Drip Irrigation Frequency: The Effects and Their Interaction with Nitrogen Fertilization on Sandy Soil Water Distribution, Maize Yield and Water Use Efficiency Under Egyptian Conditions

Irrigation frequency is one of the most important factors in drip irrigation scheduling that affects the soil water regime, the water and fertilization use efficiency and the crop yield, although the same quantity of water is applied. Therefore, field experiments were conducted for 2 years in the summer season of 2005 and 2006 on sandy soils to investigate the effects of irrigation frequency and their interaction with nitrogen fertilization on water distribution, grain yield, yield components and water use efficiency (WUE) of two white grain maize hybrids (Zea mays L.). The experiment was conducted by using a randomized complete block split‐split plot design, with four irrigation frequencies (once every 2, 3, 4 and 5 days), two nitrogen levels (190 and 380 kg N ha^?1), and two maize hybrids (three‐way cross 310 and single cross 10) as the main‐plot, split‐plot, and split‐split plot treatments respectively. The results indicate that drip irrigation frequency did affect soil water content and retained soil water, depending on soil depth. Grain yield with the application of 190 kg N ha^?1 was not statistically different from that at 380 kg N ha^?1 at the irrigation frequency once every 5 days. However, the application of 190 kg N ha^?1 resulted in a significant yield reduction of 25 %, 18 % and 9 % in 2005 and 20 %, 13 % and 6 % in 2006 compared with 380 kg N ha^?1 at the irrigation frequencies once every 2, 3 and 4 days respectively. The response function between yield components and irrigation frequency treatments was quadratic in both growing seasons except for 100‐grain weight, where the function was linear. WUE increased with increasing irrigation frequency and nitrogen levels, and reached the maximum values at once every 2 and 3 days and at 380 kg N ha^?1. In order to improve the WUE and grain yield for drip‐irrigated maize in sandy soils, it is recommended that irrigation frequency should be once every 2 or 3 days at the investigated nitrogen levels of 380 kg N ha^?1 regardless of maize varieties. However, further optimization with a reduced nitrogen application rate should be aimed at and will have to be investigated.     

Deficit irrigation maintains maize yield through improved soil water extraction and stable canopy radiation interception

Deficit irrigation (DI) is an effective way to save irrigation water while maintaining sustainable yield in irrigated crops. However, limited information is available related to canopy structure and solar radiation use under DI condition. In this study, our objective was to assess maize hybrids for leaf development, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) interception and water use under DI condition. Field experiments were conducted in 2016 and 2017 in four maize hybrids at well-watered (I₁₀₀, referring to 100% evapotranspiration [ET] requirement) and DI (I₇₅, referring to 75% ET requirement) water regimes. Compared to I₁₀₀, I₇₅ did not reduce maize biomass and grain yield. Although DI reduced the leaf appearance rates (1.5% in 2016 and 7.6% in 2017) and resulted in greater variations in leaf area index (LAI) among hybrids, the amount of PAR interception was not affected during the growing season. DI significantly reduced the seasonal ET in both years (19.8% in 2016 and 26.6% in 2017). All the hybrids extracted more soil water (29 mm in 2016 and 27 mm in 2017) at I₇₅ than at I₁₀₀. Maize plants at I₇₅ had greater water use efficiency (WUE) (1.68 kg m⁻³) than those at I₁₀₀ (1.41 kg m⁻³). However, DI did not affect radiation use efficiency (RUE). In conclusion, DI at I₇₅ maintained grain yield through improved soil water extraction and WUE but stable canopy radiation interception and RUE.     

Moisture Stress Effects on the Yield and Water Use of Sorghum Hybrids and their Parents*

