The combined implementation of intercropping systems and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation represents a promising phytoremediation strategy for heavy metal-contaminated farmland, providing both ecological and economic benefits. However, additional research is necessary to understand the influence of AMF and intercropping on Cd bioavailability. This study examines the synergistic effects of maize-soybean intercropping and AMF inoculation on crop growth, cadmium (Cd) allocation patterns, and rhizosphere soil dynamics through comprehensive field and pot experiments. Field trials revealed significant yield advantages in maize-soybean intercropping systems, with land equivalent ratios (LERs) of 1.62 (common maize) and 1.64 (sweet maize). Intercropping decreased soybean Cd accumulation across all tissues, notably in grains (42.8% reduction), while maintaining maize grain Cd concentrations below China's food safety threshold (0.20 mg kg^-1). The metal removal equivalent ratio (MRER) achieved 1.33-1.38 in field conditions, validating intercropping's dual advantage in productivity and Cd phytoextraction. Pot experiments indicated the AMF-inoculated intercropping system (IN+A) increased maize yield by 16.4% while reducing Cd accumulation in both crops, with grain concentrations meeting safety standards. Rhizosphere analysis demonstrated IN+A treatment substantially improved soil health indicators: 34.5% reduction in bioavailable Cd, elevated pH, decreased redox potential (Eh), and enhanced catalase activity. AMF colonization rates were 2.2-4.3 times higher in inoculated treatments (11.5-14.0%) versus controls (3.2-5.3%). These results establish that AMF-enhanced legume-cereal intercropping reduces Cd bioavailability through soil alkalinization (pH increase) coupled with redox potential reduction, and metal allocation plasticity redirecting Cd to root tissues. This interaction between microbial symbiosis and plant community design stabilizes Cd in soils while maintaining crop safety (grain Cd<0.20 mg kg^-1), establishing an ecoengineering approach for contaminated farmland remediation.

Improving nitrogen utilization efficiency is not only beneficial for increasing maize yield, but can also mitigate the environmental impact of excessive nitrogen fertilizer use. Numerous studies have evaluated the impact of plant growth retardants and plant density on plant lodging resistance and nitrogen uptake.  However, the influence of plant growth retardants on nitrogen utilization efficiency under varying plant densities has been rarely reported.  A field experiment was conducted in 2020-2021, which involved spraying EC (an ethephon and cycocel compound) at the 7th-leaf stage of maize with dosages of 0 (CK), 450, and 900 mL ha⁻¹ at plant densities of 4.5, 6.0, 7.5, and 9.0 plants m⁻². Compared to CK, application of EC (especially high dosage) significantly decreased plant height and dry matter, while increased stem diameter, plant horizontal-vertical ratio (PHVR, a new index, which we defined as the ratio of stem diameter of the basal first internode above ground to the plant height), and the number and area of vascular bundle. PHVR and vascular bundle morphology had significantly positive correlation with individual plant dry matter remobilization amount and its contribution to grain yield.  Therefore, despite reduced dry matter weight was observed in EC treatment, the increased dry matter remobilization enhanced harvest index (HI). However, nitrogen uptake efficiency was not improved with the enhancement of PHVR and vascular bundle morphology, due to a decrease in dry matter accumulation. Inversely, improved PHVR and vascular bundle were beneficial to accelerate nitrogen translocation, thus increasing nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUtE) significantly by 4.3–31.1% compared with CK across densities. Increasing density simultaneously improve nitrogen uptake and utilization efficiency. Consequently, high dosage of EC application under high density not only could significantly enhance lodging resistance, but also improving NUtE and HI significantly through promoting the transport of dry matter and nitrogen. 

Characterizing the N uptake and utilization of different maize hybrids is essential for optimizing N application and increasing the profits from maize production.  Research trials were conducted with controlled-release urea (CRU) as a base fertilizer (TC) and urea split application in one (T1), two (T2), and three (T3) stages to evaluate the effects on N uptake, NUE, and yield using the ¹⁵N tracer technique between two maize hybrids; DH518 (an mid-early-maturing hybrid) and DH605 (a late-maturing hybrid).  According to the results, compared with urea, CRU as a base fertilizer and urea split application in two and three stages significantly increased grain yield and NUE while reducing environmental N loss.  Compared with T1, the grain yields of the TC, T2, and T3 treatments were, respectively, increased by 11.1, 9.8, and 11.7% in DH518 and by 16.4, 15.7, and 22.9% in DH605.  Regression analysis showed that the grain yield of DH518 displayed a bilinear trend of an initial rapid increase and then a slow increase with the increase in post-anthesis N accumulation, total N accumulation, N recovery efficiency, and N nutrition index (NNI).  By contrast, DH605 consistently showed a linear regression relationship with a rapid increase.  The crop recovery N efficiency (CRN) values in the T3 treatment for urea applied at the sowing stage and topdressing at the V9 stage in DH518 were 60.0 and 62.4% higher than under topdressing at the VT stage, respectively, while the CRN values of urea topdressing at the V9 and VT stages in DH605 were 37.7 and 37.1% higher than when applied at the sowing stage, respectively.  The higher pre-anthesis N demand and shorter growth period of DH518 maintained the N supply–demand balance, resulting in NNI (NNI≥0.988) falling within the range of slow yield increase under the T2 and TC treatments, while the N status of DH605 plants only reached optimal levels in the T3 treatment.  Therefore, a split three-stage application of urea or applying CRU as a base fertilizer and topdressing with urea in the later growth stages is recommended for mid-late-maturing hybrids to obtain an optimal yield.  In addition, for mid-early-maturing hybrids, applying CRU or reducing the number of times of split application, e.g., a split two-stage application, can ensure an adequate N supply in the later growth stages and increase production and thus profits.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a globally significant crop that plays a crucial role in feeding the growing global population.  Among its various traits, plant height is particularly important as it affects yield, lodging resistance, ecological adaptability, and other important factors.  Traditional methods for measuring plant height often lack cost-efficiency and accuracy.  In this study, we employed a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to collect point cloud data from 270 doubled haploid (DH) lines.  This innovative application of UAV-based LiDAR technology was explored for high-throughput phenotyping in maize breeding.  We constructed high-density genetic maps and assessed plant height at both single-plant and row scales across multiple developmental stages and genetic backgrounds.  Our findings revealed that for many varieties and small areas, single-plant-scale estimation accuracy was superior to row-scale estimation, with an R⊃2; of 0.67 versus 0.56 and an RMSE of 0.12 m vs. 0.17 m, respectively.  Two high-density genetic maps were constructed based on SNP markers.  In Sanya and Xinxiang, the F₁DH and F₂DH populations identified 12 and 20 QTLs (quantitative trait loci) for plant height, respectively.  The study successfully identified and validated QTLs associated with plant height, revealing novel genetic loci and candidate genes.  This research highlights the potential of UAV-based remote sensing to advance precision agriculture by enabling efficient, large-scale phenotyping and gene discovery in maize breeding programs.

