Effect of Irrigation Method & Level and Fertilization Method on Yield, Water &Fertilizer Use of Pot-grown Sticky Maize

Partial root-zone irrigation is a water-saving irrigation technique,which can stimulate water absorption by root system,adjust stomatal opening and decrease crop evapotranspiration by artificial control of wetting and drying in the root-zones.In order to reveal the mechanism of water and fertilizer use of sticky maize and the optimal supplying mode,the effects of partial root-zone irrigation at the seedling to jointing stage on fresh yield,water use,N K contents and uptakes of sticky maize,were studied by using a pot experiment under the different irrigation levels and fertilization methods.Three irrigation methods,i.e.conventional irrigation(CI),alternate partial root-zone irrigation(AI)and fixed root-zone irrigation(FI),three irrigation levels,i.e.full watering(W1), slight water deficit(W2)and medium water deficit(W3),and two fertilization methods,i.e.two sides with equal fertilization(F1) and 30% of fertilization at one side and 70% of fertilization at other side(F2)were designed.Under F1W1condition,compared to CI,the water consumption of AI decreased by 12.9%,but fresh yield,water use efficiency(WUE)and shoot K content increased by 15.7%,32.9%and 16.6%,respectively.However,shoot N contents and total N and K uptakes did not increase significantly. Under AIW1,compared to F1,the fresh yield,water use efficiency(WUE),shoot K content and total K uptake F2all decreased. Therefore,alternate partial root-zone irrigation at the seedling to jointing stage was an efficient irrigation method under full watering and even fertilization condition.