Shoot and root traits in drought tolerant maize(Zea mays L.) hybrids

This study aimed to investigate the differences in shoot and root traits, and water use and water use efficiency（WUE） in drought tolerant（DT） maize（Zea mays L.） hybrids under full and deficit irrigated conditions. A two-year greenhouse study was conducted with four hybrids（one conventional hybrid, 33D53AM, two commercial DT hybrids, P1151 AM, N75H, and an experimental hybrid, Exp HB） grown under two water regimes（I（100） and I（50）, referring to 100 and 50% of evapotranspiration requirements）. Under water stress, the hybids P1151 AM, N75, and Exp HB showed more drought tolerance and had either greater shoot dry weight or less dry weight reduction than the conventional hybrid（33 D53 AM）. However, these three hybrids responded to water stress using different mechanisms. Compared with the conventional hybrid, the two commercial DT hybrids（P1151 AM and N75H） had a smaller leaf area, shoot dry weight, and root system per plant. As a result, these hybrids used less water but had a higher WUE compared with the conventional hybrid. In contrast, the experimental hybrid（ExpHB） produced more shoot biomass by silking stage at both irrigation levels than all other hybrids, but it had relatively lower WUE. The hybrids demonstrated different drought response mechanisms that may require different irrigation management strategies. More investigation and validation are needed under field conditions and in different soil types.

Grain zinc and iron concentrations of Chinese wheat landraces and cultivars and their responses to foliar micronutrient applications

Grain zinc(Zn) and iron(Fe) concentrations and their responses to foliar application of micronutrients in 28 Chinese wheat landraces and 63 cultivars were investigated in a two-year field experiment. The average grain Zn and Fe concentrations were 41.8 mg kg^(-1)(29.0-63.3 mg kg^(-1)) and 39.7 mg kg^(-1)(27.9-67.0 mg kg^(-1)), respectively. Compared with cultivars, landraces had greater grain Zn(11.0%) and Fe(4.8%) concentrations but lower harvest index(HI), grain weight per spike(GWS), grain number per spike(GNS) and thousand grain weight(TGW). Both Zn and Fe concentrations were negatively and significantly correlated with HI, GWS, and GNS, while showed a poor association with TGW, suggesting that lower HI, GWS, and GNS, but not TGW, accounted for higher Zn and Fe concentrations for landraces than for cultivars. Grain Zn concentrations of both cultivars and landraces significantly increased after foliar Zn spray and the increase was two-fold greater for landraces(12.6 mg kg^(-1)) than for cultivars(6.4 mg kg^(-1)). Foliar Fe spray increased grain Fe concentrations of landraces(3.4 mg kg^(-1)) and cultivars(1.2 mg kg^(-1)), but these increases were not statistically significant. This study showed that Chinese wheat landraces had higher grain Zn and Fe concentrations than cultivars, and greater increases occurred in grain Zn concentration than in grain Fe concentration in response to fertilization, suggesting that Chinese wheat landraces could serve as a potential genetic source for enhancing grain mineral levels in modern wheat cultivars.

水分胁迫对不同耐旱性玉米土壤水分消耗、水分利用和产量的影响

以郑单958(耐旱性强)和驻玉309(耐旱性弱)为供试材料,通过池栽试验研究水分胁迫对两个玉米品种的吐丝前后土壤水消耗、水分利用和子粒产量的影响。正常供水下,两个品种吐丝前和吐丝后土壤水消耗量、生育期耗水量、水分利用效率和子粒产量均无显著差异。水分胁迫下,全生育期各土层(0.2~1.6 m)水分消耗量均为郑单958少于驻玉309,吐丝前和吐丝后郑单958土壤水消耗量分别比驻玉309少12 mm和21mm,且分别以0.2~0.4 m(吐丝前)和0.8~1.0 m(吐丝后)土层品种间差异最大。水分胁迫下,郑单958和驻玉309的生育期耗水量分别为454 mm和487 mm,子粒产量分别为8320 kg/hm^2和7290 kg/hm^2,表明水分胁迫条件下,耐旱品种郑单958以较少的水分消耗生产更多子粒,表现出较高的水分利用效率。