Abstract
Maize is a staple crop in China, playing a crucial role in agriculture and food security. However, current planting densities are suboptimal, leading to lower yields and unrealized potential. This study explores the potential to maximize maize yields by optimizing planting density and implementing region-specific agronomic measures across China’s diverse agro-ecological zones. We compiled a dataset consisting of 1974 independent field trials from 720 publications across China’s main maize-growing areas, spanning the period from 2000 to 2023, to assess the impact of optimal planting density and agronomic practices on China’s maize production. Our findings reveal that increasing the planting density to optimal levels—49.34% higher than current farmer practices—can significantly boost national maize yields by 16.28%. Furthermore, adopting agronomic techniques like precision irrigation, soil tillage, and plant growth regulators enhances this effect, raising planting density by 69.91% and yield by 27.26%. Notably, the irrigated maize-growing areas in Northwest China showed the highest yield potential, whereas the southern hilly regions had the lowest. This underscores the significance of tailoring optimal density and agronomic practices to each region. Combining agronomic measures with adjusted planting densities can reduce this disparity. Precision irrigation, soil tillage, and plant growth regulators were particularly effective in optimizing planting density and maximizing yield potential, especially in Northwest China and the North China Plain. In contrast, plant growth regulators proved most effective in Southwest China and Southern China. This study underscores the potential of integrating optimized planting density with agronomic measures to significantly improve maize productivity, thereby supporting sustainable agriculture. It provides a scientific basis for regionalized agricultural management.
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The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Optimal density was 49.34% higher than current farmer practice.
- Outcome
- planting densitye0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 49.34%e0
- Comparator
- current farmer practicese0
- Setting
- nationale0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increasing the planting density to optimal levels—49.34% higher than current farmer practices—can significantly boost national maize yields by 16.28%”
Claim · model-written summary
Optimal density increased national maize yield by 16.28%.
- Treatment
- increasing the planting density to optimal levelse0
- Outcome
- national maize yieldse0
- Direction
- booste0
- Value
- 16.28%e0
- Comparator
- current farmer practicese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increasing the planting density to optimal levels—49.34% higher than current farmer practices—can significantly boost national maize yields by 16.28%”
Claim · model-written summary
Additional agronomic techniques raised planting density by 69.91%.
- Treatment
- precision irrigation, soil tillage, and plant growth regulatorse0
- Outcome
- planting densitye0
- Direction
- raisinge0
- Value
- 69.91%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“adopting agronomic techniques like precision irrigation, soil tillage, and plant growth regulators enhances this effect, raising planting density by 69.91% and yield by 27.26%”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Additional agronomic techniques raised yield by 27.26%.
- Treatment
- precision irrigation, soil tillage, and plant growth regulatorse0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- raisinge0
- Value
- 27.26%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“adopting agronomic techniques like precision irrigation, soil tillage, and plant growth regulators enhances this effect, raising planting density by 69.91% and yield by 27.26%”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigated Northwest China had the highest yield potential.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the irrigated maize-growing areas in Northwest China showed the highest yield potential”
Claim · model-written summary
Southern hilly regions had the lowest yield potential.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the southern hilly regions had the lowest”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined measures and adjusted density can reduce regional yield disparity.
- Treatment
- Combining agronomic measures with adjusted planting densitiese0
- Outcome
- this disparitye0
- Direction
- reducee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Combining agronomic measures with adjusted planting densities can reduce this disparity”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Precision irrigation, tillage and growth regulators were particularly effective for density and yield potential in Northwest China and the North China Plain.
- Treatment
- Precision irrigation, soil tillage, and plant growth regulatorse0
- Outcome
- optimizing planting density and maximizing yield potentiale0
- Setting
- Northwest China and the North China Plaine0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Precision irrigation, soil tillage, and plant growth regulators were particularly effective in optimizing planting density and maximizing yield potential, especially in Northwest China and the North China Plain”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Plant growth regulators were most effective in Southwest and Southern China.
- Treatment
- plant growth regulatorse0
- Outcome
- most effectivee0
- Setting
- Southwest China and Southern Chinae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“plant growth regulators proved most effective in Southwest China and Southern China”
t0“Maize”
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