Article
Agronomy
Martin Parco, Karina Elizabeth D'Andrea, Gustavo Angel Maddonni
Summary: Late sowing date and low plant densities are progressively adopted in limited-production regions for maize crop. In low plant densities, the expression of prolificacy can stabilize maize yield throughout environments, but limited adoption of N fertilization can reduce kernel set on the apical and sub-apical ear and consequently crop grain yield at low plant densities. A study analyzed the growth and floret differentiation of different hybrids of maize under contrasting plant densities and N fertilization rates, and found that N stress reduced floret differentiation of less prolific hybrids in the low plant density condition.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Karina Elizabeth D'Andrea, Martin Parco, Gustavo Angel Maddonni
Summary: Maize prolificacy is an important factor for increasing grain yield in drought-prone environments with reduced plant density. However, limited nitrogen fertilization can restrict prolificacy. This study found that different maize hybrids have lower prolificacy and kernel yield under low nitrogen supply. Nitrogen supply affects plant growth rate, biomass partitioning, and kernel setting during the growth of maize plants.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Pan Liu, Baozhong Yin, Limin Gu, Shaoyun Zhang, Jianhong Ren, Yandong Wang, Weiwei Duan, Wenchao Zhen
Summary: Heat stress (HTS) significantly reduces maize grain yield by decreasing pollen quantity and quality, resulting in tassel degradation and yield reduction.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Na Wang, Qi Liu, Bo Ming, Wenxin Shang, Xuefeng Zhao, Xuqing Wang, Jing Wang, Junlong Zhang, Zhongkui Luo, Yong Liao
Summary: Heat stress has harmful effects on maize growth and yield, particularly on ear development. In this study, field experiments were conducted to explore the effects of heat stress on ear traits and yield traits for different heat-tolerant cultivars. The results showed that heat stress had negative effects on all surveyed ear and yield traits, and the extent of the effects varied among different cultivars and heat stress periods. The decreased ear traits were mainly attributed to the decreased growth rate during rapid ear growth periods and the failure of floret pollination and kernel abortion. The strong linear relationships between ear and yield traits suggest that ear traits could serve as important indicators for breeding heat-resistant varieties in the future.
Article
Agronomy
Yating Zhao, Shuai Zhang, Yanjie Lv, Fangfang Ning, Yibing Cao, Shuhua Liao, Pu Wang, Shoubing Huang
Summary: Exogenous plant growth retardants can increase maize yield and lodging resistance by optimizing application timing, especially in lodging-prone conditions. Lodging can affect maize yield, so selecting appropriate PGRs to improve yield and lodging resistance should be considered in practice.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ruibin Xu, Yufeng Li, Zhipeng Sui, Tianyu Lan, Wanjun Song, Ming Zhang, Yirong Zhang, Jiewen Xing
Summary: C-terminal encoded peptides (CEPs) serve as mobile signals coordinating developmental programs in plants, with ZmCEP1 playing a crucial role in maize development and growth. Overexpression of ZmCEP1 leads to reduced plant and seed size, while knockout of ZmCEP1 results in improved plant height, kernel size, and weight. Transcriptome analysis reveals that ZmCEP1 regulates genes related to nitrogen metabolism, nitrate transport, sugar transport, and auxin response in maize.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Mayang Liu, Xin Dong, Yingjun Zhang, Mingqi Gu, Yonghong Yu, Hejing Xie, Hua Yang, Xueyuan Yu, Shoubing Huang
Summary: High temperature poses a growing threat to global food security, particularly the yield of maize during flowering and early grain filling. There are both heat sensitive and tolerant inbred lines within temperate and tropical maize genotypes. Adjusting sowing date is an effective strategy to mitigate the negative effects of heat stress on yield.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Alejo Ruiz, Sotirios V. Archontoulis, Lucas Borras
Summary: This study investigates the response of maize kernel weight (KW) and kernel number (KN) to nitrogen (N) fertilization. The results show that N fertilization has a consistent effect on both KW and KN, with KW being more related to yield response in Argentina and KN being more related to yield response in the United States. When compared to literature studies, KW has a higher contribution to yield increases when the grain yield response to N fertilization is less than 30%, while KN becomes more important when the grain yield response is higher than 30%.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Birgit W. Huetsch, Sven Schubert
Summary: The application of plant growth regulator paclobutrazol (PAC) to maize can decrease grain yield, but delayed application of PAC can avoid this negative impact. Delaying PAC application can improve grain yield, extend pollen shed duration, and enhance water and nutrient use efficiency in maize plants.
JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY AND CROP SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Ignacio Massigoge, Fernando Ross, Javier A. Fernandez, Laura Echarte, Ignacio A. Ciampitti, Anibal Cerrudo
Summary: One of the main challenges of using low plant densities in restrictive and variable environments is to maximize resource utilization. Tillering could be an alternative to increase reproductive and vegetative plasticity. This study found that tillers contribute proportionally to grain yield without causing detrimental effects, and their contribution increases as the environment improves. Tillering has the potential to increase resource use efficiency in restrictive environments.