This study investigates the effects of various soil conditioning techniques on soil physicochemical properties and maize yield under drip irrigation with Yellow River water under plastic film in the Hetao Irrigation District of Inner Mongolia, and screens optimal water-saving and soil-improving yield-increasing mode. Maize was used as the test crop, and single application of SAP, single application of PAM, mixed application of SAP + PAM ( S + P ), CK₁ ( film mulching control ) and CK₂ ( no film control ) were set up. Three irrigation quota gradients of 2376 m³/hm², 2673 m³/hm² and 2970 m³/hm² were used to carry out field experiments by drip irrigation under the Yellow River water film. The soil bulk density, organic matter content, water content, total salt content, maize yield and irrigation water production efficiency were measured. The results indicate that, compared to the control group, both water-retaining agents and soil amendments reduced soil bulk density to varying degrees. The combined application of water-retaining agents and soil amendments resulted in the most significant reduction in soil bulk density, with an average decrease of 0.13 g/cm³ compared to pre-sowing levels. The soil organic matter content under plastic film in all treatments was generally higher than that of the control, with the combined treatment yielding the highest soil organic matter content at an average of 49.47 g/kg. Under the various treatment conditions, the combined application of water-retaining agents and soil amendments produced the highest maize yield and irrigation water productivity, reaching 15.6 t/hm² and 17.58 kg/m³ respectively. For the same conditioning treatment, an irrigation quota of 2376 m³/hm² was found to be most conducive to enhancing irrigation water productivity. Overall, the combined application of water-retaining agents and soil amendments demonstrated considerable advantages in improving soil physicochemical properties, increasing maize yield, and enhancing irrigation water productivity, offering valuable insights for similar agricultural production studies.

In order to screen high-yield maize varieties suitable for planting and mechanical harvesting in northern Henan Province, the planting performance of 23 maize varieties (lines) suitable for mechanical harvesting in northern Henan Province were analyzed. A total of 17 indexes of agronomic traits, yield traits and mechanical harvest related traits were systematically determined, and comprehensive evaluation was carried out by principal component analysis, membership function analysis and two-way average mapping method. Four principal component factors were extracted from 9 character indexes, and the cumulative contribution rate was 85.04%, covering most information of each character index. 8 maize varieties (lines) suitable for mechanical harvest were screened out by comprehensive judgment combined with membership function analysis method, and 7 maize varieties (lines) suitable for mechanical harvest were screened out by bidirectional average plotting method using 3 key indexes of grain water content, theoretical yield and growth period. Based on all the analysis results, it was finally selected that the five varieties (lines) of ‘Ludan 6228’, ‘Xundan 816’, ‘Ludan 651’, ‘Q3761’, and ‘Jingnongke 728’ were the most suitable varieties (lines) for mechanized harvesting in northern Henan. ‘Baiyu 5272’, ‘Xundan 806’, ‘Zhengdan 112’ are more suitable for mechanized harvesting. ‘Zhengdan 958’ is not suitable for mechanized harvesting due to its high grain moisture content and growth period at harvest. This study initially formed the adaptability evaluation standard of mechanized corn varieties, and also provided theoretical basis for the screening and breeding of high-yield corn varieties suitable for mechanical grain harvest.

In order to screen suitable soil and stem-leaf spraying herbicides for maize-soybean strip intercropping, taking 'Xianyu 1225' and 'Tiefeng 31' as materials, the control effect and safety of 19 herbicides on weeds in maize and soybean fields were determined by the whole plant bioassay method. The results showed that under the recommended dose treatment, the control effect of s-metolachlor+thifensulfuron-methyl was the best in the soil applied treatment of maize-soybean strip composite planting field. The total plant control effect could reach 83.66%, and the fresh weight control effect could reach 91.67%. In the stem and leaf spraying treatment, the combination of clethodim+bentazone+acifluorfen had the best control effect on weeds in soybean field, with the plant control effect of 92.19% and the fresh weight control effect of 88.47%. The control effects of mesotrione·nicosulfuron·atrazine+fluroxypyr-meptyl and tembotrione·atrazine on weeds in corn fields were better. The plant control effects were 95.08% and 94.1%, and the fresh weight control effects were 97.98% and 91.29%. Therefore, s-metolachlor+thifensulfuron-methyl, clethodim+bentazone+acifluorfen, mesotrione·nicosulfuron·atrazine+fluroxypyr-meptyl and tembotrione·atrazine can be used for pre-emergence soil surface in maize-soybean intercropping field, soybean stem and leaf spray and maize stem and leaf spray. These herbicides have no significant effect on the growth of soybean and corn, and have the potential for popularization and application.

