  In this framework, planting density is a major determinant of maize population productivity, grain quality determines their suitability for diverse end uses and mechanical harvesting, and genotype×environment×management (G×E×M) interactions determine whether high-density production can be converted into stable yield with improved resource-use efficiency (RUE).  In basic research, pan-genome assembly, multi-omics integration, and high-throughput phenotyping have advanced the dissection of the genetic architecture underlying yield potential, grain quality, and resilience to abiotic and biotic stresses.  These resources, together with genomic prediction, doubled haploid technology, and targeted genome editing, have improved the efficiency of identifying and assembling favorable alleles for density tolerance, stress resilience, harvestability, and end-use quality.  In production systems, high-density planting combined with precise, growth-stage-specific regulation of water, nutrients, and plant growth has provided an integrated pathway for converting genetic potential into stable yield and improved RUE.  Likewise, regional modeling of kernel dehydration and harvest moisture has supported the transition from ear harvesting to direct grain harvesting while helping to reduce post-harvest quality and drying constraints.  Collectively, these advances support a coordinated yield–quality–density improvement cycle.  Looking ahead, narrowing the yield gap will require more than increasing planting density or adopting individual technologies.  It will require the development of controllable high-density production systems in which improved cultivars, stage-specific crop management, climate-risk adaptation, quality-oriented production, and digital decision-support technologies are matched to specific genotypes, environments, and management conditions within a G×E×M framework.  The future objective is therefore not simply higher yield, but a more controllable maize production system that jointly improves yield, grain quality, harvest efficiency, RUE, and resilience to environmental variability.  These coordinated scientific and technological advances will provide a robust, scalable foundation for strengthening China’s food security and advancing sustainable maize production.

Keywords:  maize       genomic breeding       high-density planting       precision agronomy       food security  
Received: 29 June 2026   Accepted: 07 September 2026 Online: 23 September 2026  
Fund: This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U25A20675, 32272797, and 32272024), the earmarked fund for China Agriculture Research System (CARS-02), and the Scientific Research Innovation Capability Support Project for Young Faculty, China (ZYGXQNJSKYCXNLZCXM-A14).
About author:  Bo Ming, E-mail: mingbo@caas.cn; Zhaobin Dong, E-mail: zbdong@cau.edu.cn; Jianfeng Weng, E-mail: wengjianfeng@caas.cn; Si Shen, E-mail: shensi@cau.edu.cn; Junjie Fu, E-mail: fujunjie@caas.cn; Xuehai Zhang, E-mail: xuehai85@126.com; Tao Cui, E-mail: cuitao@cau.edu.cn; Zhirui Yang, E-mail: runn_yang@cau.edu.cn; #Correspondence Shaokun Li, E-mail: lishaokun@caas.cn; Jihua Tang, E-mail: tangjihua1@163.com; Wen-Xue Li, E-mail: liwenxue@caas.cn; Shunli Zhou, E-mail: zhoushl@cau.edu.cn; Dongxing Zhang, E-mail: zhangdx@cau.edu.cn; Guohua Mi, E-mail: miguohua@cau.edu.cn; Tinglu Fan, E-mail: fantinglu3394@163.com; Jie Shi, E-mail: shij99@163.com; Jiwang Zhang, E-mail: jwzhang@sdau.edu.cn * These authors contributed equally to this study.

Cite this article: 

Bo Ming, Zhaobin Dong, Jianfeng Weng, Si Shen, Junjie Fu, Xuehai Zhang, Tao Cui, Zhirui Yang, Haoxiang Qin, Yikang Jiao, Zhaoyang Li, Zhenyuan Chen, Cheng Huang, Bo Hong, Huili Yang, Dong Ding, Xiantao He, Tengfei Zhu, Chaohui Zhu, Zhengbiao Gu, Jiuran Zhao, Dayun Feng, Jiwang Zhang, Jie Shi, Tinglu Fan, Guohua Mi, Dongxing Zhang, Shunli Zhou, Wen-Xue Li, Jihua Tang, Shaokun Li. 2026. Maize science and production in China: A decade of progress and future prospects. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(11): 4452-4482.

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