Abstract
Corn currently ranks first in global cereal production with an estimated total production of 1.22 billion metric tons in 2023. However, corn is the principal consumer of nitrogen (N) fertilizer globally, accounting for 20% of world fertilizer N consumption. Nitrogen uptake and utilization by crops essentially constitute nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and any constraint such as water-deficit stress in corn can reduce yield and NUE. Thus, a study was conducted to assess the two most limiting factors for corn productivity: water and N. Field studies were conducted in 2020 and 2021 using a randomized complete block design with four irrigation treatments. There were significant (p < 0.05) regression relationships between grain yield and chlorophyll index, N concentration, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The ability of corn plants to take up N from the soil (total N uptake and N uptake efficiency), to translocate N into grains (N harvest Index and N partitioning to grain), to produce grain dry matter per N unit accumulated in grains (Grain metabolic N use efficiency) and to utilize the absorbed N efficiently in grain mass formation (N utilization efficiency and N grain production efficiency) were significantly (p < 0.05) affected mostly by the yearly variation. There was no significant (p > 0.05) effect of the irrigation regimes on all the NUE indices except partial factor productivity which decreased significantly in the non-irrigated treatment compared to the irrigated. This indicated how supplemental irrigation supports increase in yield per unit of fertilizer N applied.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call