Little is known of the relationship between hybrids and parental material with respect to water use and drought resistance. Responses of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) F₁ hybrids to moisture deficits are partially determined by parental material. The yield and water use of six sorghum hybrids and their respective male and female parents were evaluated under stressed and well irrigated conditions during 1980 and 1981 at Tucson, Arizona. The soil was Comoro loamy sand (coarse-loamy, mixed, calcareous, thermic typic Torrifluvent) with an average available soil moisture of 16 % at field capacity. Changes in soil moisture were monitored semi-weekly by neutron modulation. Meteorological data were collected daily. The 1980 season had higher maximum temperatures and pan evaporation than the 1981 season. Differences in cumulative water use among entries were apparent within the same water treatments during 1981. Mean cumulative evapotranspiration (ET) for the stressed treatment was 248 and 281 mm for 1980 and 1981, respectively, and ET under well irrigated conditions was 419 and 528 mm for 1980 and 1981, respectively. Hybrids produced greater grain yield than their parents under both water treatments. This was due to greater seed number for hybrids. Seed numbers were more stable for hybrids over both treatments than for parents. Hybrids four and seven had the greatest grain yield in 1980 and 1981, respectively, under stressed conditions. Water use efficiency (WUE) was significantly different within water treatments but was not so between the irrigated and stressed treatments. Hybrids WUE was generally greater than that of parents except for hybrid five under irrigated conditions in 1981. Hybrids with WUE and stable yields were not necessarily reflective of parental material under stressed and non-stressed environments.     

Drought Tolerance and Water‐Use Efficiency of Biogas Crops: A Comparison of Cup Plant,Maize and Lucerne‐Grass

The cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) is discussed as an alternative energy crop for biogas production in Germany due to its ecological benefits over continuously grown maize. Moreover, a certain drought tolerance is assumed because of its intensive root growth and the dew water collection by the leaf cups, formed by fused leaf pairs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate evapotranspiration (ET ), water‐use efficiency (WUE ) and the relevance of the leaf cups for the cup plant's water balance in a 2‐year field experiment. Parallel investigations were conducted for the two reference crops maize (high WUE ) and lucerne‐grass (deep and intensive rooting) under rainfed and irrigated conditions. Root system performance was assessed by measuring water depletion at various soil depths. Transpiration‐use efficiency (TUE ) was estimated using a model approach. Averaged over the 2 years, drought‐related above‐ground dry matter reduction was higher for the cup plant (33 %) than for the maize (18 %) and lucerne‐grass (14 %). The WUE of the cup plant (33 kg ha^?1 mm^?1) was significantly lower than for maize (50 kg ha^?1 mm^?1). The cup plant had a lower water uptake capacity than lucerne‐grass. Cup plant dry matter yields as high as those of maize will only be attainable at sites that are well supplied with water, be it through a large soil water reserve, groundwater connection, high rainfall or supplemental irrigation.     

Maize yield and water balance is affected by nitrogen application in a film-mulching ridge–furrow system in a semiarid region of China

Poor soil and drought stress are common in semiarid areas of China, but maize has a high demand for nitrogen (N) and water. Maize production using the technique of double ridges and furrows mulched with plastic film are being rapidly adopted due to significant increases in yield and water use efficiency (WUE) in these areas. This paper studied N use and water balance of maize crops under double ridges and furrows mulched with plastic-film systems in a semiarid environment over four growing seasons from 2007 to 2010. To improve precipitation storage in the non-growing season, the whole-year plastic-film mulching technique was used. There were six treatments which had 0, 70, 140, 280, 420 or 560 kg N ha⁻¹ applied in every year for maize. In April 2011, spring wheat was planted in flat plots without fertilizer or mulch following four years of maize cultivation. After four years, all treatments not only maintained soil water balance in the 0–200 cm soil layer but soil water content also increased in the 0–160 cm soil layer compared to values before maize sowing in April 2007. However, under similar precipitation and only one season of spring wheat, soil water content in the 0–160 cm soil layer sharply decreased in all treatments compared to values before sowing in April 2011. Over the four years of maize cultivation, average yield in all treatments ranged from 4071 to 6676 kg ha⁻¹ and WUE ranged from 18.2 to 28.2 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹. In 2011, the yield of spring wheat in all treatments ranged from 763 to 1260 kg ha⁻¹ and WUE from 3.5 to 6.5 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹. The potential maximum grain yield for maize was 6784 kg ha⁻¹ with 360 kg N ha⁻¹ applied for four years, but considerable NO₃N accumulated in the soil profile. A lesser application (110 kg N ha⁻¹) to this tillage system yielded in 82% of the maximum, increased nitrogen use efficiency and mitigated the risk of nitrogen loss from the system. This study suggests that double ridge–furrow and whole-year plastic-film mulching could sustain high grain yields in maize with approximately 110 kg N ha⁻¹ and maintain soil water balance when annual precipitation is >273 mm in this semiarid environment.     

