Maize （Zea mays L.） Growth and Grain Yield under Conventional and Site-Specific Nitrogen Management in a Dryland Farming System
Maize （Zea mays L.） Growth and Grain Yield under Conventional and Site-Specific Nitrogen Management in a Dryland Farming System作者机构：Limpopo Department of Agriculture Directorate of Research Services Polokwane 0700 South Africa Department of Plant Production Soil Science andAgricultural Engineering University ofLimpopo Sovenga 0727 South Africa Department of Crop Science Tshwane University of Technology Pretoria 0001 South Africa College of Agronomy and Biotechnology China Agricultural University Beij'ing 100094 China
出 版 物：《Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology(B)》 (农业科学与技术（B）)
年 卷 期：2014年第4卷第8期
页 面：602-611页
主 题：Africa maize grain yield nitrogen management precision agriculture
摘 要：Large amount of pre-plant nitrogen （N） fertilizer results in low N use efficiency due to poor synchrony between soil N supply and maize N demand, especially during N sensitive growth stages. The objectives of the study were to compare growth and yield of maize （Zea rnays L.） under conventional and site-specific N management in a dryland farming system. The study, which was designed as randomized complete block design was conducted over three site-years under continuous maize cropping system in the semi-arid regions of the Limpopo Province in South Africa. Treatments of the study consisted of three N management strategies on a maize field planted to drought resistant SNK 2147 hybrid maize cultivar. Treatments were： （i） no N application （NO）, （ii） site-specific N at variable rates ranging between 18 kg N/ha and 33 kg N/ha based on soil analysis results （N l） and （iii） conventional and uniform N application broadcasted during planting at 58 kg N/ha （N2）. Sufficiency index as indication of N deficiency was determined using CCM-200 on maize leaves based on leaf numbers during maize vegetative growth stages V6, V10 and Vl4, and thereafter N was applied only when needed. The highest maize grain yield of 5.2 Mg/ha for N 1 was significantly higher （P 〈 0.05） than 3.2 Mg/ha and 4.0 Mg/ha of N0 and N2 in site-year I, respectively. Maize grain yield of 2.2 Mg/ha （Nl） at site-year ll was significantly higher （P _〈 0.05） than 1.7 Mg/ha of the NO. The maize growth and yield under N2 and N1 was compared, N1 required between 43% and 69% lesser N fertilizer as compared to N2 over site-years, and resulted in higher maize height, number of leaves per plant, leaf length, and leaf area than that of conventional N management strategy. Therefore, site-specific N management strategy sustains and improves growth and yield of maize using minimal N fertilizer as compared to conventional approach in low fertility soils of semi-arid regions in dryland farming systems. In examining the results of
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