Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grows in dry season but summer maize (Zea mays L.) coincides with rainfall in the North China Plain (NCP). Increasing rainfall use efficiency and harmonizing its utilization between the two species is an effective way to mitigate impact on groundwater deriving from wheat irrigation. One to four times water supply (W1, to W4) were employed in wheat, three wate...

Understanding the relationship between sink and source in maize is of prime importance in maize growing regions. In this study, a field experiment was carried out during spring and summer 2007 in the experimental field of the College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, to examine the effects of source restriction (defoliation) on sink size (yield and its components) of  SC704 maize hybrid.  A fa...

The difference of reclaimed water qualities between in summer and in winter were proved considerable. Reclaimed water derived in spring or summer could be applied irrigating in some arid region, which have been considered a rational renewable resource of water. Yet in winter, reclaimed water would run off into river or stream in vain. The idea of storing it in winter and being ready for the nex...

A study was conducted in the Shandong province in North China to investigate the effects of different planting patterns on water potential characteristics of soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC) and yield of summer maize. Three planting patterns were applied, i.e. bed planting (BE), furrow planting (FU) and flat planting (FL). The results showed that although soil moisture content in 0–20 cm ...

Soil samples were collected at both jointing and maturing stages of maize and wheat to compare the effects of 4-year no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) on seasonal variations of microbial biomass carbon (C), metabolic quotient, and invertase activity in a sandy loam soil in North China. Soil invertase activity significantly increased (P < 0.05) from summer to spring of the next year ...

Summer maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the dominant crops in the North China Plain (NCP). Its growth is greatly influenced by the spatial-temporal variation of climatic variables, especially solar radiation, temperature and rainfall. The WOFOST (version 7.1) model was applied to evaluate the impact of climatic variability on summer maize yields using historical meteorological data from 1961 to 20...

Subsoil compaction can result in unfavourable soil physical conditions and hinder the root growth of maize. The effects of deep tillage and conventional tillage on soil physical properties and root growth of maize were studied during 2010–2011 at two sites (loam at Hebi and clay at Luohe) in central China. The results showed that soil penetration resistance, bulk density, water content and root...

Nitrate leaching is one of the most important pathways of nitrogen (N) loss which leads to groundwater contamination or surface water eutrophication. Clarifying the rates, controlling factors and characteristics of nitrate leaching is the pre-requisite for proposing effective mitigation strategies. We investigated the effects of interactions among chemical N fertilizer, straw and manure applica...

Maize rough dwarf disease (MRDD) is a viral infection that results in heavy yield losses in maize worldwide, particularly in the summer maize-growing regions of China. MRDD is caused by the Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV). In the present study, analyses of microRNAs (miRNAs), the degradome, and transcriptome sequences were used to elucidate the RBSDV-responsive pathway(s) in maize. Geno...