Abstract
Abstract Background The combination of mulch with N fertilizer application is a common agronomic technique used in the production of rainfed maize ( Zea mays L. ) to achieve higher yields under conditions of optimum planting density and adequate N supply. However, the combined effects of mulch, planting density, and N fertilizer application rate on plant N uptake and N translocation efficiency are not known. The objective of this study was to quantify the interaction effect of mulch, planting density, and N fertilizer application rate on maize grain yield, N uptake, N translocation, and N translocation efficiency. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three factors (2 mulch levels × 2 planting densities × 4 N fertilizer application rates) replicated four times. Results There was a significant interaction among mulch, plant density, and N fertilizer on maize grain yield, kernel number per cob, N uptake, N translocation, and N translocation efficiency. Averaged over the 3 years of the study, total plant N uptake at silking ranged from 79 to 149 kg N ha − 1 with no mulch and from 76 to 178 kg N ha − 1 with mulch. The N uptake at silking in different plant organs ranked as leaf > grain > stem > cob. Averaged across all factors, the highest N translocation was observed in leaves, which was 59.4 and 88.7% higher than observed in stems and ears, respectively. The mean vegetative organ N translocation efficiency averaged over mulch, planting density, and N fertilizer application rate treatments decreased in the order of leaf > stem > cob. Conclusions Mulch, planting density, and N fertilizer application rate not only have significant effects on improving maize grain yield and NUE, but also on N uptake, N translocation, and N translocation efficiency. Our results showed clearly that under high planting density, the combination of mulch and moderate N fertilizer application rate was the optimal strategy for increasing maize grain yield and N use efficiency.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch, density, and fertilizer interacted significantly for grain yield and kernel number.
Zea maysNot reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“significant interaction among mulch, plant density, and N fertilizer on maize grain yield, kernel number per cob, N uptake, N translocation, and N translocation efficiency”
Claim · model-written summary
These three factors interacted significantly for N uptake, translocation, and translocation efficiency.
- Treatment
- mulch, plant density, and N fertilizere0
- Outcome
- N uptake, N translocation, and N translocation efficiencye0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“significant interaction among mulch, plant density, and N fertilizer on maize grain yield, kernel number per cob, N uptake, N translocation, and N translocation efficiency”
Claim · model-written summary
At silking, total plant N uptake ranged from 79 to 149 kg N ha − 1 without mulch.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“total plant N uptake at silking ranged from 79 to 149 kg N ha − 1 with no mulch and from 76 to 178 kg N ha − 1 with mulch”
Claim · model-written summary
At silking, total plant N uptake ranged from 76 to 178 kg N ha − 1 with mulch.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“total plant N uptake at silking ranged from 79 to 149 kg N ha − 1 with no mulch and from 76 to 178 kg N ha − 1 with mulch”
Claim · model-written summary
N uptake at silking ranked leaf above grain, stem, and cob.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“N uptake at silking in different plant organs ranked as leaf > grain > stem > cob”
Claim · model-written summary
N translocation was 59.4% higher in leaves than stems.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“highest N translocation was observed in leaves, which was 59.4 and 88.7% higher than observed in stems and ears, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
N translocation was 88.7% higher in leaves than ears.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“highest N translocation was observed in leaves, which was 59.4 and 88.7% higher than observed in stems and ears, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Vegetative organ N translocation efficiency decreased from leaf to stem to cob.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“vegetative organ N translocation efficiency averaged over mulch, planting density, and N fertilizer application rate treatments decreased in the order of leaf > stem > cob”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch, density, and N rate significantly improved grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency.
- Treatment
- Mulch, planting density, and N fertilizer application ratee0
- Outcome
- maize grain yield and NUEe0
- Direction
- improvinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“Mulch, planting density, and N fertilizer application rate not only have significant effects on improving maize grain yield and NUE, but also on N uptake, N translocation, and N translocation efficiency”
Claim · model-written summary
The management factors significantly improved N uptake, translocation, and translocation efficiency.
- Treatment
- Mulch, planting density, and N fertilizer application ratee0
- Outcome
- N uptake, N translocation, and N translocation efficiencye0
- Direction
- improvinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“Mulch, planting density, and N fertilizer application rate not only have significant effects on improving maize grain yield and NUE, but also on N uptake, N translocation, and N translocation efficiency”
Claim · model-written summary
At high density, mulch with moderate N rate was recommended to increase yield and nitrogen use efficiency.
- Outcome
- the combination of mulch and moderate N fertilizer application rate was the optimal strategye0
- Qualifier
- under high planting densitye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“under high planting density, the combination of mulch and moderate N fertilizer application rate was the optimal strategy for increasing maize grain yield and N use efficiency”
The same questions in other papers
density · nutrient: content · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
33 papers in the same direction as this paper · 10 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- positive
40 papers more in this group
See all 44 papers →mulching · nutrient: content · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
45 papers in the same direction as this paper · 3 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- positive
45 papers more in this group
See all 49 papers →mulching · yield · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
329 papers in the same direction as this paper · 31 in the opposite direction · 3 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- positive
- positive
360 papers more in this group
See all 364 papers →density · yield · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
518 papers in the same direction as this paper · 132 in the opposite direction · 7 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- positive
- positive
654 papers more in this group
See all 658 papers →fertilization · nutrient: content · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
1,025 papers in the same direction as this paper · 127 in the opposite direction · 11 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- negative
- negative
1,160 papers more in this group
See all 1,164 papers →fertilization · yield · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
3,484 papers in the same direction as this paper · 338 in the opposite direction · 85 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- negative
- no effect
3,904 papers more in this group
See all 3,908 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.