YAN Wei-ping, BIAN Shao-feng., TAN Guo-bo, ZHANG Li-hua, ZHAO Hong-xiang, MENG Xiang-meng, SUN Ning
Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130033, PRC
Abstract Under the soil and climate conditions in semi-arid area of Jilin Province,the growth and development, yield and its components of maize under one-off fertilization and traditional fertilization were compared and analyzed in this study.The results showed that, under the same field management, the two fertilization methods had no effect on the time when maize plants grew into each growth stage;the one-off fertilization was slightly better than the traditional fertilization in dry weight of each part of the plant, ear traits and yield; and the values of the two methods of fertilization varied from each other and were unstable. In production, the one-off fertilization saves the top dressing process, simplifies the operation process and reduces the production input, which is of great significance to the development of modern agriculture.
Key words Maize; One-off fertilization; Yield; Semiarid area
In recent years, with the continuous improvement in maize yield,more and more fertilizers have been put into maize growing process,and the use mode of fertilizers has constantly been changing. With the development and popularization of high nitrogen compound fertilizer technology, the proportion of maize one-off fertilization in its field production has been gradually increasing[1-2]. One-off fertilization refers to the one-time application of chemical fertilizers into the soil according to agronomic requirements and depth, in order to meet the nutrient requirements of crops at different growth stages[3]. In production, oneoff fertilization is mainly to combine with pre-sowing land preparation,and, in the original ridge furrow or during the "three ploughs through"ridging, to apply high-nitrogen mixed fertilizer once into the furrow and cover the fertilizer with soil, this fertilization method can improve fertilizer utilization, reduce fertilizer input, save labor and is easy to manage[2-7].The application area of one-off fertilization of maize in Jilin Province has been expanded continuously, but the maize yield of one-off fertilization under different soil types and different climatic conditions has been the focus of public attention because of the great difference of farmland soil and climatic conditions all over Jilin Province[7-10]. In this study, the effects of one-off fertilization on maize growth and yield in the semi-arid region of Western Jilin Province were tested, which could provide a basis for the rational application of high nitrogen compound fertilizers in the region.
The experimental site is at Wanfu Village (45.19°N, 122.40° E, and 156.8 m above sea level), Taofu Township, Taonan City, Jilin Province, with a continental monsoon climate of north temperate zone. It is dry,windy and less rainy in spring, and hot in summer with more rainfall in July-August, with annual precipitation of 350~400 mm and annual average sunshine of 3 005.3 h and the effective accumulated temperature of 3 000.5℃. The physical and chemical properties of the experimental field are shown in Table 1.
Xianyu 335 was selected as the tested maize variety, the planting density of 67 500 plants/hm2was presupposed and one-off fertilization and traditional fertilization were used in the experiment, with oneoff fertilization applying a controlled release mixed fertilizer(N-P2O5-K2O)26-16-9 at 600 kg/hm2and the traditional fertilization using a compound fertilizer(N-P2O5-K2O) 19-19-19 at 500 kg/hm2. Urea (N<46.4)was applied at the jointing stage and at 300 kg/hm2.When the temperature had steadily been 8~10℃ , the seeding was started.
The dates of sowing stage, emergence stage,tasseling stage, silking stage, maturity stage and harvest stage were recorded. At the mature stage of maize, some plant samples were collected and divided into the plants’ aboveground stalk (stem, leaf sheath and tassel), leaf (leaf blade, bract), cob and grain, all of which were green-removed or dried at 105℃ for 30 min, then baked at 80℃ to constant weight and then weighed. The plant number, ear number, empty stalk number and lodging number per unit area of maize were investigated during the harvesting and yield measure. The ear length, tip length, grain number per ear, grain weight per ear and 100-grain weight were measured during the seed testing. Finally,the tested yield was converted into the yield with 14%water content.
The experiment was carried out on May 8thby mechanical precision sowing. After sowing, the whole growth process of the tested maize variety Xianyu 335 was investigated, and more than 50% of the plants had grown up to the record standard when investigated.From the results of the investigation of the growth process in Table 2, it was found that the time of maize plants growing into the various growth stages by oneoff fertilization and by traditional fertilization was the same, and the time of maize plants into the various growth stages was not differently affected by either of the two fertilization methods, or which could be neglected.