Application of the CSM-CERES-Maize model for planting date evaluation and yield forecasting for maize grown off-season in a subtropical environment

In recent years, maize has become one of the main alternative crops for the Autumn–Winter growing season (off-season) in several regions of Brazil. Water deficits, sub-optimum temperatures and low solar radiation levels are some of the more common problems that are experienced during this growing season. However, the impact of variable weather conditions on crop production can be analyzed with crop simulation models. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the Cropping System Model (CSM)-CERES-Maize for its ability to simulate growth, development, grain yield for four different maturity maize hybrids grown off-season in a subtropical region of Brazil, to study the impact of different planting dates on maize performance under rainfed and irrigated conditions, and for yield forecasting for the most common off-season production system. The CSM-CERES-Maize model was evaluated with experimental data collected during three field experiments conducted in Piracicaba, SP, Brazil. The experiments were completely randomized with three replications for the 2001 experiment and four replications for the 2002 experiments. For the yield forecasting application, daily weather data for 2002 were used until the forecast date, complemented with 25 years of historical daily weather data for the remainder of the growing season. Six planting dates were simulated, starting on February 1 and repeated every 15 days until April 15. The evaluation of the CSM-CERES-Maize showed that the model was able to simulate phenology and grain yield for the four hybrids accurately, with normalized RMSE (expressed in percentage) less than 15%. The planting date analysis showed that a delayed planting date from February 1 to April 15 caused a decrease in average yield of 55% for the rainfed and 21% for the irrigated conditions for all hybrids. The yield forecasting analysis demonstrated that an accurate yield forecast could be provided at approximately 45 days prior to the harvest date for all four maize hybrids. These results are promising for farmers and decision makers, as they could have access to accurate yield forecasts prior to final harvest. However, to be able to make practical decisions for stock management of maize grains, it is necessary to develop this methodology for different locations. Future model evaluations might also be needed due to the release of new cultivars by breeders.     

Effects of nitrogen and water stress on the rehydration,endogenous hormonal regulation and yield of maize

Water scarcity is known to be a strong limiting factor affecting maize grown and yield in cold semi-arid regions. Numerous studies have shown that rehydration improves maize growth. Our study aimed to explore the effects of rehydration treatments on maize growth and yield under water and nitrogen stress during different growth stages. We selected the drought-tolerant maize variety Nendan 19 (ND19) and subjected it to water stress during the V6 (sixth-leaf), R2 (filling) and R6 (maturity) growth stages and a rehydration treatment after each stress stage. Our results indicated that N1 (N100 kg N ha⁻¹) and N3 (N300 kg N ha⁻¹) treatments significantly increased the leaf moisture status relative to water content (RWC), bound water content (BWC), free water content (FWC) and water potential (WP)) at different growth stages. Similar trends were observed in the accumulation of plant leaf and root hormones (zeatin+zeatin riboside, indole-3-acetic acid, abscisic acid and gibberellic acid), photosynthetic pigments and chlorophyll fluorescence. However, under the same water stress conditions, they decreased as the N rate increased and reached a minimum value in the S3 (water stress for N3) treatments. In addition, with growth stage advancement and extension of the rehydration time, both showed a gradual upward trend. The results showed that to save water resources in the cold semi-arid region, rehydration treatments (R2S1 and R2S3) significantly increased the photosynthetic pigments and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, leaf moisture status, biomass, 100-grain weight, hormone content, ear characteristics and grain yield of maize.     

Genetic and environmental influences on chickpea water‐use efficiency

Chickpea is a major crop grown for its nutritional value, and it is used for both food and feed. However, terminal drought greatly reduces grain yield in many chickpea producing areas. The impacts of drought could be mitigated by adapting chickpea genotypes with higher water‐use efficiency (WUE). To assess genetic variation for WUE, contrasting genotypes were sown in two moisture regimes (well‐watered and water‐limited) and two tillage regimes (tillage and no‐tillage) in north‐western NSW across two consecutive seasons. The well‐watered and no till treatments were higher yielding than their respective rainfed and tillage treatments. Genotypes did not differ (p < 0.05) in their water use but differed significantly in their WUE, and a significant genotype‐by‐moisture treatment effect was observed. The heritability of WUE was higher under tillage (71.3% for tillage under rainfed conditions and 73.0% for tillage and irrigated conditions) than no‐till (43.3% for no till under rainfed conditions and 36.4% for no‐till and irrigated conditions), and no significant genotype‐by‐tillage interaction was observed.     

