Subsoiling before winter wheat alleviates the kernel position effect of densely grown summer maize by delaying post-silking root–shoot senescence

doi:10.1016/j.jia.2023.12.021

Journal of Integrative Agriculture

2025, Vol. 24

Issue (9): 3384-3402 DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.12.021

Crop Science

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Subsoiling before winter wheat alleviates the kernel position effect of densely grown summer maize by delaying post-silking root–shoot senescence

Lichao Zhai^{1, 2*}, Shijia Song^3*, Lihua Zhang¹, Jinan Huang¹, Lihua Lü¹, Zhiqiang Dong¹, Yongzeng Cui¹, Mengjing Zheng¹, Wanbin Hou⁴, Jingting Zhang^1#, Yanrong Yao¹, Yanhong Cui^2#, Xiuling Jia¹

¹Institute of Cereal and Oil Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science/Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation Physiology and Green Production of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang 050035, China

²State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, Baoding 071001, China

³Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Shijiazhuang 050031, China

⁴Yongnian Agricultural Technology Extension Centers, Handan 050036, China

Highlights
● Subsoiling before winter wheat alleviates the kernel position effect of densely grown summer maize.
● The enhanced post-silking dry matter accumulation and grain filling of inferior kernels induced by the delayed root–shoot senescence are primary determinants for the alleviation of kernel position effect.
● The delayed post-silking root–shoot senescence of densely grown summer maize is related to the improved soil physical properties by subsoiling before winter wheat.

Abstract
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摘要

增密加剧玉米粒位效应进而限制密植玉米产量潜力是生产上普遍存在的一个问题。在大田生产上，深松作为一项农艺措施已被证实可以有效调控作物产量。为了阐明冬小麦播前深松对密植夏玉米粒位效应的影响及其调控机制，于2020-2021与2021-2022生长季基于裂区试验设计开展了大田试验，主区为2个不同的耕作方式：传统耕作（CT）和冬小麦播前深松（SS）；裂区为3个不同的夏玉米种植密度：D1: 6.0×10⁴株/hm², D2: 7.5×10⁴株/hm², D3: 9.0×10⁴株/hm²。与常规耕作相比，冬小麦播前深松通过增加弱势粒与强势粒粒重比（WR）缓解了D2和D3密度处理下的玉米粒位效应, 深松处理下密植玉米较高的WR值主要归因于弱势粒灌浆的增强。在相同的种植密度下，冬小麦播前深松明显增加了根系物质积累量，提高了根系抗氧化酶SOD和POD的活性，降低了根系丙二醛MDA的含量，尤其是密植条件下的玉米植株。这些研究结果说明冬小麦播前深松可推迟夏玉米根系衰老，而这与土壤紧实度的降低存在关系。此外，与CT相比， SS增加了密植玉米吐丝后20天至生理成熟期穗位叶的叶绿素含量，降低了花后叶绿素和叶面积的衰减率，反映了花后玉米叶片衰老的缓解。在相同的密度处理下，SS处理的花后干物质积累量明显高于CT处理，这可能与花后光合势和叶片光合相关酶（PEPC和Rubisco）活性的提高有关。相关分析揭示了冬小麦播前深松缓解密植玉米粒位效应的主要机制是：深松通过调控土壤物理特性缓解了密植玉米花后“根-冠”衰老，进而增加了花后物质积累和弱势粒的灌浆充实，最终缓解玉米粒位效应并增加籽粒产量。本研究将为冬小麦播前深松在促进夏玉米产量提升上提供新的理论依据。

Abstract

The intensified kernel position effect is a common phenomenon in maize production under higher plant density, which limits crop productivity. Subsoiling is an effective agronomic practice for improving crop productivity. To clarify the effect of subsoiling before winter wheat on the kernel position effect of densely grown summer maize and its regulatory mechanism, field experiments were conducted during the 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 growing seasons using a split-plot design. The main plots included two tillage practices: conventional tillage practice (CT) and subsoiling before the sowing of winter wheat (SS); and the subplots consisted of three plant densities (D1–D3 at 6.0×10⁴, 7.5×10⁴, and 9.0×10⁴ plants ha^–1). Compared with CT, SS alleviated the kernel position effect by increasing the weight ratio of inferior to superior kernels (WR) in the D2 and D3 treated plants. The higher WR of SS treated plants contributed largely to the improved filling of inferior kernels. Under the same plant density, SS significantly improved the root dry matter accumulation (DMA) and antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD)), and it reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, especially for the plants grown under higher plant densities. These results indicated that SS delayed the root senescence, which is associated with the reduced soil bulk density. In addition, compared with CT, SS increased the leaf chlorophyll content from 20 days after silking to physiological maturity and the post-silking leaf area duration, and it reduced the post-silking leaf chlorophyll reduction rate and leaf area reduction rate, indicating that the post-silking leaf senescence had been alleviated. Under the same plant density, the post-silking DMA of SS was obviously higher than that of CT, which was probably related to the improved leaf area duration and photosynthetic enzyme activities (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and Rubisco). The correlation analysis revealed that the main mechanism of SS in alleviating the kernel position effect of densely grown summer maize is as follows: SS delays the post-silking root–shoot senescence by regulating soil physical properties, and further improves the post-silking DMA and filling of inferior kernels, which ultimately alleviates the kernel position effect and improves grain yield. The results of this study provide new theoretical support for the promotion of summer maize yield by subsoiling before winter wheat.

Keywords: subsoiling summer maize kernel position effect senescence dry matter accumulation grain yield

Received: 02 October 2023 Online: 23 December 2023 Accepted: 31 October 2023

Fund: This study was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province, China (C2021301004), the State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, China (NCCIR2023KF-10), and the HAAFS Science and Technology Innovation Special Project, China (2022KJCXZX-LYS-9).

About author: #Correspondence Jingting Zhang, Tel/Fax: +86-311-87670620, E-mail: jingting58@126.com; Yanhong Cui, Tel/Fax: +86-312-7528117, E-mail: cyh@hebau.edu.cn * These authors contributed equally to this study.

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Lichao Zhai, Shijia Song, Lihua Zhang, Jinan Huang, Lihua Lv, Zhiqiang Dong, Yongzeng Cui, Mengjing Zheng, Wanbin Hou, Jingting Zhang, Yanrong Yao, Yanhong Cui, Xiuling Jia. 2025. Subsoiling before winter wheat alleviates the kernel position effect of densely grown summer maize by delaying post-silking root–shoot senescence. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 24(9): 3384-3402.

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