In order to explore the microbial resources of saline-alkali tolerance, stress resistance and growth promotion in the cold and arid regions of northern China, and to support the sustainable development of agriculture in saline-alkali land, the stable saline-alkali tolerant composite strains GF-S1, GF-S2 and GF-S3 were used as materials, and the maize variety 'Dika 159' was used as the test crop. The mechanism of stress resistance and growth promotion of composite strains on maize seedlings under saline-alkali stress (soil pH 9.0, total salt content 3.15 g/kg) was investigated by pot experiment. The activities of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, POD, SOD), the contents of osmotic regulatory substances (proline, MDA), plant height, fresh weight and dry weight of maize leaves at different growth stages (7, 14, 21, 28 d) were determined, and the correlation analysis was carried out. The results indicated that under saline-alkali stress, the composite bacterial strain could all enhance the antioxidant enzyme activity of corn leaves, increase the proline content, reduce the malondialdehyde content, and increase the plant height, total fresh weight and total dry weight of corn. Among them, the stress-resistant promoting effect of the composite bacterial strain GF-S3 was the best. On the 28^th day, compared with CK, the antioxidant enzyme activities of GF-S3 increased by 21.85%, 18.64%, and 18.91% respectively, the proline content increased by 18.98%; the malondialdehyde content decreased by 54.24%; the height of the corn plants, the fresh weight of the whole plant, and the dry weight of the whole plant increased by 28.27 cm, 9.39 g, and 9.49 g respectively. The dry weight of the entire corn plant was significantly positively correlated with CAT, POD, SOD, and free proline content (P<0.05), with correlation coefficients of 0.72, 0.73, 0.92, and 0.94 respectively; there was no significant correlation between the malondialdehyde content of corn leaves and these parameters (P>0.05). Under saline-alkali stress, the application of the composite bacterial strain can significantly enhance the stress resistance of corn and promote its growth. Among them, the composite bacterial strain GF-S3 has the best stress resistance promoting effect. This research provides beneficial microbial resources for stress resistance and growth promotion in the saline-alkali resistant areas of northern cold and arid regions.

To investigate the effects of combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers on maize yield and quality, maize variety Helian 1589 was used as the material, and 5 treatments were set up: CK (organic fertilizer 22.5 kg/50 m²), Y1 (organic fertilizer 22.5 kg/50 m²+superphosphate 2.25 kg/50 m²+potassium chloride 0.95 kg/50 m²), Y2 (organic fertilizer 22.5 kg/50 m²+urea 0.67 kg/50 m²+potassium chloride 0.95 kg/50 m²), Y3 (organic fertilizer 22.5 kg/50 m²+urea 0.67 kg/50 m²+superphosphate 2.25 kg/50 m²), and Y4 (organic fertilizer 22.5 kg/50 m²+urea 0.67 kg/50 m²+superphosphate 2.25 kg/50 m²+potassium chloride 0.95 kg/50 m²), the yield and yield composition of each treatment, as well as the content of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, soluble protein, and soluble sugar in grains were determined. The results showed that Y4 had a spike thickness of 8.87 cm, a spike length of 19.33 cm, a 100 grain weight of 38.47 g, and a plot yield of 41.03 kg, which increased by 15.6%, 20.0%, 14.9%, and 70.0% respectively compared to CK. The total nitrogen content, total phosphorus content, and crude protein content of Y4 grains were 2.47%, 0.57%, and 12.39% respectively, which were significantly higher than those of CK; the difference in soluble sugar content between Y2 and Y4 was not significant. Reasonable application of organic and inorganic fertilizers can provide nutrients for the growth and development of maize. This article provides a reference for scientific fertilization in maize production practice.

This research summarized and analyzed the impacts of heavy precipitation weather on maize production，including its effects on maize growth and development，yield and quality，as well as the occurrence and prevalence of pests and diseases，and proposed corresponding countermeasures. Heavy precipitation weather can delay the growth and development process of maize，increase the risk of plant lodging and leaf damage，and reduce grain yield and quality by decreasing the number of grains per ear and the thousand-kernel weight. It also affects the content of starch and crude protein in the grains，increases the impurity content in the grains，and raises the risk of pest and disease occurrence and transmission. Based on these findings，the following countermeasures are proposed：selecting stress-resistant varieties;implementing scientific layout measures such as replacing crops with waterlogging-tolerant varieties in low-lying areas, adopting ridge planting or wide-narrow row planting, adjusting the sowing date to avoid sensitive growth stages, and optimizing population structure to improve ventilation and reduce humidity；strengthening field management，including timely drainage，scientific fertilization，and integrated pest management；and enhancing support and safeguard measures. This paper provides a reference for enhancing the disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities of maize production and ensuring the safety of maize production.

To explore the effect of biodegradable film on maize growth, this experiment was conducted from June to October 2024 at a farm in Yangqu County, Shanxi Province. The maize variety Nongkeyu 368 was used as the material, and 3 treatments were set up: no film covering (NM), ordinary film covering (OM), and biodegradable film covering (BM). The growth, photosynthesis, and yield performance of maize under different film covering were compared and analyzed. The results showed that compared with OM, BM treatment increased maize plant height, stem thickness, leaf area, and single plant dry matter mass by 0.95%, 2.60%, 3.12%, and 6.77%, respectively. In terms of photosynthesis, compared with OM,BM treatment significantly increased the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate of maize ear position leaves during the silk emergence stage (P<0.05), while reducing the intercellular CO₂ concentration (P<0.05). In terms of yield, compared with OM treatment, BM treatment reduced maize bald tip length by 34.74%, and increased grain number per row, hundred grain weight, and yield by 2.77%, 0.63%, and 6.95%, respectively. In summary, biodegradable film has a good promoting effect on corn growth and can replace ordinary plastic film in production practice.