Table1 The physical and chemical properties of experimental field
Table 3 shows the dry weight of the Xianyu 335’s plant organs under the two fertilization methods.The dry weight of stem, leaf and cob under the oneoff fertilization was slightly higher than under the traditional fertilization, but the difference in the dry weight between the two fertilization methods was small. So was the dry weight of grain , and the difference was unstable.
Table 4 is the ear character of the Xianyu 335 during the harvest period, and the ear characters by two fertilization methods were similar. The difference in ear length and tip length between one-off fertilization and traditional fertilization was relatively small. The grain number per ear and the grain weight per ear under the one-off fertilization were slightly higher than under the traditional fertilization, but the difference was small. The average ear length difference between the two fertilization methods was 0.5 cm, the average tip length difference was 0.6 cm,the average per-ear grain number difference was 41 grains, and the average per-ear grain weight difference was 10 g.
Table 5 shows the results of yield measure at harvest under the one-off fertilization and the traditional fertilization, and the 100-grain weight and the yield in the table are both the values with standard water (14% water content). The mechanical seeding density of the two fertilization treatments was 67 500 plants/hm2, the actual survival seedling was 67 455~70 005 plants/hm2and the number of ears harvested at each yield measure point was 66 750~68 100 ears/hm2. The lodging rate and empty stalk rate of the two fertilization treatments were investigated respectively during the yield measure, and the results showed that the one-off fertilization was basically the same as the traditional fertilization. The difference of 100-grain weight between the two fertilization methods was small, and the average 100-grain weight of the one-off fertilization was about 0.27 g higher than that of the traditional fertilization. The average yield of three yield measure points with the oneoff fertilization was 11 932.5 kg/hm2, and, with the traditional fertilization, 11 772 kg/hm2, in which the one-off fertilization got 160.5 kg/hm2higher than the traditional fertilization.
Table 2 Record of maize growth and development process
Table 3 Dry weight of parts of maize during harvest period
Table 4 Ear characters of maize during harvest period
Table 5 Yield and its composition factors of harvested maize
In this study, the growth process of maize was recorded under the one-off fertilization and the traditional fertilization respectively. The results showed that the growth process of maize took the same long time under the two fertilization methods,namely, the emergence stage on May 22nd, the tasseling stage on July 25th, the silking stage on July 27th, and the maturity stage on September 14th. There was no significant difference in the growth status of maize between one-off fertilization and traditional fertilization, and there was no decrease in the seedling emergence rate[1].
The results showed that the dry weight of stem,leaf, cob and grain under the one-off fertilization was slightly higher than under the traditional fertilization,but the difference of dry weight was small and unstable. There was little difference in the lodging rate and empty stalk rate between one-off fertilization and traditional fertilization. The difference of 100-grain weight between the two fertilization methods was about 0.27 g, and the difference of average yield was 160.5 kg/hm2. Under the two fertilization methods the ear characters were similar, the average ear length was 18.2 and 17.7 cm, the average ear tip length was 1.9 and 2.6 cm, the average grain number per ear was 555 and 513 grain, and the average grain weight per ear was 207 and 197 g, respectively.
Compared with the traditional fertilization, the effect of one-off fertilization in different years and different soil types is unstable, and the technical requirements of one-off fertilization are relatively strict[1]. In this region the yield level of maize culture with the one-off fertilization is basically the same as that of the traditional fertilization, but the one-off fertilization method saves the process of topdressing in production, reduces the production input, improves the efficiency, saves some costs and labor, and is suitable for popularization in areas where labor is scarce[4-7].
In summary, under the soil and climate conditions of semi-arid area in Jilin Province, the oneoff fertilization and the traditional fertilization, at the same level of field management, had no different effect on the time when maize plants grew into each growth stage. The one-off fertilization was slightly better than the traditional fertilization in dry weight of each part of the plant, ear traits and yield. The values of the two fertilization methods varied from each other and were unstable. In production, the one-off fertilization saves the top dressing process, simplifies the operation process and reduces the production input, which is of great significance to the development of modern agriculture.
Agricultural Science & Technology2018年3期