A high plant density reduces the ability of maize to use soil nitrogen.
Understanding the physiological changes associated with high grain yield and high N use efficiency (NUE) is important when increasing the plant density and N rate to develop optimal agronomic management. We tested the hypothesis that high plant densities resulting in crowding stress reduce the abili...
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doaj-5663eca076b94525b10e2125021dde942020-11-25T01:46:08ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032017-01-01122e017271710.1371/journal.pone.0172717A high plant density reduces the ability of maize to use soil nitrogen.Peng YanJunxiao PanWenjie ZhangJunfang ShiXinping ChenZhenling CuiUnderstanding the physiological changes associated with high grain yield and high N use efficiency (NUE) is important when increasing the plant density and N rate to develop optimal agronomic management. We tested the hypothesis that high plant densities resulting in crowding stress reduce the ability of plants to use the N supply post-silking, thus decreasing the grain yield and NUE. In 2013 and 2014, a field experiment, with five N-application rates and three plant densities (6.0, 7.5, and 9.0 plants m-2), was conducted in the North China Plain (NCP). The calculated maximum grain yield and agronomic use efficiency (AEN) at a density of 7.5 plants m-2 were 12.4 Mg ha-1 and 39.3 kg kg-1, respectively, which were significantly higher than the values obtained at densities of 6.0 (11.3 Mg ha-1 and 30.2 kg kg-1) and 9.0 plant m-2 (11.7 Mg ha-1 and 27.8 kg kg-1). A high plant density of 9.0 plants m-2 decreased the post-silking N accumulation, leaf N concentration and net photosynthesis, which reduced the post-silking dry matter production, resulting in a low yield and NUE. Although a relatively low grain yield was observed at a density of 9.0 plants m-2, the optimal N rate increased from 150 to 186 kg N ha-1 at a density of 7.5 plants m-2. These results indicate that high plant densities with crowding stress reduce the ability of plants to use soil N during the post-silking period, and high rate of N fertilizer was needed to increase grain yield. We conclude that selecting the appropriate plant density combined with optimal N management could increase grain yields and the NUE in the NCP.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5325311?pdf=render |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Peng Yan Junxiao Pan Wenjie Zhang Junfang Shi Xinping Chen Zhenling Cui |
spellingShingle |
Peng Yan Junxiao Pan Wenjie Zhang Junfang Shi Xinping Chen Zhenling Cui A high plant density reduces the ability of maize to use soil nitrogen. PLoS ONE |
author_facet |
Peng Yan Junxiao Pan Wenjie Zhang Junfang Shi Xinping Chen Zhenling Cui |
author_sort |
Peng Yan |
title |
A high plant density reduces the ability of maize to use soil nitrogen. |
title_short |
A high plant density reduces the ability of maize to use soil nitrogen. |
title_full |
A high plant density reduces the ability of maize to use soil nitrogen. |
title_fullStr |
A high plant density reduces the ability of maize to use soil nitrogen. |
title_full_unstemmed |
A high plant density reduces the ability of maize to use soil nitrogen. |
title_sort |
high plant density reduces the ability of maize to use soil nitrogen. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
series |
PLoS ONE |
issn |
1932-6203 |
publishDate |
2017-01-01 |
description |
Understanding the physiological changes associated with high grain yield and high N use efficiency (NUE) is important when increasing the plant density and N rate to develop optimal agronomic management. We tested the hypothesis that high plant densities resulting in crowding stress reduce the ability of plants to use the N supply post-silking, thus decreasing the grain yield and NUE. In 2013 and 2014, a field experiment, with five N-application rates and three plant densities (6.0, 7.5, and 9.0 plants m-2), was conducted in the North China Plain (NCP). The calculated maximum grain yield and agronomic use efficiency (AEN) at a density of 7.5 plants m-2 were 12.4 Mg ha-1 and 39.3 kg kg-1, respectively, which were significantly higher than the values obtained at densities of 6.0 (11.3 Mg ha-1 and 30.2 kg kg-1) and 9.0 plant m-2 (11.7 Mg ha-1 and 27.8 kg kg-1). A high plant density of 9.0 plants m-2 decreased the post-silking N accumulation, leaf N concentration and net photosynthesis, which reduced the post-silking dry matter production, resulting in a low yield and NUE. Although a relatively low grain yield was observed at a density of 9.0 plants m-2, the optimal N rate increased from 150 to 186 kg N ha-1 at a density of 7.5 plants m-2. These results indicate that high plant densities with crowding stress reduce the ability of plants to use soil N during the post-silking period, and high rate of N fertilizer was needed to increase grain yield. We conclude that selecting the appropriate plant density combined with optimal N management could increase grain yields and the NUE in the NCP. |
url |
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5325311?pdf=render |
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