This study selected 300 swine from a herd with chronic cumulative poisoning caused by continuous ingestion of corn coated seeds containing carbofuran and thiram, including 8 deaths and 16 severely affected swine. The clinical manifestations and pathological changes of the affected swine were analyzed. All 16 severely affected swine received conventional Western medicine treatment (atropine sulfate, compound glycyrrhizin, glucose, etc.), among which 8 were additionally treated with the Gancao Jiedu decoction (Lonicera japonica, Forsythia suspensa, Bupleuri radix, Saposhnikovia divaricata, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Talcum) as an adjuvant therapy. The entire herd (276 swine) was provided with mung bean milk and glucose via drinking water. Affected swine in the case showed severe depression, rough hair coat, muscle tremors, mydriasis and other symptoms. Necropsy revealed gastrointestinal hemorrhage, enlargement and hemorrhage of multiple organs, and inflammatory foam in the lungs. After 3 days of treatment with conventional Western medicine (atropine sulfate, etc.) alone, the effective rates for resolution of salivation, standing recovery, appetite recovery and diarrhea cessation were 87.50%, 50.00%, 12.50% and 75.00%, respectively. After 3 days of combined treatment with conventional Western medicine plus Gancao Jiedu Decoction, the effective rates for the above indicators were 100%, 87.50%, 75.00% and 100%, respectively. From day 4 onward, all severely affected swine received conventional Western medicine combined with Gancao Jiedu decoction adjuvant therapy, and all indicators returned to normal by day 7. After 10 days of adjuvant detoxification with mung bean milk for the entire swine herd, feed intake gradually returned to normal. In summary, conventional Western medicine combined with Gancao Jiedu decoction adjuvant therapy shows certain application potential in promoting functional recovery of poisoned swine, and adjuvant detoxification with mung bean milk has practical value for population prevention and control.

This article summarized the strip intercropping technology of soybeans and corn from the aspects of pre-sowing preparation, sowing management, and field management. In production, fields with deep soil layers and convenient irrigation and drainage should be selected, with wheat or potatoes as the preferred preceding crops. Base fertilizers were primarily organic, accounting for 70% of the total fertilizer application. For maize, varieties such as Longping 206, characterized by high density tolerance and lodging resistance, were chosen. For soybean, shade-tolerant and highly adaptable varieties such as Zhonghuang 37 were selected to ensure matched growth periods and adaptation to local light and heat resources. Regarding sowing, the optimal time was determined to be from mid-April to early May when the ground temperature had stably reached 10 ℃. A compound pattern of 4 rows of soybean and 2 rows of maize was adopted, and mechanical or manual sowing was used to ensure proper depth and spacing. After sowing, timely seedling checks and replanting were conducted, and water management and pre-emergence herbicide application were carefully performed to ensure uniform seedling emergence. Field management was carried out with stage-specific precision operations. During the seedling stage, attention was paid to thinning and fixing seedlings, intertillage weeding, and targeted fertilization to ensure root development. In the mid-growth stage, heavy applications of panicle fertilizer for maize and flowering fertilizer for soybean were emphasized, along with enhanced water supply. Integrated pest management was implemented using appropriate pesticides to control pests such as corn borers and pod borers, while chemical control techniques were used to prevent excessive growth and lodging. In the late growth stage, timely foliar fertilization and moisture retention and drainage prevention were carried out, and harvesting was done promptly based on the maturity characteristics of the grains. This paper provides a reference for the extension of the soybean and maize strip intercropping model.

【Objective】Aiming at the problems of low photosynthetic performance and yield decline of maize leaves caused by large amount of plastic input and extreme high temperature in traditional maize planting in oasis irrigation area, the photosynthetic physiological mechanism of maize during grain filling period under two years of plastic mulching was studied, so as to provide the theoretical basis for the construction of high grain yield technology of plastic reduction in oasis irrigation area. 【Method】In 2013, a randomized block experiment was conducted in the oasis irrigation area of the Hexi Corridor. According to the duration of plastic mulching, three treatments were formed: no-tillage with plastic re-mulching and using (NTP), no-tillage in autumn and plastic mulching in spring (RTP), and conventional tillage with annual new plastic mulching (CTP, as the control). The response of chlorophyll content, gas exchange parameters, key enzyme activities of photosynthetic physiology, relative gene expression and key protein content of maize leaves to different plastic utilization methods was explored. 【Result】Different plastic utilization methods promoted the increase and stability of maize yield by regulating the photosynthetic physiological characteristics of maize filling stage. Compared with CTP, chlorophyll a and b in NTP filling stage increased by 15.1% and 8.3% on average, respectively, indicating that NTP treatment was beneficial to maintain the chlorophyll content of maize, thus effectively delaying the degradation of chlorophyll and promoting the photosynthesis of maize. Compared with CTP treatment, the net photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate under NTP increased by 25.2% and 11.5%, 20.0% and 12.2%, respectively, in the middle and late stages of grain filling, indicating that NTP treatment was beneficial to regulate the gas exchange parameters of maize during grain filling stage and enhanced the photosynthesis of maize during grain filling stage. At the same time, NTP maintained higher photosynthetic physiological key enzyme activity, relative gene expression and key protein content during the filling stage, which provided a guarantee for the improvement of photosynthesis. Compared with CTP, the activities of PPDK, PEPC, and Rubisco in maize leaves treated with NTP increased by 18.9%, 20.0%, and 30.6% on average, respectively, the gene expression of pepc, ppdk, and rub in maize leaves increased by 22.1%, 75.8%, and 70.6%, respectively, and the protein content of D1 and D2 in photosynthetic reaction center increased by 12.6% and 13.2%, respectively. Compared with CTP treatment, the activities of PPDK, PEPC and Rubisco in maize leaves under RTP increased by 15.6%, 16.4%, and 19.2%, respectively. The expression levels of pepc, ppdk, and rub genes in maize leaves increased by 13.6%, 53.9%, and 57.7%, respectively. The content of D1 protein in photosynthetic reaction center increased by 10.1%. In addition, the grain yield of NTP was 5.2%, 6.0%, and 5.3% higher than that under CTP in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. The grain yield of RTP was only 5.2% higher than that under CTP in 2022. 【Conclusion】No-tillage with plastic re-mulching and using was an effective cultivation and management measure to maintain high photosynthetic performance, reduce plastic input, and increase maize yield in the northwest oasis irrigation areas.

