Association of maize (Zea mays L.) senescence with water and nitrogen utilization under different drip irrigation systems

Yang Wu; Fanyun Yao; Yongjun Wang; Lin Ma; Xiangnan Li

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1133206

Association of maize (Zea mays L.) senescence with water and nitrogen utilization under different drip irrigation systems

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Mar 17:14:1133206. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1133206. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yang Wu¹, Fanyun Yao², Yongjun Wang², Lin Ma³, Xiangnan Li^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Jiangxi Oil-tea Camellia, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, China.
² Institute of Agricultural Resource and Environment, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China.
³ Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
⁴ Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, China.
⁵ College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Introduction: Drip irrigation is an efficient water-saving system used to improve crop production worldwide. However, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of maize plant senescence and its association with yield, soil water, and nitrogen (N) utilization under this system.

Methods: A 3-year field experiment in the northeast plains of China was used to assess four drip irrigation systems: (1) drip irrigation under plastic film mulch (PI); (2) drip irrigation under biodegradable film mulch (BI); (3) drip irrigation incorporating straw returning (SI); and (4) drip irrigation with the tape buried at a shallow soil depth (OI), and furrow irrigation (FI) was used as the control. The plant senescence characteristic based on the dynamic process of green leaf area (GLA) and live root length density (LRLD) during the reproductive stage, and its correlation with leaf N components, water use efficiency (WUE), and N use efficiency (NUE) was investigated.

Results: PI followed by BI achieved the highest integral GLA and LRLD, grain filling rate, and leaf and root senescence rate after silking. Greater yield, WUE, and NUE were positively associated with higher N translocation efficiency of leaf protein responding for photosynthesis, respiration, and structure under PI and BI; whereas, no significant differences were found in yield, WUE, and NUE between PI and BI. SI effectively promoted LRLD in the deeper 20- to 100-cm soil layers, prolonged the GLA and LRLD persistent durations, and reduced the leaf and root senescence rates. The remobilization of non-protein storage N was stimulated by SI, FI, and OI, which made up for the relative inadequacy of leaf N.

Discussion: Instead of persistent GLA and LRLD durations and high translocation efficiency of non-protein storage N, fast and large protein N translocation from leaves to grains under PI and BI was found to facilitate maize yield, WUE, and NUE in the sole cropping semi-arid region, and BI was recommend considering that it can reduce plastic pollution.

Keywords: drip irrigation; green leaf area; leaf nitrogen; live root; nitrogen use efficiency; water use efficiency.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (U19A2035); the Science and Technology Project of Education Department of Jiangxi Province, China (GJJ2201901); China Agricultural Research System (CARS-34); Jilin Province Key Technology R&D Program (20220302004NC); and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA28020400).