Agronomic performance of winter wheat grown under highly divergent soil moisture conditions in rainfed and water‐managed environments

Even in the temperate climates of Europe, increasing early season drought and rising air temperature are presenting new challenges to farmers and wheat breeders. Sixteen winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes consisting of three hybrids, six line cultivars and two breeding lines from Germany as well as five line cultivars from France, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and the Ukraine (referred to as “exotic” lines) have been included in this study. The genetic materials were evaluated over three growing seasons under a range of soil moisture regimes at the three North German sites Braunschweig (irrigated and drought‐stressed), Warmse (rainfed) and Söllingen (rainfed). The average grain yields in the twelve growth environments (water regime × season combinations) ranged from 6.1 to 13.5 t ha^?1. The exotic lines showed little evidence of specific phenological adaptation to drought although they are frequently faced with water scarcity in their countries of origin. The hybrids and German lines exhibited higher regression coefficients (b_i) to environmental means than the exotic lines, indicating particular adaptation to favourable growing conditions. The phenotypical correlations of grain yield between the various environments were high, ranging for instance from 0.6 to 0.8 for the irrigated and drought‐stressed environments at Braunschweig. It is thus expected that in the foreseeable future continued selection aiming at high yield potential will suffice as a means to counter the expected increase in droughts.     

Radiation use efficiency,chemical composition,and methane yield of biogas crops under rainfed and irrigated conditions

For biomethane production, the cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) is considered a promising alternative substrate to silage maize (Zea mays L.) due to its high biomass potential and associated ecological and environmental benefits. It has also been suggested to grow cup plant on less productive soils because of its presumed drought tolerance, but robust information on the impact of water shortage on biomass growth and substrate quality of cup plant is rare. Therefore, this study assesses the effects of soil water availability on the chemical composition and specific methane yield (SMY) of cup plant. Furthermore above-ground dry matter yield (DMY) was analysed as a function of intercepted photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and radiation use efficiency (RUE). Data were collected in a two-year field experiment under rainfed and irrigated conditions with cup plant, maize, and lucerne-grass (Medicago sativa L., Festuca pratensis Huds., Phleum pratense L.). The cup plant revealed a slight decrease of −6% in the SMY in response to water shortage (less than 50% of plant available water capacity). The average SMY of cup plant [306 l (kg volatile solids (VS))⁻¹] was lower than that of maize [362 l (kg VS)⁻¹] and lucerne-grass [334 l (kg VS)⁻¹]. The mean drought-related reduction of the methane hectare yield (MHY) was significantly greater for cup plant (−40%) than for maize (−17%) and lucerne-grass (−13%). The DMY reduction in rainfed cup plant was mainly attributed to a more severe decrease in RUE (−29%) than for maize (−16%) and lucerne-grass (−12%). Under water stress, the mean cup plant RUE (1.3 g MJ⁻¹) was significantly lower than that of maize (2.9 g MJ⁻¹) and lucerne-grass (1.4 g MJ⁻¹). Compared to RUE, the reduced PAR interception was less meaningful for DMY in rainfed crops. Hence, the cup plant is not suitable for growing on drought prone lands due to its high water demand required to produce reasonably high MHYs.     

Application of the CSM-CERES-Maize model for planting date evaluation and yield forecasting for maize grown off-season in a subtropical environment