【Objective】In the context of global climate change, frequent extreme rainfall has exacerbated farmland waterlogging, which severely restricts high and stable yields of maize. This study aimed to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of calcium peroxide (CaO₂) application on root morphology and yield formation in summer maize under waterlogged field conditions, for providing the theoretical support for stress-resistant and stable-yield cultivation of maize under waterlogging stress. 【Method】The experiment was conducted at the Huang-Huai-Hai Regional Maize Technology Innovation Center, Shandong Agricultural University during the 2023-2024 summer maize growing season. Using the maize variety Denghai 605 (DH605) and a randomized complete block design, treatments consisted of CaO₂ application and a non-amended control (CK). At the V3 stage of summer maize, artificial waterlogging was simulated. The effects of CaO₂ application were systematically investigated on: (1) soil oxygen concentration in the 0-40 cm profile; (2) maize root morphology parameters (total root length, total root surface area, total root volume, root dry weight); (3) leaf area index (LAI), SPAD value, photosynthetic parameters (net photosynthetic rate (P_n), stomatal conductance (G_s), intercellular CO₂ concentration (C_i), transpiration rate (T_r)) and aboveground dry matter accumulation; and (4) grain filling characteristics, yield formation. 【Result】Under waterlogging stress, two-year results indicate that CaO₂ application significantly improved the soil oxygen environment. During a total of 10 measurements from the start of the treatment to 10 days after the end of the treatment, the average oxygen content in the 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm soil layers increased by 7.38% and 7.44%, respectively, compared with the control (CK), averaged over two years. Root morphology was markedly altered: at the flowering stage, total root length, total root surface area, total root volume, and root dry weight increased by 51.63%, 44.10%, 39.81% and 51.98% versus CK, respectively; canopy photosynthetic performance was significantly enhanced: maximum LAI and SPAD value at the flowering stage increased by 11.28% and 11.61%, respectively. At the flowering stage, the P_n, G_s, and T_r of the ear leaf increased by 23.84%, 30.63%, and 85.99%, respectively, while dry matter accumulation at maturity increased by 31.51%. Grain filling parameters improved: maximum grain filling rate, mean grain filling rate, grain weight at maximum filling rate, and grain weight at maturity increased by 7.29%, 7.29%, 5.81%, and 6.24%, respectively, compared with CK. CaO₂ synergistically increased kernel number per ear and 1000-grain weight, with average two-year increases of 39.98% and 5.00%, respectively, ultimately increasing grain yield by 50.77% under CK. 【Conclusion】Calcium peroxide application mitigated waterlogging stress and enhanced grain yield in summer maize by optimizing soil oxygen environment, remodeling root morphology, improving canopy photosynthetic efficiency and increasing dry matter accumulation, thereby increasing the grain-filling rate. This measure significantly increased grain yield by simultaneously increasing kernel number per ear and 1000-grain weight. This study provided a novel agronomic approach for stabilizing and increasing maize yield under waterlogging stress at the seedling stage.

【Objective】Stay-green trait is an important agronomic characteristic closely related to high yield, good quality, and stress resistance of maize. This study explored the differences in nitrogen uptake and translocation of different stay-green maize hybrids, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the physiological mechanism of high nitrogen efficiency in maize. 【Method】The tested materials were the stay-green hybrid Shandan 650 and the non-stay-green hybrid Zhengdan 958. In 2023, 6 N treatments were applied: N1 (0 kg·hm^-2), N2 (60 kg·hm^-2), N3 (120 kg·hm^-2), N4 (180 kg·hm^-2), N5 (240 kg·hm^-2), and N6 (300 kg·hm^-2). In 2024, a nitrogen×density interaction experiment was conducted with three N levels—low N (LN, 0 kg·hm^-2), medium N (MN, 180 kg·hm^-2), and high N (HN, 240 kg·hm^-2)—and two planting densities—low density (LD, 60 000 plants·hm^-2) and high density (HD, 75 000 plants·hm^-2). After the silking stage of maize, indicators were determined for each treatment, such as SPAD value of ear leaves, total number of green leaves per plant, dry matter, and nitrogen accumulation in vegetative organs and grains. Meanwhile, nitrogen absorption and translocation rates as well as nitrogen use efficiency-related indicators were analyzed. 【Result】 Grain yield of both hybrids initially increased and then stabilized with rising N rates, with Shandan 650 consistently outperforming Zhengdan 958 across all N and density treatments. Post-silking, Shandan 650 exhibited faster chlorophyll degradation (SPAD decline: 65.1% vs. 49.9%) and greater green leaf loss than Zhengdan 958, particularly under low N. Shandan 650 demonstrated superior N remobilization efficiency, especially under low N and high density, with significantly higher N translocation from leaves to grains. Overall, Shandan 650 achieved significantly higher N remobilization efficiency, nitrogen use efficiency, nitrogen agronomic efficiency, and nitrogen harvest index than Zhengdan 958. Furthermore, under high-density planting conditions, reasonable nitrogen reduction further enhanced its nitrogen efficiency performance. 【Conclusion】 The functional stay-green maize variety Shandan 650 maintains consistent greenness and photosynthetic capacity until a certain period before physiological maturity, at which point a rapid decline occurs along with nitrogen remobilization. Its strong nitrogen translocation capacity in vegetative organs enhances nitrogen translocation rate and nitrogen use efficiency, and higher nitrogen efficiency could be achieved under reasonable nitrogen reduction and density increase.

