Abstract
The proper promotion of a deep root system is important for maize cultivation to improve water use efficiency in the arid and semi-arid Loess Plateau. Here, a field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of combined controlled release urea and normal urea on root growth and water extraction of maize in dryland fields. Maize in the combined controlled release urea and normal urea treatment had greater root systems compared to those in the normal urea treatment and no N application treatment. Compared to the urea treatment, combined controlled release urea and normal urea advanced the root length density and root weight density in the 0–10 cm soil layer at R1 stage by 30.99% and 45.03% in 2016 and by 20.54% and 19.13% in 2017. The root length density also increased at the dent stage (R5) by 52.05% and 47.75% in 2016 and 2017, and root weight density increased by 19.58% in 2016. Combined controlled release urea and normal urea promoted production of fine roots and root distribution, as well as decreased soil water storage (SWS) in the deep soil layer at the R5 stage. The grain yield was positively correlated with root length density and root weight density in the topsoil layer at the silking stage (R1) and in the whole soil profile at the R5 stage, suggesting that better root system management is helpful for increasing crop grain yield. Therefore, this work demonstrates that combined use of controlled release urea and normal urea to higher crop yields might attribute to increasing water extraction by optimizing in-season maize root morphology and distribution in the rainfed farmland of the Loess Plateau.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Combined ureas produced greater maize root systems than normal urea or no nitrogen.
- Treatment
- combined controlled release urea and normal urea treatmente0
- Outcome
- root systemse0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Comparator
- normal urea treatment and no N application treatmente0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Maize in the combined controlled release urea and normal urea treatment had greater root systems compared to those in the normal urea treatment and no N application treatment.”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined ureas increased root length density at R1 in 2016 by 30.99%.
- Organ / stage
- R1 stagee0
- Treatment
- combined controlled release urea and normal ureae0
- Outcome
- root length densitye0
- Direction
- advancede0
- Value
- 30.99%e0
- Qualifier
- in 2016e0
- Comparator
- urea treatmente0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Compared to the urea treatment, combined controlled release urea and normal urea advanced the root length density and root weight density in the 0–10 cm soil layer at R1 stage by 30.99% and 45.03% in 2016 and by 20.54% and 19.13% in 2017.”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined ureas increased root weight density at R1 in 2016 by 45.03%.
- Organ / stage
- R1 stagee0
- Treatment
- combined controlled release urea and normal ureae0
- Outcome
- root weight densitye0
- Direction
- advancede0
- Value
- 45.03%e0
- Qualifier
- in 2016e0
- Comparator
- urea treatmente0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Compared to the urea treatment, combined controlled release urea and normal urea advanced the root length density and root weight density in the 0–10 cm soil layer at R1 stage by 30.99% and 45.03% in 2016 and by 20.54% and 19.13% in 2017.”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined ureas increased root length density at R1 in 2017 by 20.54%.
- Organ / stage
- R1 stagee0
- Treatment
- combined controlled release urea and normal ureae0
- Outcome
- root length densitye0
- Direction
- advancede0
- Value
- 20.54%e0
- Qualifier
- in 2017e0
- Comparator
- urea treatmente0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Compared to the urea treatment, combined controlled release urea and normal urea advanced the root length density and root weight density in the 0–10 cm soil layer at R1 stage by 30.99% and 45.03% in 2016 and by 20.54% and 19.13% in 2017.”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined ureas increased root weight density at R1 in 2017 by 19.13%.
- Organ / stage
- R1 stagee0
- Treatment
- combined controlled release urea and normal ureae0
- Outcome
- root weight densitye0
- Direction
- advancede0
- Value
- 19.13%e0
- Qualifier
- in 2017e0
- Comparator
- urea treatmente0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Compared to the urea treatment, combined controlled release urea and normal urea advanced the root length density and root weight density in the 0–10 cm soil layer at R1 stage by 30.99% and 45.03% in 2016 and by 20.54% and 19.13% in 2017.”
Claim · model-written summary
Root length density rose at R5 by 52.05% in 2016.
- Organ / stage
- dent stage (R5)e0
- Outcome
- root length densitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 52.05%e0
- Qualifier
- in 2016e0
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“The root length density also increased at the dent stage (R5) by 52.05% and 47.75% in 2016 and 2017, and root weight density increased by 19.58% in 2016.”
Claim · model-written summary
Root length density rose at R5 by 47.75% in 2017.
- Organ / stage
- dent stage (R5)e0
- Outcome
- root length densitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 47.75%e0
- Qualifier
- 2017e0
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“The root length density also increased at the dent stage (R5) by 52.05% and 47.75% in 2016 and 2017, and root weight density increased by 19.58% in 2016.”
Claim · model-written summary
Root weight density rose at R5 by 19.58% in 2016.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“The root length density also increased at the dent stage (R5) by 52.05% and 47.75% in 2016 and 2017, and root weight density increased by 19.58% in 2016.”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined ureas promoted fine root production and root distribution.
- Treatment
- Combined controlled release urea and normal ureae0
- Outcome
- production of fine roots and root distributione0
- Direction
- promotede0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“Combined controlled release urea and normal urea promoted production of fine roots and root distribution, as well as decreased soil water storage (SWS) in the deep soil layer at the R5 stage.”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined ureas decreased deep soil water storage at R5.
- Treatment
- Combined controlled release urea and normal ureae0
- Outcome
- soil water storage (SWS)e0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Qualifier
- deep soil layer at the R5 stagee0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“Combined controlled release urea and normal urea promoted production of fine roots and root distribution, as well as decreased soil water storage (SWS) in the deep soil layer at the R5 stage.”
Claim · model-written summary
Grain yield correlated positively with root length and weight densities at R1 and R5.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“The grain yield was positively correlated with root length density and root weight density in the topsoil layer at the silking stage (R1) and in the whole soil profile at the R5 stage”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors attribute higher yield from combined urea to greater water extraction through optimized roots.
- Treatment
- combined use of controlled release urea and normal ureae0
- Outcome
- higher crop yieldse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Qualifier
- increasing water extraction by optimizing in-season maize root morphology and distributione0
- Setting
- rainfed farmland of the Loess Plateaue0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“combined use of controlled release urea and normal urea to higher crop yields might attribute to increasing water extraction by optimizing in-season maize root morphology and distribution in the rainfed farmland of the Loess Plateau.”
t0“maize”
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