Feasibility of summer corn (Zea mays L.) production in drought affected areas of northern China using water-saving superabsorbent polymer
2011
Robiul Islam, M.,National Research Center for Intelligent Agricultural Equipments, Beijing (China) | Zeng, Z.,China Agricultural Univ., Beijing (China). Coll. of Agronomy and Biotechnology | Mao, J.,National Research Center for Intelligent Agricultural Equipments, Beijing (China) | Egrinya Eneji, A.,University of Calabar (Nigeria). Dept. of Soil Science | Xue, X.,National Research Center for Intelligent Agricultural Equipments, Beijing (China) | Hu, Y.,China Agricultural Univ., Beijing (China). Coll. of Agronomy and Biotechnology
In arid and semiarid regions of northern China, there is an increasing interest in using water-saving superabsorbent polymer (SAP) for field crop production. Experiments were conducted during 2009 and 2010 to study the growth and yield characteristics of summer corn under different (control, 0; low, 10; medium, 20; high, 30 and very high, 40 kg/ha) rates of SAP in a drought-affected field of northern China. Corn yield increased slightly following SAP application at low and medium rate, but significantly at high and very high rates (by 22.4 and 27.8%, respectively). At the same time, plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, biomass accumulation, harvest index and relative water content as well as protein, sugar and starch contents in the grain increased significantly following SAP treatments. The optimum application of superabsorbent polymer for corn cultivation in the study area would be 30 kg/ha as it best increased the grain yield and quality, and maintained high levels of soil nutrients. Lower (10 and 20 kg/ha) or higher (more than 40 kg/ha) rates would neither be sufficient nor economical. We suggest that the application of SAP at 30 kg/ha could be an efficient and economic soil management practice for summer corn production in the drought affected regions of northern China or other areas with similar ecologies.
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