Date Available

4-3-2018

Year of Publication

2018

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Document Type

Master's Thesis

College

Agriculture, Food and Environment

Department/School/Program

Plant and Soil Sciences

First Advisor

Dr. Chad D. Lee

Abstract

Modern maize hybrids exhibit higher yields, increased biomass production, stress tolerance and greater nitrogen (N) use efficiency. Increased biomass accumulation can influence nutrient uptake and lead to increased nutrient removal. Hybrids were tested at seeding rates (SR) of 74000 (low) and 148000 (supraoptimal) plants ha-1 and at N rates of 0 (deficient) and 390 (non-limiting) kg N ha-1. Plants were sampled at V7, V14, R3, R5 and R6 and separated into vegetative and reproductive fractions for determination of dry matter and N accumulation. Grain yield was harvested at R6.

The high SR and high N treatment combination resulted in greatest biomass accumulation, crop growth rates, and N accumulation per hectare in both vegetative and grain tissues.

The high SR and high N combination maximized grain yield at 20.6 Mg ha-1, essentially through an increase in kernels ha-1. High SR decreased kernel weight, even with high N. At the higher plant densities resulting from the high SR, however, average utilization of available N was enhanced. The results have implications for improved management practices under high input systems and providing insight to growers who incorporate variable seed and N rates.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2018.064

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