Abstract
Deficit irrigation (DI) was acknowledged as an effective technique to improve water use efficiency (WUE) without significant yield reduction. In this study, a 3-year field experiment was conducted in Northeast China during 2017-2019 to investigate the combined effects of 3-week DI from 3-leaf stage and N fertilization on maize seedling growth and determine the resulting impacts on silking growth and yield formation, N use efficiency (NUE) and WUE. Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants. In 2017 and 2019, seedling-stage DI positively improved seedling growth with higher root: shoot ratio and enhanced drought tolerance, under higher initial soil water contents (SWC) with sufficient precipitation before DI. The DI-primed plants showed similar or better performances on reproductive growth, grain yield, WUE and NUE compared to WW plants, even experiencing heavy rainfall or drought stresses around the silking stage. However, the contrasting results were observed in 2018 with negative DI effects on seedling and silking growth and final yield, probably due to less rainfall and lower SWC before DI. In all 3 years, N fertilization had significant compensatory effects on limited seedling growth under DI, and its effect was much less in 2018 than other years due to adverse early climate. The principal component and correlation analysis revealed maize silking growth, grain yield, NUE and WUE were strongly related to the seedling growth as affected by water and N managements under various climatic conditions. In conclusion, a short-term and moderate DI regime-adopted at the seedling stage under higher initial SWC and coupled with an appropriate N fertilization-is beneficial to control redundant vegetative growth while optimizing root development, therefore effectively improving drought tolerance for maize plants and achieving higher grain yield, WUE and NUE.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Seedling-stage deficit irrigation decreased leaf area and photosynthesis of maize seedlings compared with well-watered plants.
- Treatment
- seedling-stage DIe1
- Outcome
- leaf area and photosynthesise1
- Direction
- decreasede1
- Comparator
- well-watered (WW) plantse1
- Setting
- Northeast Chinae2
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants”
e2“a 3-year field experiment was conducted in Northeast China during 2017-2019”
Claim · model-written summary
Seedling-stage deficit irrigation significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass of maize seedlings compared with well-watered plants.
- Treatment
- seedling-stage DIe1
- Outcome
- shoot and root dry biomasse1
- Direction
- limitede1
- Comparator
- well-watered (WW) plantse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Seedling-stage deficit irrigation positively improved maize seedling growth under higher initial soil water contents in 2017 and 2019.
- Treatment
- seedling-stage DIe2
- Outcome
- seedling growthe2
- Direction
- positively improvede2
- Qualifier
- under higher initial soil water contents (SWC) with sufficient precipitation before DIe2
- Setting
- 2017 and 2019e2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants”
e2“In 2017 and 2019, seedling-stage DI positively improved seedling growth with higher root: shoot ratio and enhanced drought tolerance, under higher initial soil water contents (SWC) with sufficient precipitation before DI”
Claim · model-written summary
Seedling-stage deficit irrigation gave maize seedlings a higher root: shoot ratio in 2017 and 2019.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants”
e2“In 2017 and 2019, seedling-stage DI positively improved seedling growth with higher root: shoot ratio and enhanced drought tolerance, under higher initial soil water contents (SWC) with sufficient precipitation before DI”
Claim · model-written summary
Seedling-stage deficit irrigation enhanced drought tolerance of maize in 2017 and 2019.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants”
e2“In 2017 and 2019, seedling-stage DI positively improved seedling growth with higher root: shoot ratio and enhanced drought tolerance, under higher initial soil water contents (SWC) with sufficient precipitation before DI”
Claim · model-written summary
Deficit irrigation-primed maize plants had similar or better reproductive growth and grain yield than well-watered plants.
- Treatment
- DI-primed plantse3
- Outcome
- reproductive growth, grain yielde3
- Direction
- similar or bettere3
- Qualifier
- even experiencing heavy rainfall or drought stresses around the silking stagee3
- Comparator
- WW plantse3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants”
e3“The DI-primed plants showed similar or better performances on reproductive growth, grain yield, WUE and NUE compared to WW plants, even experiencing heavy rainfall or drought stresses around the silking stage”
Claim · model-written summary
Deficit irrigation-primed maize plants had similar or better WUE and NUE than well-watered plants.
- Treatment
- DI-primed plantse3
- Outcome
- WUE and NUEe3
- Direction
- similar or bettere3
- Qualifier
- even experiencing heavy rainfall or drought stresses around the silking stagee3
- Comparator
- WW plantse3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants”
e3“The DI-primed plants showed similar or better performances on reproductive growth, grain yield, WUE and NUE compared to WW plants, even experiencing heavy rainfall or drought stresses around the silking stage”
Claim · model-written summary
In 2018, seedling-stage deficit irrigation had negative effects on seedling growth, silking growth and final yield of maize.
- Treatment
- DIe4
- Outcome
- seedling and silking growth and final yielde4
- Direction
- negativee4
- Qualifier
- probably due to less rainfall and lower SWC before DIe4
- Setting
- 2018e4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants”
e4“However, the contrasting results were observed in 2018 with negative DI effects on seedling and silking growth and final yield, probably due to less rainfall and lower SWC before DI”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization had significant compensatory effects on the limited seedling growth under deficit irrigation in all three years.
- Treatment
- N fertilizatione5
- Outcome
- seedling growthe5
- Direction
- compensatory effectse5
- Setting
- all 3 yearse5
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants”
e5“In all 3 years, N fertilization had significant compensatory effects on limited seedling growth under DI, and its effect was much less in 2018 than other years due to adverse early climate”
Claim · model-written summary
The effect of nitrogen fertilization on seedling growth under deficit irrigation was much smaller in 2018 than in other years.
- Treatment
- N fertilizatione5
- Outcome
- its effecte5
- Direction
- much lesse5
- Qualifier
- due to adverse early climatee5
- Comparator
- other yearse5
- Setting
- 2018e5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants”
e5“In all 3 years, N fertilization had significant compensatory effects on limited seedling growth under DI, and its effect was much less in 2018 than other years due to adverse early climate”
Claim · model-written summary
Silking growth and grain yield of maize were strongly related to seedling growth as affected by water and nitrogen management under various climatic conditions.
- Treatment
- water and N managementse6
- Outcome
- silking growth, grain yielde6
- Qualifier
- under various climatic conditionse6
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants”
e6“The principal component and correlation analysis revealed maize silking growth, grain yield, NUE and WUE were strongly related to the seedling growth as affected by water and N managements under various climatic conditions”
Claim · model-written summary
NUE and WUE of maize were strongly related to seedling growth as affected by water and nitrogen management.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants”
e6“The principal component and correlation analysis revealed maize silking growth, grain yield, NUE and WUE were strongly related to the seedling growth as affected by water and N managements under various climatic conditions”
Claim · model-written summary
A short-term and moderate deficit irrigation regime at the seedling stage is beneficial to control redundant vegetative growth of maize.
- Outcome
- a short-term and moderate DI regimee7
- Qualifier
- beneficial to control redundant vegetative growthe7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Results showed that seedling-stage DI decreased leaf area and photosynthesis, thus significantly limited shoot and root dry biomass for maize seedling, compared to well-watered (WW) plants”
e7“a short-term and moderate DI regime-adopted at the seedling stage under higher initial SWC and coupled with an appropriate N fertilization-is beneficial to control redundant vegetative growth while optimizing root development”
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