Ethephon Reduces Maize Nitrogen Uptake but Improves Nitrogen Utilization in Zea mays L.

Abstract

Increasing use of plant density or/and nitrogen (N) application has been introduced to maize production in the past few decades. However, excessive planting density or/and use of fertilizer may cause reduced N use efficiency (NUE) and increased lodging risks. Ethephon application improves maize lodging resistance and has been an essential measure in maize intensive production systems associated with high plant density and N input in China. Limited information is available about the effect of ethephon on maize N use and the response to plant density under different N rates in the field. A three-year field study was conducted with two ethephon applications (0 and 90 g ha^-1), four N application rates (0, 75, 150, and 225 kg N ha^-1), and two plant densities (6.75 plants m^-2 and 7.5 plants m^-2) to evaluate the effects of ethephon on maize NUE indices (N agronomic efficiency, NAE; N recovery efficiency, NRE; N uptake efficiency, NUpE; N utilization efficiency, NUtE; partial factor productivity of N, PFPN), biomass, N concentration, grain yield and N uptake, and translocation properties. The results suggest that the application of ethephon decreased the grain yield by 1.83-5.74% due to the decrease of grain numbers and grain weight during the three experimental seasons. Meanwhile, lower biomass, <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>NO</mml:mtext></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mn>3</mml:mn></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>NH</mml:mtext></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> fluxes in xylem bleeding sap, and total N uptake were observed under ethephon treatments. These resulted in lower NAE and NUpE under the ethephon treatment at a corresponding N application rate and plant density. The ethephon treatment had no significant effects on the N concentration in grains, and it decreased the N concentration in stover at the harvesting stage, while increasing the plant N concentration at the silking stage. Consequently, post-silking N remobilization was significantly increased by 14.10-32.64% under the ethephon treatment during the experimental periods. Meanwhile, NUtE significantly increased by ethephon.