Abstract

The Huang-Huai-Hai Plain is the most important maize production region in China. To further investigate the improvement of maize yield by changing the planting pattern combined with two plant densities in this region, field experiments involving four planting patterns (three-row strip, four-row strip, five-row strip and a conventional uniform row spacing pattern (the control) under two plant densities (67,500 and 82,500 plants/ha) were conducted in 2011 and 2012. Only the plant density, not the planting pattern, significantly influenced the leaf area index at R1 stage and the total leaf area duration. The radiation use efficiency and the above-ground biomass at R5 were both higher under the three strip planting patterns than under the control, but the differences were not statistically significant. The effects of the planting patterns on the grain yield were significant in both years and the yields were 16.7, 6.1 and 10.7%, respectively higher in 2011 and 17.2, 12.1 and 10.6%, respectively higher in 2012 under the three-, four- and five-row strip treatments, respectively, compared with the control. However, grain yield was affected by neither plant density nor the interaction between planting pattern and plant density. Therefore, optimal strip planting pattern could not be better estimated by considering plant density.

Keywords:

Leaf area duration, radiation use efficiency, yield components, Zea mays L.,

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