Plant Breeding · 2013 · 53 citations · 16 references
AgricultureCrop SciencesPlant SciencesCrop ProductionPlant NutritionSoil FertilityCereal CropsCrop DevelopmentCrop GrowthCrop NutritionNitrogen NutritionYield StabilityHybrid Effects On YieldHybrid Seed YieldLeaf Area Index AssessmentLeaf PhenologyNitrogen Effects On YieldNutrient Stress Effects On Yield StabilitySpecific Leaf AreaStorage Capacity
Abstract To determine the relationship between specific leaf N ( SLN ) and grain yield or its components in commercial maize hybrids in the US Corn Belt, three studies were conducted in 2010 and 2011. Leaf area index at flowering ranged from 3 under low to 5.6 at normal soil N. At flowering, 70% of the vegetative N was sequestered in the leaves, 22% in stalk and 8% in leaf sheaths, whereas the respective numbers for dry mass were 34, 50 and 16%. Highest grain yield was obtained at an SLN of 1.5. N stress affected both kernel number and kernel mass per plant. Regardless of the initial amount of leaf N at flowering, ~65% was remobilized by maturity. Under normal soil N, leaf N at flowering contributed at most 40% to the grain N. An increase in N storage capacity of the leaves would improve stability of hybrid grain yield as well as reduce loss of N from the soil by leaching and run‐off.
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