1.School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering,Northeast Agricultural University,Harbin 150030,China
2.Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Agricultural Water Resources,Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs,Northeast Agricultural University,Harbin 150030,China
Objective To explore the effects of straw returning combined with regulated planting density on nitrogen use efficiency and yield of maize. Methods A field experiment was conducted in 2023, with 6 treatments established by combining straw removal (C, control) and full straw returning (X) with three maize planting densities: 67 500 (D1, control), 82 500 (D2), and 90 000 plants/hm² (D3). The effects of straw returning and planting density on nitrogen absorption, utilization, and yield of maize were investigated. Additionally, the experimental results were compared and analyzed with the simulation results of the parameter-modified Denitrification-Decomposition (DNDC) model to verify the reliability of the short-term experiment. Results 1) Under the same planting density, straw returning increased the leaf area index (LAI) and net photosynthetic rate of maize at different growth stages, promoted nitrogen absorption and utilization by plants, and improved yield. 2) Under the same straw management condition, increasing planting density effectively enhanced the accumulation of dry matter and nitrogen in maize plants and increased leaf area. Specifically, compared with D1, the D2 and D3 densities increased dry matter accumulation by 21.5% and 22.0%, nitrogen accumulation by 14.9% and 15.2%, and LAI by 5.7% and 11.3%, respectively. However, increasing planting density significantly reduced the photosynthetic capacity of plants and affected the translocation capacity of dry matter and nitrogen. Notably, dry matter translocation was more sensitive to changes in photosynthesis than nitrogen translocation, showing a continuous decrease with increasing planting density, while nitrogen translocation first increased and then decreased. 3)Under straw-returning treatment, the maize yield at the D2 planting density was the highest, which was 46.4% higher than that of the control treatment (CD1). This treatment also achieved the highest nitrogen translocation rate, grain contribution rate, nitrogen internal efficiency, and partial factor productivity of nitrogen fertilizer. The key indicators obtained from the experiments under different straw returning and planting density treatments showed a high degree of fit with the simulated values from the DNDC model. 4)The coefficients of determination (R²) for all indicators were above 0.92, and the normalized root mean square errors (nRMSE) were below 13.4%, verifying the reliability of the field experiment results. Conclusion The combination of straw returning and a planting density of 82 500 plants/hm² can effectively promote the accumulation of dry matter and nitrogen in maize during the growth period, significantly increase the nitrogen translocation rate of maize and its contribution rate to grain, effectively enhance the nitrogen absorption and utilization capacity of maize, and increase yield. The research findings can provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the practice of high-yield and high-efficiency maize production.
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