Satellite remote sensing has a wide range of applications in estimating corn residue cover and evaluating the implementation of conservation tillage methods. This study took Lishu County, Jilin Province as the study area to invert the inter-monthly and inter-annual straw coverage conditions from 2020 to 2024. The results showed that from the end of autumn harvest (late October) to the beginning of spring sowing (early April), the straw coverage rate in the whole county continued to decrease, and the low coverage areas significantly increased, and the inter-annual differences were significant. The dynamic change analysis of straw coverage in Lishu County based on the inversion of tillage index could accurately indicate the spatial and temporal distribution of straw coverage and give insights to the protective tillage practices of black soil.

In order to study the warming effect of different plastic film mulching methods on early spring corn in Wuhan, ensure safe sowing and increase yield per unit, a comparative observation experiment was conducted on three covering methods with ‘Etianyu No5’ as test material in Hannan District of Wuhan, including open field sowing, single-layer plastic film covering, and single-layer plastic film + small arch shed. The results showed that plastic film covering significantly increased the ground temperature by 10 cm, increased the effective accumulated temperature by 9.9%-22.1% compared to open field sowing, shortened the entire growth period by 5-13 days, and increased the seedling emergence rate by 20%-30%. Among them, the warming effect of plastic film + small arch shed treatment is the most significant, and the effect of promoting early market is the best; the open field sowing method is not suitable for promotion due to the high risk of low temperature and cold damage during the sowing period. Under the methods of plastic film covering and plastic film + arch shed, the average earliest suitable sowing period could be 8 days and 19 days earlier than open field sowing, respectively. In terms of selecting a safe sowing period, if continuous low temperature is forecasted, the germination rate could be improved by delaying sowing or adding small arch sheds, thereby reducing the risk of low temperature and cold damage.

This paper systematically summarized the key technical points of dense planting and drip irrigation with integrated water and fertilizer for summer maize, covering the entire growth cycle. During the pre-sowing preparation stage, flat and well-drained fields were selected, and fine straw incorporation combined with periodic deep tillage or subsoiling were implemented. Fertilization was applied based on soil fertility, and dense-planting-resistant, machine-harvestable coated varieties (such as Nongda 778 and Dedan 123) were preferentially selected, with a rational planting density of 5 000–6 000 plants/667 m⊃2;. A drip irrigation system comprising a head control unit and a three-level pipeline network was established, with pressure-compensating drip tapes being the preferred choice. In the sowing operation, methods such as guided precision sowing, stubble-direct seeding, or triangular seedling-fixing sowing were adopted to ensure sowing quality. The sowing time was determined according to the planting pattern, and simultaneous operations of sowing, fertilization, and drip tape laying were achieved. Field management focused on fertigation as the core, with irrigation and split nitrogen applications carried out based on soil moisture monitoring at different growth stages. Complementary practices, including seedling thinning and final spacing, chemical weeding, growth regulation, and integrated disease and pest control, were implemented. During the harvest and storage stage, maize was harvested using combine harvesters at the appropriate delayed time when the husks turned yellow, the kernel milk line disappeared, and the moisture content dropped below 25%. The grains were then dried to a moisture content below 13% before storage. The drip irrigation system was regularly inspected and maintained, and related equipment was recycled after harvest. This paper provides a reference for the green and sustainable production of summer maize.

To control northern corn leaf blight (Exserohilum turcicum) and southern corn leaf blight (Bipolaris maydis)，a survey on the incidence of these diseases in different maize varieties was conducted in Lanling County, Shandong Province from 2021 to 2023. Using the dipping method, the Weizhanjing adjuvant was added to 25% pyraclostrobin (600 mL/hm⊃2;) and 60% pyraclostrobin·metiram (900 g/hm⊃2;) at volume fractions of 0, 0.05%, 0.067%, 0.100%, and 0.200% respectively. The maximum stable retention of the 2 fungicides on maize leaves was determined, and field efficacy trials of the fungicides were also carried out. The survey results showed that different maize varieties varied in resistance to northern and southern corn leaf blight, and planting resistant (tolerant) varieties was a key measure to reduce disease severity. The maximum holding capacity test of the agent showed that, with the increase in Weizhanjing adjuvant, the maximum stable retention of 60% pyraclostrobin·metiram and 25% pyraclostrobin on maize leaves first increased and then decreased. When the addition amount was 0.067%, the maximum stable retention of 60% pyraclostrobin·metiram increased to 10.938 mg/cm⊃2;, a 106.1% increase compared to the treatment without Weizhanjing adjuvant. When the addition amount was 0.100%, the maximum stable retention of 25% pyraclostrobin reached 10.710 mg/cm⊃2;, a 73.0% increase compared to the control. Field efficacy trials indicated that both fungicides had certain inhibitory effects on corn leaf blight in all treatments, and the field efficacy of the treatment with WeizhanJing (treatment 4) was 3.5 percentage points higher than that of the untreated control (treatment 3). In conclusion, for the management of northern and southern corn leaf blight in production, it is necessary to scientifically select disease-resistant varieties, implement appropriate early sowing cultivation measures, and add the adjuvant Weizhanjing adjuvant to fungicides to increase the maximum stable retention of the agents, thereby improving control efficacy.