Article
Agronomy
S. Albarenque, B. Basso, O. Davidson, B. Maestrini, R. Melchiori
Summary: The study compared the timing of maize plant emergence across yield stability zones and evaluated the impact of delayed emergence on crop yield. The results showed that the variation in plant emergence time had a greater effect on crop yield than within-row plant spacing variation. Understanding the factors affecting the spatial and temporal patterns of plant emergence can help farmers optimize their planting operations and make more precise decisions on inputs for different sub-field yield stability zones. Incorporating emergence data into crop models can also improve yield simulation results.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Xin Dong, Ling Guan, Pihui Zhang, Xiaoli Liu, Shujun Li, Zhongjun Fu, Ling Tang, Zhiyun Qi, Zhenggao Qiu, Chuan Jin, Shoubing Huang, Hua Yang
Summary: High temperature during flowering and early grain filling significantly reduced maize yield, mainly due to a decrease in kernel number per ear. Long-season maize lines showed higher heat tolerance in kernel number formation compared to short-season lines. Selecting or breeding for heat-tolerant maize, along with considering proper sowing dates and heat-tolerant hybrids, can help mitigate the adverse effects of warming climate.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Zheng Liu, Zhanhong Hao, Ye Sha, Yiwen Huang, Wenqing Guo, Lihua Ke, Fanjun Chen, Lixing Yuan, Guohua Mi
Summary: This study investigates the physiological mechanism underlying nitrogen responsiveness in maize. The results suggest that increasing nitrogen supply enhances ear growth rate and N allocation rate during the early critical period, leading to an increased number of floret primordia and ultimately higher grain yield. The number of grains per ear is mainly determined by the number of floret primordia, with no trade-off between grain number and other yield components. N-responsive maize cultivars exhibit higher ear growth rate and allocate more N to the ear, resulting in greater differentiation of floret primordia and higher grain number.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
D. A. Salve, M. L. Maydup, G. A. Salazar, E. A. Tambussi, M. Antonietta
Summary: In high-altitude environments, the decrease in temperature with increasing altitude affects the growth and photosynthetic performance of maize. Increasing plant density can partially compensate for this effect, but there is limited information on specific management options. This study found that growing maize at higher plant densities increased leaf area index and light interception, leading to improved yield.
EXPERIMENTAL AGRICULTURE
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Weina Zhang, Haigang Li, Junling Zhang, Jianbo Shen, Hamish Brown, Enli Wang
Summary: The growth, organ development, and yield formation of maize are controlled by biomass and phosphorus partitioning and remobilization processes. There is a lack of detailed data for modeling modern maize cultivars. The study found that the leaf-senescence rate of Zhengdan 958 is lower, allowing post-silking photosynthesis to meet grain biomass demand. Despite the higher post-silking P uptake, a portion of leaf and stem P accumulated pre-silking is remobilized into grain.
Article
Agronomy
Cevat Eser, Suleyman Soylu, Hakan Ozkan
Summary: Drought is a pressing issue worldwide, and selecting wheat genotypes adapted to changing climatic conditions is crucial. This study evaluated 156 bread wheat genotypes, including landraces and modern varieties, under different drought treatments. The results showed that landraces had higher yield stability and protein content under drought stress, suggesting their potential for developing drought-tolerant modern wheat varieties. Effective utilization of landraces in breeding programs is important for developing climate-resilient wheat varieties.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Agronomy
Jagdeep Singh, Audrey Gamble, Steve Brown, Todd B. Campbell, Johnie Jenkins, Jenny Koebernick, Paul C. Bartley III, Alvaro Sanz-Saez
Summary: This study evaluated the changes in nutrient uptake, nutrient use efficiency, and yield of 20 cotton cultivars released in the USA between 1953 and 2018. The results showed that modern cotton cultivars have increased total nutrient uptake but slower improvement in nutrient use efficiency. The findings highlight the potential for enhanced nutrient uptake traits in cotton.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Agronomy
Elisa Erbetta, Laura Echarte, Maria Eugenia Sanz Smachetti, Nadia Gabbanelli, Maria Mercedes Echarte
Summary: This study investigated the effects of different combinations of photoperiod sensitivity, sweet-stalk, and bmr traits on sorghum biomass yield and allocation, and discussed the implications for bioenergy production.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Agronomy
Wenqing Zuo, Baojian Wu, Yuxuan Wang, Shouzhen Xu, Minzhi Chen, Fubin Liang, Jingshan Tian, Wangfeng Zhang
Summary: This study assessed the impact of different row spacing configurations and irrigation amounts on cotton photosynthesis and fiber quality. The results showed that under adequate irrigation, RS76L could be a suitable replacement for RS66+10H to improve fiber quality.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2024)