In recent years, maize has become one of the main alternative crops for the Autumn–Winter growing season (off-season) in several regions of Brazil. Water deficits, sub-optimum temperatures and low solar radiation levels are some of the more common problems that are experienced during this growing season. However, the impact of variable weather conditions on crop production can be analyzed with crop simulation models. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the Cropping System Model (CSM)-CERES-Maize for its ability to simulate growth, development, grain yield for four different maturity maize hybrids grown off-season in a subtropical region of Brazil, to study the impact of different planting dates on maize performance under rainfed and irrigated conditions, and for yield forecasting for the most common off-season production system. The CSM-CERES-Maize model was evaluated with experimental data collected during three field experiments conducted in Piracicaba, SP, Brazil. The experiments were completely randomized with three replications for the 2001 experiment and four replications for the 2002 experiments. For the yield forecasting application, daily weather data for 2002 were used until the forecast date, complemented with 25 years of historical daily weather data for the remainder of the growing season. Six planting dates were simulated, starting on February 1 and repeated every 15 days until April 15. The evaluation of the CSM-CERES-Maize showed that the model was able to simulate phenology and grain yield for the four hybrids accurately, with normalized RMSE (expressed in percentage) less than 15%. The planting date analysis showed that a delayed planting date from February 1 to April 15 caused a decrease in average yield of 55% for the rainfed and 21% for the irrigated conditions for all hybrids. The yield forecasting analysis demonstrated that an accurate yield forecast could be provided at approximately 45 days prior to the harvest date for all four maize hybrids. These results are promising for farmers and decision makers, as they could have access to accurate yield forecasts prior to final harvest. However, to be able to make practical decisions for stock management of maize grains, it is necessary to develop this methodology for different locations. Future model evaluations might also be needed due to the release of new cultivars by breeders.     

玉米杂交种水分利用效率及相关性状分析

为充分发挥玉米杂交种的水分利用效率,实现玉米高产、高效的目的,本研究以中国生产和推广应用的玉米杂交种为材料,在多变低水条件下,根据成熟期产量水分利用效率剖析其高效性。研究结果表明,不同玉米杂交种间其水分利用效率存在较大的变异范围,玉米杂交种水分利用效率存在着丰富多样的类型;水分利用效率相关性状方差分析结果表明,产量水分利用效率各构成性状在品种间存在着较大差异,不同玉米品种可利用不同性状达到水分的高效利用;简单相关和偏相关分析结果表明,与水分利用效率密切相关的性状是穗行数、行粒数和百粒重。因此,在生产应用中应因地制宜选用不同玉米杂交种,在品种选育过程中应重视相关性状的选择。     

Effects of Zinc Deficiency and Drought on Grain Yield of Field-grown Wheat Cultivars in Central Anatolia

Drought stress and zinc (Zn) deficiency are serious abiotic stress factors limiting crop production in Turkey, especially in Central Anatolia. In this study, the effects of Zn deficiency and drought stress on grain yield of 20 wheat cultivars (16 bread wheat, Triticum aestivum; four durum wheat, Triticum durum cultivars) were investigated over 2 years under rainfed and irrigated conditions in Central Anatolia where drought and Zn deficiency cause substantial yield reductions. Plants were treated with (+Zn: 23 kg Zn ha⁻¹, as ZnSO₄·7H₂O) and without (−Zn) Zn under rainfed and irrigated conditions. Both Zn deficiency and rainfed treatments resulted in substantial decreases in grain yield. Significant differences were determined between both bread wheat and durum wheat cultivars in terms of drought stress tolerance. Considering drought sensitivity indices over 2 years, the bread wheat cultivars Yayla‐305, Gerek‐79, Dagdas‐94 and Bolal‐2973 were found to be more drought‐tolerant than the other cultivars under both −Zn and +Zn treatments. Especially the durum wheat cultivars Cakmak 79 and Selcuklu 97 showed much greater drought susceptibility under Zn deficiency, and irrigation alone was not sufficient to obtain satisfying grain yield without Zn application. The results indicate that sensitivity to Zn deficiency stress became more pronounced when plants were drought‐stressed. The effect of irrigation on grain yield was maximized when Zn was adequately supplied, leading to the suggestion that efficient water use in Central Anatolia seems to be highly dependent on the Zn nutritional status of plants.     

Long term effects of tillage practices and N fertilization in rainfed Mediterranean cropping systems: durum wheat,sunflower and maize grain yield

