Characteristics of Nutrient Accumulation and Effici ency in Maize under Different Agronomic Managements

Abstract

A four-year field experiment was conducted to under stand the characters of nutrient accumulation and distribution in maize under differ ent yield levels, so as to provide scientific guidance for effective utilization of mi neral fertilizers, and eventually for high yield of spring maize. The grain yield, nutrient (n itrogen, phosphorous, potassium) accumulation and uptake efficiency were evaluated u nder different agronomic managements and nitrogen application treatments. Th e data showed that the two-year average grain yield under high Yield Management (HY ) was significantly increased by 35.3% as compared with Traditional Farming manageme nt (FP). Interestingly, the increased range of grain yield may be associated wi th harvest ear numbers, indicating that high planting density could lead to high maize production. Moreover, the total amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium in m aize significantly increased and the ratio of accumulation after flowering was also impr oved under HY management. Our results suggested that the high grain yield and nut rient use efficiency would ultimately be achieved through integrating and optimizing high yi eld cultivation techniques, which not only improve biomass and harvest index, but also pr omote the growth and nutrient accumulation of maize. Keywords: Cultivation pattern, N level, Nutrition, Spring mai ze.