1. Optimal Nitrogen Fertilization to Reach the Maximum Grain and Stover Yields of Maize (Zea mays L.): Tendency Modeling
- Author
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Marco Andrés López-Santiago, Carlos Aurelio Medina-Flores, Sergio Ernesto Medina-Cuéllar, Deli Nazmín Tirado-González, Marcos Portillo-Vázquez, Sergio Orozco-Cirilo, Abdelfattah Z.M. Salem, and Juan Manuel Vargas-Canales
- Subjects
maize hybrid ,grain yield ,0402 animal and dairy science ,chemistry.chemical_element ,Forage ,Agriculture ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,nitrogen fertilization ,040201 dairy & animal science ,Nitrogen ,Zea mays ,Nitrogen fertilizer ,Animal science ,Human fertilization ,chemistry ,grain-to-stover ratio ,tendency models ,Alluvial soils ,f-ratio ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,Stover ,Mathematics - Abstract
Utilization of maize stover to the production of meat and milk and saving the grains for human consumption would be one strategy for the optimal usage of resources. Variance and tendency analyses were applied to find the optimal nitrogen (N) fertilization dose (0, 100, 145, 190, 240, and 290 kg/ha) for forage (F), stover (S), cob (C), and grain (G) yields, as well as the optimal grain-to-forage, cob-to-forage, and cob-to-stover ratios (G:F, C:F, and C:S, respectively). The study was performed in central Mexico (20.691389° N and −101.259722° W, 1740 m a.m.s.l., Cwa (Köppen), 699 mm annual precipitation, alluvial soils). N-190 and N-240 improved the individual yields and ratios the most. Linear and quadratic models for CDM, GDM, and G:F ratio had coefficients of determination (R2) of 0.20–0.46 (p <, 0.03). Cubic showed R2 = 0.30–0.72 (p <, 0.02), and the best models were for CDM, GDM, and the G:F, C:F, and C:S DM ratios (R2 = 0.60–0.72, p <, 0.0002). Neither SHB nor SDM negatively correlated with CDM or GDM (r = 0.23–0.48, 0.0001). Excess of N had negative effects on forage, stover, cobs, and grains yields, but optimal N fertilization increased the proportion of the G:F, C:F, and C:S ratios, as well as the SHB and SDM yields, without negative effects on grain production.
- Published
- 2021