Long term investigations on the combined effects of tillage systems and other agronomic practices such as mineral N fertilization under Mediterranean conditions on durum wheat are very scanty and findings are often contradictory. Moreover, no studies are available on the long term effect of the adoption of conservation tillage on grain yield of maize and sunflower grown in rotation with durum wheat under rainfed Mediterranean conditions. This paper reports the results of a 20-years experiment on a durum wheat-sunflower (7 years) and durum wheat–maize (13 years) two-year rotation, whose main objective was to quantify the long term effects of different tillage practices (CT = conventional tillage; MT = minimum tillage; NT = no tillage) combined with different nitrogen fertilizer rates (N0, N1, N2 corresponding to 0, 45 and 90 kg N ha⁻¹ for sunflower, and 0, 90 and 180 kg N ha⁻¹ for wheat and maize) on grain yield, yield components and yield stability for the three crops. In addition, the influence of meteorological factors on the interannual variability of studied variables was also assessed. For durum wheat, NT did not allow substantial yield benefits leading to comparable yields with respect to CT in ten out of twenty years. For both sunflower and maize, NT under rainfed conditions was not a viable options, because of the unsuitable (i.e., too wet) soil conditions of the clayish soil at sowing. Both spring crops performed well with MT. No significant N × tillage interaction was found for the three crops. As expected, the response of durum wheat and maize grain yield to N was remarkable, while sunflower grain yield was not significantly influenced by N rate. Wheat yield was constrained by high temperatures in January during tillering and drought in April during heading. The interannual yield variability of sunflower was mainly associated to soil water deficit at flowering and air temperature during seed filling. Heavy rains during this latter phase strongly constrained sunflower grain yield. Maize grain yield was negatively affected by high temperatures in June and drought in July, this latter factor was particularly important in the fertilized maize. Considering both yield and yield stability, durum wheat and sunflower performed better under MT and N1 while maize performed better under both CT and MT and with N2 rates. The results of this long term study are suitable for supporting policies on sustainable Mediterranean rainfed cropping systems and also for cropping system modelling.     

氮肥后移对玉米间作豌豆耗水特性的调控效应

针对水资源不足严重制约干旱灌区间作发展,间作中以氮调水理论研究的薄弱,生产实践中缺乏氮肥运筹同步提高间作产量和水分利用效率的措施等问题。2012-2013年,以河西走廊规模化应用的玉米间作豌豆为研究对象,在总施氮量相同且基肥和孕穗肥分别占10%和50%条件下,设氮肥后移30% (N₁,拔节肥0+花粒肥40%)、氮肥后移15% (N₂,拔节肥15%+花粒肥25%)、传统制度(N₃,拔节肥30%+花粒肥10%) 3个施氮处理,探讨氮肥后移对间作产量和水分利用效率(WUE)的影响,以期为禾豆间作优化施氮制度、提高产量和水分利用效率提供理论依据。结果表明,氮肥后移对玉米间作豌豆总耗水量(ET)影响不显著,但降低了棵间蒸发量(E)和棵间蒸发量占总耗水量的比例(E/ET);与传统施氮处理相比,氮肥后移15%使玉米间作豌豆的E和E/ET降低6%和4%,氮肥后移30%使玉米间作豌豆的E和E/ET均降低2%。在间作系统中,豌豆带、玉米带的棵间蒸发量分别为329 mm、232 mm,表明豌豆带的无效耗水显著高于玉米带。氮肥后移15%间作的混合籽粒产量、WUE较传统施氮间作分别高出6%、5%,氮肥后移30%间作混合籽粒产量、WUE较传统施氮间作分别提高3%、2%。因此,玉米间作豌豆结合氮肥后移15%,即豌豆开花结荚期(玉米拔节期)追施氮肥67.5 kg hm^-2、玉米大喇叭口期追施氮肥225 kg hm^-2、玉米花后15 d追施氮肥112.5 kg hm^-2,可作为绿洲灌区玉米间作豌豆增产和提高WUE的农艺措施之一。     

Phenotypic assessment of genetic gain from selection for improved drought tolerance in semi-tropical maize populations