The microbial control, botanical pesticide management, and their synergistic control strategies with chemical agents for northern corn leaf blight were systematically elaborated. In terms of microbial control, biocontrol fungi (such as Trichoderma and Clonostachys), bacteria (such as Bacillus and Paenibacillus), and actinomycetes were demonstrated to function through multiple mechanisms, including antagonism, mycoparasitism, secretion of antimicrobial substances, and induction of plant resistance. Botanical pesticides (e.g., extracts from Sophora flavescens and Mikania micrantha) and plant immune regulators (e.g., alginate oligosaccharides) were shown to directly inhibit pathogens and activate the plant’s own defense system, offering both disease control and growth-promoting effects. In terms of synergistic control strategies, the scientific combination of biocontrol agents (such as Trichoderma and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens) with selective chemical pesticides was found to form a complementary control system. This approach not only enhanced control efficacy but also effectively reduced the input of chemical pesticides. Future research should promote the large-scale application of related control technologies through precise screening, optimization of synergistic strategies, and integration of comprehensive techniques. This article provides a reference for the prevention and control of maize diseases and pests.

Farmers in China often use nitrogen (N) fertilizers to ensure adequate crop growth.  However, inappropriate applications have increased the risk of environmental pollution, lowered maize yields, and reduced profits for farmers.  Proper N fertilizer management is crucial for improving yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE).  This study conducted a three-year experiment involving nine N treatments (0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, 315, and 360 kg ha^–1) on a field under nitrogen fertilizer precision management (NFPM) in Northeast China.  The results were compared with studies published within the past decade that analyzed yield and dry matter (DM) content under two management practices in Northeast China: conventional nitrogen fertilization management (CNFM) and water-saving fertilization management (WSFM).  The findings reveal that maize yield increases with rising N application rates up to 270 kg ha^–1, after which yield decreases.  The kernel number (KN) and kernel weight (KW) of maize grown under NFPM were 13.7 and 14.7% higher than those grown under WSFM, respectively.  Furthermore, they surpassed crops grown under CNFM by 38.4 and 21.2%, respectively.  The maximum total yield of the NFPM treatment was 41.8 and 78.8% higher than under WSFM and CNFM, respectively.  In addition, compared with CNFM and WSFM, NFPM significantly increased NUE across the various N-level treatments.  Optimizing nitrogen management can help farmers to achieve higher yields and promote sustainable agricultural development.

Cultivar mixtures increases crop diversification and grain yield stability.  It is a major challenge to achieve high grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency with environmentally friendly practices.  However, it is currently unclear whether the cultivar mixtures of maize can improve nitrogen use efficiency.  A two-year field experiment was conducted using two maize cultivars with different roots angles and leaf angles planted in monoculture or in mixtures under four nitrogen levels N0 (0 kg N ha^-1), N140 (140 kg N ha^-1), N280 (280 kg N ha^-1) and N340 (340kg N ha^-1).  Cultivar mixtures significantly increased light interception of middle canopy, dry matter accumulation and total roots length under N0, N140, and N280 conditions.  Light interception of middle canopy positively related to dry matter accumulation and thus increased grain yield.  And light interception of whole canopy positively related to total lateral root length, while the increased total lateral root length of outer nodal roots significantly improved nitrogen accumulation and nitrogen use efficiency.  Thus, cultivar mixtures promoted an optimal canopy structure and good root growth, then improved grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency.  These findings could deepen our understanding of the facilitating effect of canopy structure and root traits of cultivar mixtures on the collaborative promotion of grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency. 

To address the problem of low yield per unit area in spring sown maize caused by messy and miscellaneous maize varieties with poor adaptability in southern Xinjiang, and to screen suitable local high-yield and stress-resistant varieties, 20 common maize varieties were used as test materials to carry out the orthogonal experiment in Wensu County of Aksu. The emergence rate, agronomic traits, ear traits and yield components were measured, and the excellent varieties were screened by difference significance analysis. The results showed that the average emergence rate of the 20 tested corn varieties was 86.6%, among which four varieties, namely ‘Dongdan 1902’, ‘Nongkeda 18’, ‘Dongdan 509’ and ‘Denghai 550’, had the highest emergence rate, exceeding 92%. Most of the ear height coefficients were between 0.4 and 0.5, and no lodging occurred in all tested varieties. ‘Tianyu 912’ and ‘Heyu 157’ performed prominently in terms of ear traits, with ear lengths of 18.9 and 18.4 cm, ear diameters of 46.8 and 49.3 mm respectively, as well as shorter barren tips and the lowest barren tip rate. ‘Heyu 157’ and ‘MC877’ had the lowest number of barren stalks. Four varieties, including ‘Dedan 1403’, ‘Heyu 157’, ‘Tianyu 1885’ and ‘MC877’, had the highest grain number per ear; however, ‘Dedan 1403’ had a relatively low 1000-grain weight, thus its yield advantage was not significant. In contrast, ‘Heyu 157’, ‘Tianyu 1885’, ‘MC877’ and ‘Tianyu 912’ had higher 1000-grain weight and more effective plants in the population, leading to outstanding final yield performance. The analysis results indicate that four varieties, including ‘Heyu 157’, ‘MC877’, ‘Tianyu 912’ and ‘Tianyu 1885’, have shown relatively excellent overall performance and are more likely to achieve high yields in the region.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of inoculating plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on the physiological characteristics of maize leaves in medium- and low-yield soils. A pot experiment was conducted using the maize variety ‘Zhengdan 958’ as the test material. Four treatments were established, namely the control, inoculation with the culture medium, inoculation with inactivated PGPR, and inoculation with active PGPR. The indices including antioxidant enzymes, non-enzymatic antioxidant substances, osmotic regulatory substances and endogenous hormones in maize leaves were determined by the kit method. The results indicated that compared with the control, the inoculation with PGPR treatment significantly increased the activities of peroxidase (POD) and glutathione reductase (GR), as well as the contents of non-enzymatic antioxidant substances and promoting hormones, and the ratios of IAA/ABA, GA/ABA, ZT/ABA, and (IAA + GA + ZT)/ABA in maize leaves. Conversely, it significantly decreased the contents of soluble sugars, proline, and abscisic acid (ABA) in the leaves, showing 59.46% and 56.91% increases in the activities of POD and GR, as well as 40.32% and 23.87% decreases in the contents of soluble sugars and ABA, in comparison to the control group, respectively. Additionally, compared with the PGPR inoculation treatment, the effects of culture medium inoculation and inactivated PGPR inoculation on the physiological characteristics of maize leaves were relatively smaller. Comprehensive analysis revealed that root inoculation with PGPR could enhance the adaptability of maize plants in medium- and low-yield soils by regulating the antioxidant system, the contents of osmotic adjustment substances and endogenous hormones, and the balance of these hormones in maize leaves.

