Effects of strip-till with staggered planting on yield formation and shoot-root characteristics of spring maize in irrigation area of Xiliaohe plain

Abstract

A field research was conducted in the Agricultural High-tech Demonstration Park in Horqin District of Tongliao, Inner Mongolia, using the maize variety Nonghua 101 with two cropping modes, including strip-till with staggered planting (seeding strip tillage, 15 cm + 45 cm narrow-double row staggered sowing, TGCW) and conventional tillage with equal row space (rotary tillage with row space of 60 cm, CK), and three planting densities (67,500 plants hm-2 , 82,500 plants hm-2 , and 97,500 plants hm-2) in 2017 and 2018 to study the effect of strip-till with staggered planting on regulating spring maize yield formation and coordination characteristics of shoot-root in irrigation areas of Xiliao river plain. The model of that strip-till with staggered planting enhanced maize yield by 13.1% and 13.8% in 2017 and 2018, under the planting density 82,500 plants hm-2 compared with CK, respectively. The strip-till with staggered planting showed a distinct advantage on the amount and rate of dry matter accumulation after silking, which obviously delayed the senility of leaves in later growth stage, meanwhile, compared with CK, the light transmittance significantly increased in or above panicle layers. The leaf area index, net photosynthetic rate and population photosynthetic potential in the model of strip-till with staggered planting were higher than those in CK in late growth stage. At later growing stage, the strip-till with staggered planting had significantly higher root dry weight than CK in different soil layers, with the highest root ratio in 20-60 cm, especially under higher planting density. The grain yield against per unit of root weight at silking and root-shoot ratio at maturity had a distinct advantage. In conclusion the strip-till with staggered planting combined with high planting density can increase light transmission rate in above-spike layer in late growing stage, alleviate leaf area decline, increase production capacity, facilitate root growth and increase root ratio in deeper soil layers. Shoot-root coordination under dense planting is one of the main reasons facilitating yield increase of spring maize in irrigation areas of Xiliao river plain.

Revolutionizing Maize Crop Productivity: The Winning Combination of Zigzag Planting and Deep Nitrogen Fertilization for Maximum Yield through Root–Shoot Ratio Management

“…Specifically, we found that root length density increased significantly in the 10-30 cm soil layer with linear planting and N fertilization at 20 cm depth (LD20), and this result is consistent with a study by York et al [54] in the USA, where deep nitrogen fertilization was found to increase the root length density in maize. Additionally, our study results were consistent with studies by Jiang et al [12] and Zhang et al [25], where zigzag planting manner was found to increase the root length density. These studies are similar to our linear planting at 20 cm depth and zigzag planting treatments, and resulted in maize root length density increment.…”

“…These studies are similar to our linear planting at 20 cm depth and zigzag planting treatments, and resulted in maize root length density increment. Zigzag planting changed the row spacing, which can regulate root growth and optimize spatial root distribution [25]. In zigzag planting, the root grows and reaches deep soil layers, which allows for the utilization of more space moisture, and nutrients that improve the growth and resistance of maize against pest, pathogen, and environmental extremities [55,56].…”

“…However, in cropland, shrinking the row spacing can be harmful as it enhances the intraspecific resource competition between rows [22,23]. To utilize the advantage of wide/narrow row planting and avoid intra-specific competition, some studies [24,25] have suggested zigzag planting as a suitable alternative.…”

“…Therefore, the mechanism of yield regulation by root and canopy structure under the deep placement of N fertilizer of spring maize remains unexplored and challenging. Previous studies [24,25,34] on maize yield enhancement have either considered zigzag planting or N fertilization at the deep layers. Zigzag planting alone can reduce plant-plant competition in duplicate rows without changing the row spacing and density [25], whereas N supplement at deep soil layers alone can increase the availability of nutrients [35].…”

“…Previous studies [24,25,34] on maize yield enhancement have either considered zigzag planting or N fertilization at the deep layers. Zigzag planting alone can reduce plant-plant competition in duplicate rows without changing the row spacing and density [25], whereas N supplement at deep soil layers alone can increase the availability of nutrients [35]. Therefore, combining zigzag planting and deep N fertilization together may significantly enhance the growth and yield of spring maize [18] by reducing fertilizer competition among crops and regulating the root and canopy characteristics of the maize population [13].…”