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Effects of water-nitrogen interactions on post-anthesis photosynthetic characteristics and carbon metabolism in Jigu 22

Qin Ling,Zhang Meng-Yuan,Xu Feng,Li Fei-Fei,Liu Chang-Hong,Chen Er-Ying*,Yang Yan-Bing,Guan Yan-An   

  1. Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences / Shandong Provincial Research Center for Featured Minor Crops, Jinan 250100, Shandong, China
  • Received:2026-03-24 Revised:2026-07-15 Accepted:2026-07-15 Published:2026-07-21
  • Supported by:
    This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32272226, 32301916) and the China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA (CARS-06-14.5-A19).

Abstract: To investigate the effects of different water and nitrogen treatments on post-anthesis photosynthetic characteristics, carbon metabolism, and yield of foxtail millet, a pot experiment was conducted using Jigu 22 as the test material. The experiment included two nitrogen treatments, N0 (no nitrogen application) and N150 (150 kg hm?2), and three water treatments, CK (normal irrigation), W1 (drought from the seedling to jointing stage), and W2 (drought from heading to the middle grain-filling stage). During drought periods, the relative soil water content was maintained at 30%–40%, whereas it was maintained at 60%–70% during non-drought periods. Photosynthetic characteristics, dry matter accumulation and translocation, starch and sucrose contents, and related enzyme activities of foxtail millet were measured. The results showed that SPAD value and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) under different water and nitrogen treatments gradually decreased as growth progressed, while nitrogen application significantly increased post-anthesis SPAD and Pn. Grain starch content continued to increase after anthesis, whereas starch contents in leaves and stem sheaths decreased. Nitrogen application reduced starch content in all organs, with the greatest decrease, 21.50%, observed in panicles at 40 days after anthesis. Sucrose content in all organs first increased and then decreased and was highest under W2 with nitrogen application. Meanwhile, nitrogen application enhanced the activities of sucrose-metabolizing enzymes, including SPS, SS-I, and SS-II, whereas W2 suppressed SS-I activity but increased SPS and SS-II activities during 0–20 days after anthesis. Nitrogen application significantly increased post-anthesis dry matter accumulation in vegetative organs and its contribution to grain yield, while reducing the contribution of pre-anthesis reserves. The W1 treatment promoted post-anthesis dry matter accumulation and translocation, whereas the W2 treatment relied mainly on pre-anthesis reserves. The W1N150 treatment achieved the highest grain yield, grain weight per panicle, and thousand-grain weight, which were 14.85%, 9.52%, and 3.18% higher than those under CKN150, respectively. In summary, moderate drought at the seedling stage combined with nitrogen application (W1N150) increased foxtail millet yield by improving Pn, promoting post-anthesis dry matter accumulation and translocation, and enhancing carbon metabolism and sucrose synthesis capacity, thereby providing a theoretical basis for water- and nitrogen-saving cultivation practices.

Key words: foxtail millet, water and nitrogen, post-anthesis, photosynthetic characteristics, carbon metabolism, enzyme activity

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