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

Abstract

Maize is the staple food of China, produced on 33.6% of the total arable land. In this context, an effective strategy to enhance maize yield is essential to meet the demand without expanding the cultivation areas. Maize yield can be increased by two key measures: plant-row space optimization and nutrient management. However, in traditional maize cultivation practices, fertilizer utilization by plants is inefficient. We therefore performed a manipulative experiment over two years (2018–2019), applying four treatments: (I) linear planting with nitrogen fertilization at 10 cm depth (CK), (II) linear planting with nitrogen fertilization at 20 cm depth (LD20), (III) zigzag planting with nitrogen fertilization at 10 cm depth (ZD10), and (IV) zigzag planting with nitrogen fertilization at 20 cm depth (ZD20). The aim of this study was to examine the influence of deep nitrogen fertilization and zigzag planting alone and in combination with root distribution, soil properties, canopy structures, and maize yield. Our results showed that all improved maize cultivating strategies (LD20, ZD10, and ZD20) increased the root length density up to 10–30 cm depth of soil layers compared to CK. Similarly, deep nitrogen fertilization increased the photosynthesis rate and leaf area duration after the silking stage. The leaf orientation value of the middle and upper canopies increased in zigzag planting compared to linear planting. It also increased the dry matter accumulation of medium leaves, leaf area duration, and dry matter accumulation after the silking stage. The maize yield was highly increased in ZD20 followed by ZD10, LD20, and the least by CK (traditional cultivating practices) in both years. Our study suggests that zigzag planting provides a higher yield than linear planting. Additionally, deep nitrogen fertilization in zigzag planting significantly increases the population resource utilization rate and yield by optimizing the root–canopy structures. Row spacing and nitrogen fertilization were found to be essential to enhance crop yield by influencing root growth and canopy efficiency.

Influence of the Depth of Nitrogen-Phosphorus Fertilizer Placement in Soil on Maize Yielding and Carbon Footprint in the Loess Plateau of China

“…Previous studies have shown that changing the type of urea, such as applying slow-release urea or controlledrelease urea, is of great significance in promoting the efficient use of nitrogen by crops and reducing nitrogen loss [64]. Zheng et al [8] found that the mixed application of urea and nitrification inhibitors or urease inhibitors during summer maize production by dryland farming in the Loess Plateau region of China significantly reduces nitrous oxide and ammonia volatilization, improves the nitrogen use efficiency, and reduces Nr loss, thereby decreasing NF, which also provided inspiration for our subsequent research.…”

“…Deep fertilization is considered an effective method to ensure adequate nutrient supply during crop growth through precise fertilization at the roots of crops [7]. Deep fertilization promotes the absorption of soil nutrients by roots and reduces soil nutrient content [8]. It has advantages in improving fertilizer utilization efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing crop yield, and improving economic benefits [9].…”

Organic Material Addition Optimizes Soil Structure by Enhancing Copiotrophic Bacterial Abundances of Nitrogen Cycling Microorganisms in Northeast China

“…The soil total carbon (TC) and TN were measured using an EA3000 elemental analyzer (Eurotech Co., Ltd., Amaro, Italy). Soil NO 3 − -N and NH 4 + -N were measured using a SmartChem 200 discrete autoanalyzer (Alliance Co., Frepillon, France) based on the process described by Zheng et al [2]. The soil total potassium (TK) and AK were measured using flame photometry [33].…”

“…Nitrogen (N) plays a crucial role in maintaining and improving crop yields, and a large amount of N fertilizer is used in farmland systems every year [1,2]. Although the application of N fertilizer has increased crop productivity, it has also caused serious soil structure and quality degradation problems for arable land [3].…”