Most maize production across the globe is rain-fed, and production is set to be negatively impacted as duration and occurrence of droughts increases due to climate change. Development of water-deficit tolerant maize germplasm has been a major focus for most breeding programmes. Here, we sought to assess the genetic gain for grain yield in two maize populations developed for drought tolerance at CIMMYT by evaluating their cycle progeny through hybrid performance. Inbreds derived from different cycles of the Drought Tolerant Population (DTP) and La Posta Sequia (LPS) were mated to a tester (CML550), and resulting hybrids were evaluated under managed water-deficit stress and well-watered conditions. The difference in yield between water-deficit and well-watered treatments was 27% and 36% for the DTP and LPS, respectively. Genetic gain for grain yield across cycles for the two populations was confirmed in the study. Genetic gain was observed for both treatments indicating that selection for water-deficit stress tolerance simultaneously improves grain yield in well-watered conditions. The DTP population had a genetic gain of 0.07 t ha⁻¹ cycle⁻¹, while the LPS had 0.16 t ha⁻¹ cycle⁻¹ under water-deficit conditions. Significant genetic gain was also observed in the well-watered treatments for both populations. Anthesis to silking interval was significantly reduced under water-deficit stress conditions in both populations. Plant and ear height were reduced in the LPS population in both treatments, while no reductions were observed for the trait in the DTP population. Potential water-deficit stress tolerance donor lines with yields comparable to commercial check varieties were identified.     

Forage production,quality and water-use-efficiency of four warm-season annual crops at three sowing times in the Loess Plateau region of China

Increasing demand for livestock products is driving development of livestock systems worldwide. That requires improved and new forage production options. The Loess Plateau region in central-northern China is an important area for livestock production, as it supports11% and 19% of the country’s cattle and sheep, respectively (China statistical yearbook 2014). The rain-fed semi-arid environment of the Loess Plateau means that maximizing the water-use-efficiency (WUE) of forage production is vital to guarantee enough fodder supply the livestock demand. A three-year field experiment in north-west Loess Plateau compared forage production, water use and water-use-efficiency as well as crude protein (CP) content of forage maize, Sudan grass, foxtail millet and Japanese millet sown at three sowing dates according to the opening rain during 2011–2013. On average, forage maize produced the highest biomass (12.1 t ha⁻¹) and had the highest WUE (43.4 kg DM ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹). This was followed by Sudan grass (7.8 t ha⁻¹; 26.5 kg DM ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹), Japanese millet (6.7 t ha⁻¹; 26.2 kg DM ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹) and foxtail millet (6.7 t ha⁻¹; 24.6 kg DM ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹). Optimizing sowing date played an important role in maximizing forage production and WUE of all tested forages. Compared to the earliest sowing date, a delay of two weeks reduced forage production by 17% in maize, 35% in foxtail millet, and 16% in Japanese millet. A delay of four to six weeks reduced biomass yield by 58% in maize, 57% in foxtail millet, and 56% in Japanese millet. Late sowing also greatly reduced WUE of forage maize and foxtail millet by 33% and 42%, respectively, when compared to early sowing. The middle sowing date maximized forage production and WUE of Sudan grass in two of the three growing seasons, which was 20% and 38% higher than the early and late sowing, respectively. Late sowing in all forages reduced crop water use by 42–57 mm compared to the early sowing. Among four test crops, CP of Sudan grass (7.9%) and forage maize (7.7%) was higher than foxtail millet (6.8%) and Japanese millet (6.7%). Compared with early sowing, CP_f in late sowing significantly increased in Sudan grass and decreased in Japanese millet, in contrast, no evident sowing date effect was found in forage maize and foxtail millet. This study showed that all four warm-season annual grasses had high forage production potential, forage maize was the most reliable and efficient option. Forage maize and the millets could easily be integrated into existing cropping systems and provide opportunities as both grain and forage-producing crop to provide added flexibility for farmers.     

Chemical composition and methane yield of maize hybrids with contrasting maturity

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important substrate for biogas production in Germany. This study was conducted to determine the influence of harvest date and hybrid maturity on the yield and quality of maize biomass for anaerobic methane production. In 2004 and 2005, maize hybrids of widely contrasting maturity were grown on a loamy sand soil (Haplic Luvisol) near Braunschweig, Germany. Whole-plant yield was determined several times after female flowering and the biomass analysed for nutrient composition. The specific methane yield (SMY) was measured using 20 l batch digesters. In both experimental years, the late energy maize prototypes had a lower concentration of fat and protein, but higher concentration of ash, detergent fibre, and lignin as compared with the climatically adapted medium-early hybrids. Despite substantially different nutrient concentration among the maize hybrids, no clear-cut association existed between chemical composition and specific methane yield. Contrary to the medium-early hybrids, the late hybrids attained both maximum specific methane yield and maximum methane hectare yields at the final harvest date. In the very long growing season of 2004, the highest individual methane yield of 9370 N m³ ha⁻¹ was obtained by the hybrid with the latest maturity used in the study. It appears that late energy maize, which can take full advantage of the growing season, is better suited for biogas production, provided that the whole-plant dry matter concentration is high enough to produce good quality silage.     

