Abstract
Continued yield increases of maize ( Zea mays L.) will require higher planting populations, and enhancement of other agronomic inputs could alleviate density-induced stress. Row spacing, plant population, P-S-Zn fertility, K-B fertility, N fertility, and foliar protection were evaluated for their individual and cumulative impacts on the productivity of maize in a maize-soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation. An incomplete factorial design with these agronomic factors in both 0.76 and 0.51 m row widths was implemented for 13 trials in Illinois, United States, from 2014 to 2018. The agronomic treatments were compared to two controls: enhanced and standard, comprising all the factors applied at the enhanced or standard level, respectively. The 0.51 m enhanced management control yielded 3.3 Mg ha –1 (1.8–4.6 Mg ha –1 across the environments) more grain (25%) than the 0.76 m standard management control, demonstrating the apparent yield gap between traditional farm practices and attainable yield through enhanced agronomic management. Narrow rows and the combination of P-S-Zn and K-B fertility were the factors that provided the most significant yield increases over the standard control. Increasing plant population from 79,000 to 109,000 plants ha –1 reduced the yield gap when all other inputs were applied at the enhanced level. However, increasing plant population alone did not increase yield when no other factors were enhanced. Some agronomic factors, such as narrow rows and availability of plant nutrition, become more critical with increasing plant population when density-induced stress is more significant. Changes in yield were dependent upon changes in kernel number. Kernel weight was the heaviest when all the management factors were applied at the enhanced level while only planting 79,000 plants ha –1 . Conversely, kernel weight was the lightest when increasing population to 109,000 plants ha –1 while all other factors were applied at the standard level. The yield contribution of each factor was generally greater when applied in combination with all other enhanced factors than when added individually to the standard input system. Additionally, the full value of high-input agronomic management was only realized when matched with greater plant density.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Enhanced narrow-row management increased grain yield over standard management by 3.3 Mg ha –1, or 25%.
- Treatment
- 0.51 m enhanced management controle0
- Outcome
- graine0
- Direction
- moree0
- Value
- 3.3 Mg ha –1e0
- Qualifier
- 1.8–4.6 Mg ha –1 across the environmentse0
- Comparator
- 0.76 m standard management controle0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The 0.51 m enhanced management control yielded 3.3 Mg ha –1 (1.8–4.6 Mg ha –1 across the environments) more grain (25%) than the 0.76 m standard management control”
e1“maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Narrow rows gave significant yield increases over the standard control.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Narrow rows and the combination of P-S-Zn and K-B fertility were the factors that provided the most significant yield increases over the standard control”
e1“maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined P-S-Zn and K-B fertility gave significant yield increases over the standard control.
- Treatment
- combination of P-S-Zn and K-B fertilitye0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Comparator
- standard controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Narrow rows and the combination of P-S-Zn and K-B fertility were the factors that provided the most significant yield increases over the standard control”
e1“maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing population reduced the yield gap when other inputs were enhanced.
- Treatment
- Increasing plant population from 79,000 to 109,000 plants ha –1e0
- Outcome
- yield gape0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- all other inputs were applied at the enhanced levele0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Increasing plant population from 79,000 to 109,000 plants ha –1 reduced the yield gap when all other inputs were applied at the enhanced level”
e1“maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing population alone did not increase yield without enhanced inputs.
- Treatment
- increasing plant population alonee0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- did not increasee0
- Qualifier
- no other factors were enhancede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increasing plant population alone did not increase yield when no other factors were enhanced”
e1“maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield changes depended on kernel number changes.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Changes in yield were dependent upon changes in kernel number”
e1“maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Kernel weight was heaviest under all enhanced factors at 79,000 plants ha –1.
- Outcome
- Kernel weighte0
- Direction
- heavieste0
- Qualifier
- all the management factors were applied at the enhanced level while only planting 79,000 plants ha –1e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Kernel weight was the heaviest when all the management factors were applied at the enhanced level while only planting 79,000 plants ha –1”
e1“maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Kernel weight was lightest at 109,000 plants ha –1 with all other factors standard.
- Outcome
- kernel weighte0
- Direction
- lighteste0
- Qualifier
- increasing population to 109,000 plants ha –1 while all other factors were applied at the standard levele0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“kernel weight was the lightest when increasing population to 109,000 plants ha –1 while all other factors were applied at the standard level”
e1“maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Each factor generally contributed more yield in combination with all enhanced factors than when added individually.
- Outcome
- yield contribution of each factore0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Qualifier
- generallye0
- Comparator
- when added individually to the standard input systeme0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The yield contribution of each factor was generally greater when applied in combination with all other enhanced factors than when added individually to the standard input system”
e1“maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
High-input management was fully valuable only with greater plant density.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the full value of high-input agronomic management was only realized when matched with greater plant density”
e1“maize ( Zea mays L.)”
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