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Acta Agronomica Sinica ›› 2021, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (7): 1324-1331.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2021.03045

• TILLAGE & CULTIVATION · PHYSIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of irrigating at different growth stages on kernel number of spring maize in the North China Plain

GAO Zhen1,2, LIANG Xiao-Gui2, ZHANG Li2, ZHAO Xue2, DU Xiong1, CUI Yan-Hong1, ZHOU Shun-Li2,3,4,*()   

  1. 1College of Agronomy, Hebei Agricultural University / State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation / Key Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation of Hebei Province, Baoding 071001, Hebei, China
    2College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
    3Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Crop High Efficient Use of Water in Wuqiao, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuqiao 061802, Hebei, China
    4Innovation Center of Agricultural Technology for Lowland Plain of Hebei, Wuqiao 061802, Hebei, China
  • Received:2020-07-24 Accepted:2020-12-01 Online:2021-07-12 Published:2020-12-29
  • Contact: ZHOU Shun-Li E-mail:zhoushl@cau.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0300301), the China Agriculture Research System (CARS-02-13), the Startup Fund from Hebei Agricultural University (YJ201827), and the Research Development Fund of Hebei Agricultural University (YJ2019006).

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Abstract:

Drought stress is the main limiting factor for kernel setting of spring maize in the North China plain (NCP). It is important to investigate the effects of irrigation at different growth stages on kernel number, which contributes much to improve grain yield and water use efficiency of spring maize in the NCP. A three-year field experiment was conducted from 2014 to 2016. Irrigating at V6, V12, tasseling, 15 days after silking stage, and rain-fed treatments were set to evaluate the soil water change, ear leaf photosynthesis rate, kernel number per ear and their relationships. The results indicated that irrigating could increase kernel number in dry years, and irrigating at tasseling stage increased kernel number by 1.4%-97.0% compared with other treatments in 2015 and 2016. However, there were no significant differences among each treatment in kernel number in the rainy year of 2016. Irrigating at V6 and V12 stage increased vegetative growth of spring maize, including leaf area and biomass, whereas drought stress occurring at flowering stage still reduced kernel number. In irrigating treatment at tasseling stage, vegetative growth would be inhibited by drought, thus lowing leaf area index and biomass, but ensuring water availability during silking-pollination-kernel growth stage. Moreover, irrigating at tasseling stage increased photosynthesis rate (Pn) by 5.2%-32.8% than other treatments. Regression analysis suggested that high water availability could significantly increase Pn (P = 0.0034) and kernel number (P = 0.0137), but excess rainfall (low solar radiation) had adverse effect on kernel setting. Overall, irrigating at tasseling stage in dry years was a critical management to ensure kernel number of spring maize.

Key words: spring maize, kernel number per ear, photosynthesis rate, soil water content, regression analysis

Fig. 1

Rainfall and temperature distribution during spring maize growth stages from 2014 to 2016 The arrows in this figure indicate silking dates of spring maize; V6 and V12 indicate the 6th, 12th leaf collar is visible, respectively; R1 and R6 indicate silking and maturity stage, respectively."

Fig. 2

Effects of irrigating at different growth stages on soil water content (g g-1) at each stage of spring maize VS, V6, V12 indicate sowing date, the 6th, the 12th leaf collar is visible, respectively; R1 and R6 indicate silking and maturity stage, respectively. A-D, E-I, and J-N indicate in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively; A, E, J: the control treatment; B, F, K: IV6 treatment; G, L: IV12 treatment; C, H, M: IS treatment; D, I, N: IS15 treatment."

Fig. 3

Effects of irrigating at different growth stages on spring maize kernel number The white circles are mean values; different letters above the boxes are significantly different among the different treatments at the 0.05 probability level; CK, IV6, IV12, IS, and IS15 indicate the control without irrigation, irrigating when the 6th and 12th leaf collar is visible, silking stage and the 15 day after silking stage, respectively."

Fig. 4

Effects of irrigating at different growth stages on biomass in spring maize The different letters above the bars are significantly different among the different treatments at the 0.05 probability level; V12, R1, R6 indicate the 12th leaf collar is visible, silking and maturity stage, respectively; CK, IV6, IV12, IS, IS15 indicate the control without irrigation, irrigating at V6, V12, R1, and R6, respectively."

Fig. 5

Effects of irrigating at different growth stages on ear leaf photosynthesis at silking (A) and ASI (B) in spring maize The different letters above the bars are significantly different among the different treatments at the 0.05 probability level; CK, IV6, IV12, IS, IS15 indicate the control without irrigation, irrigating at when the 6th and 12th leaf collar is visible, silking and 15 day after silking stage, respectively."

Fig. 6

Relationships between soil water content with photosynthesis rate and kernel number per ear at silking stage The triangle, circle, and square indicate in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively; CK, IV6, IV12, IS, IS15 indicate the control without irrigation, irrigating at when the 6th and 12th leaf collar is visible, silking and 15 day after silking stage, respectively."

Fig. 7

Rainfall distribution in each month at experimental site from 1986 to 2016 The data above boxes indicate the coefficient of variation in each month."

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