Comparison of Drought Tolerance of Maize,Sweet Sorghum and Sorghum‐Sudangrass Hybrids

In drought‐prone environments, sweet sorghum and sorghum‐sudangrass hybrids are considered worthy alternatives to maize for biogas production. The biomass productivity of the three crops was compared by growing them side‐by‐side in a rain‐out shelter under different levels of plant available soil water (PASW) during the growing periods of 2008 to 2010 at Braunschweig, Germany. All crops were established under high levels of soil water. Thereafter, the crops either remained at the wet level (60–80 % PASW) or were subjected to moderate (40–50 % PASW) and severe drought stress (15–25 % PASW). While the above‐ground dry weight (ADW) of sweet sorghum and maize was insignificantly different under well‐watered conditions, sweet sorghum under severe drought stress produced 27 % more ADW than maize. The ADW of sorghum‐sudangrass hybrids significantly lagged behind sweet sorghum at all levels of water supply. The three crops differed markedly in their susceptibility to water shortage. Severe drought stress reduced the ADW of maize by 51 %, but only by 37 % for sweet sorghum and 35 % for sorghum‐sudangrass hybrids. The post‐harvest root dry weight (RDW) in the 0–100 cm soil layer for maize, sweet sorghum and sorghum‐sudangrass hybrids averaged 4.4, 6.1 and 2.9 t ha^?1 under wet and 1.9, 5.7 and 2.4 t ha^?1 under severe drought stress. Under these most dry conditions, the sorghum crops had relatively higher RDW and root length density (RLD) in the deeper soil layers than maize. The subsoil RDW proportion (20–100 vs. 0–20 cm) for maize, sweet sorghum and sorghum‐sudangrass hybrids amounted to 6 %, 10 % and 20 %. The higher ADM of sweet sorghum compared with maize under dry conditions is most likely attributable to the deep root penetration and high proportion of roots in the subsoil, which confers the sorghum crop a high water uptake capacity.     

西北绿洲灌区水氮耦合对燕麦品种陇燕3号耗水特性及产量的影响

灌水和施肥,尤其是施氮肥,是调控作物生长和增加产量的两大重要技术措施,其互作是燕麦高产高效栽培中重要因素。2014—2015年连续2个生长季,在甘肃河西绿洲灌区的田间试验设3个定额灌溉和3个施氮(纯氮)水平,研究水氮耦合对陇燕3号农田0~150 cm土层耗水量、棵间蒸发、产量及水分利用效率的影响。3个灌溉处理的灌水量分别为270 mm(I_1)、337.5 mm(I_2)和405 mm(I_3),3个施氮水平分别为90 kg hm~(–2)(N_1)、120 kg hm~(–2)(N_2)和150 kg hm~(–2)(N_3)。从播种到成熟,燕麦阶段耗水强度呈先增后减趋势,抽穗至灌浆是最大耗水期,且同一施氮水平下,阶段耗水强度随灌水量增大而显著增加。在全生育期内,棵间蒸发量(E)及土壤水分蒸发量占总蒸发量的比例(E/ET)表现先降后升趋势,且相同施氮量下,拔节至灌浆期随灌水量的增大而增大,而灌浆至成熟期则随灌水量的增大而减小。相同施氮量下,燕麦产量随灌水量增加而显著增加,水分利用效率却随灌水量增加而降低。产量N_3I_3最高(5466.0~5727.5 kg hm~(–2)),N_3I_2次之(5428.5~5678.5 kg hm~(–2)),N_1I_1最低(4504.5~4804.3 kg hm~(–2));水分利用效率N_3I_2最大(12.11~12.82 kg mm~(–1) hm~(–2)),N_3I_1次之(12.04~12.63 kg mm~(–1) hm~(–2)),N_1I_3最小(9.79~10.58 kg mm~(–1) hm~(–2))。由此表明,水氮耦合对燕麦水分利用及产量具有显著互作效应。施氮量150 kg hm~(–2)、灌溉定额337.5 mm是西北绿洲灌区燕麦种植较佳的节水、高产水氮管理模式。