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Acta Agron Sin ›› 2013, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (09): 1619-1627.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2013.01619

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

Effects of Different Cultivation Patterns on Photosynthetic Characteristics and Water Use Efficiency in Dryland Spring Maize

ZHANG Ren-He,HU Fu-Liang,YANG Xiao-Qin,GAO Jie,HAO Yin-Chuang,ZHANG Xing-Hua*,XUE Ji-Quan*   

  1. College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University / Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Arid Area of Northwest Region, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling 712100, China?
  • Received:2013-02-04 Revised:2013-06-02 Online:2013-09-12 Published:2013-07-09
  • Contact: 薛吉全, E-mail: xjq2934@163.com; 张兴华, E-mail: zhangxh4569@163.com

Abstract:

Under water-limited conditions, increasing water use efficiency (WUE) is essential for successful maize production. This study aimed at increasing grain yield and WUE through improving crop management. A maize cultivar Zhengdan 958 was planted at Changwu of Shaanxi Province in 2010 and 2011 with four treatments including local farmers’ practice (CK), high-yielding and high efficiency cultivation (HHC), super high yielding cultivation (SHC), and super high yielding and high efficiency cultivation (SHEC). The photosynthetic characteristics and WUE under the different cultivation patterns were analyzed. The results showed that the average yield for CK, HHC, SHC and SHEC was 7.7, 9.2, 11.7, and 10.6 t ha-1, respectively, and 20.1%, 52.9%, and 37.7% higher than that of control. WUE was increased by 27.8%, 60.9%, and 45.1%under HHC, SHC, and SHEC, when compared with local farmers’ practice. Compared with the control, HHC, SHC and SHEC also significantly increased net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), leaf water use efficiency (WUEL), electron transport rate (ETR), quantum yield (ΦPSII), photochemical quenching (qP) of photo-system II in leaf, delayed the mean decreasing rate of leaf senescence and leaf senescence duration. In addition, the post-anthesis dry matter accumulations were 29.0%, 82.3%, and 56.1% higher in HHC, SHC, and SHEC than in the control. The results indicated that grain yield and WUE could be increased through integrating and optimizing cultivation techniques in maize production, which attributed to the higher photosynthetic rate, delayed leaf senescence at latter growth stages and higher post-anthesis dry matter accumulation and transportation to grains.

Key words: Maize, Cultivation Pattern, Photosynthetic characteristics, Dry matter accumulation and transportation, Yield and WUE

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