To explore the quality differences among different colored waxy and sweet-waxy maize types, providing a basis for the rational selection of production varieties, 36 waxy maize varieties of six types, including white waxy, white sweet-waxy, colored waxy, colored sweet-waxy, black waxy, and black sweet-waxy in Jiangsu provincial regional trial, were used as materials. We determined the genotype differences of grain dry weight, grain moisture content, residue ratio, starch and amylopectin content. The results indicated that the quality differentiation between types was significant. 100-grain dry weight of white sweet-waxy variety was the highest (20.5 g). Grain moisture content of colored sweet-waxy variety was the highest (66.0%). Residue ratio of black sweet-waxy variety was the highest (2.1%). Compared with different colored maize, white maize variety had the highest grain dry weight, the lowest grain moisture content and the highest starch and amylopectin contents. The residue ratio of black maize variety was the highest, which was 0.3% and 0.2% higher than white and colored maize, respectively. The starch content of colored maize was the lowest, which was 16.6% and 9.6% lower than white and black maize, respectively. The amylopectin content showed: white maize > black maize > color maize. Compared with waxy maize, sweet-waxy maize had higher moisture content, higher residue ratio, and lower starch and amylopectin content. The grain starch content of white waxy variety was the highest. The grain dry weight of white sweet-waxy variety was the highest. The grain moisture content of colored sweet-waxy variety was the highest. The grain residue ratio of black sweet-waxy variety was highest. Overall, different types of fresh maize varieties can be selected according to different market and consumer demand in production.

甜玉米蕴藏着丰沛的多糖、膳食纤维、微量元素、维生素与亚油酸等多种生命必需的营养成分，不仅口感清甜宜人，更集卓越的营养价值与广阔的经济前景于一身。然而，当前绝大多数品种仍根植于传统玉米种质资源之中，在通过回交手段将隐性突变等位基因导入现代优良受体基因型的过程中，往往难以摆脱“连锁累赘”这一遗传顽疾的羁绊，导致育种周期漫长、人力物力耗费巨大。为突破复合型甜玉米种质创新的瓶颈，亟需引入更为精准高效的突变创制技术。本研究巧妙运用CRISPR/Cas9胞嘧啶碱基编辑系统，精准靶向中国主推玉米品种京科968的母本自交系——京724中的Sh2与Su1关键基因，成功创制出sh2isu1双突变复合甜玉米新种质，其优异特性可直接服务于高端特色玉米育种体系。研究结果充分彰显，基因编辑技术正以其无与伦比的效率，成为推动各类特色玉米品种快速迭代的核心引擎，极大拓展遗传背景选择的自由度与可能性。在理想遗传骨架基础上实施定向编辑，仅需1至2年即可获得表型优良、性状稳定且完全不含外源转基因成分的新型种质材料。借助这一前沿技术，多重优质基因得以高效聚合，从而孕育出一系列兼具特殊营养功能与鲜食美味的新一代玉米品种，能为构建满足多元化市场需求的高品质鲜食玉米种质资源体系开辟崭新的通途。

Reducing aerobic spoilage and rumen greenhouse gas emissions from anaerobically fermented feeds remains critical challenges in energy saving and environmental protection of animal husbandry. This study investigated the effects of dandelions, both alone and combinated with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lentilactobacillus buchneri (LAB) on fermentation quality, bacteriome and mycobiome after 180 d of anaerobic and 4 d of aerobic fermentation of whole-plant corn. In vitro dry matter digestion (IVDMD) and gas production from anaerobically fermented whole-plant corn were also assessed. The results demonstrated that dandelions, either alone or combinated with LAB, effectively improved fermentation quality by reducing NH₃-N concentrations (22.72-25.99%) after anaerobic fermentation, decreasing the proliferation of yeast and molds to enhance the aerobic stability. Notably, the changes in the bacteriome were more pronounced than those in the mycobiome after aerobic exposure. The addition of dandelions or the combination reduced Acetobacter fabarum abundance, a member of the Acetobacter that was spoilage-induced microbe indicated by correlation analysis. Besides, these treatments facilitated competition relations of microbiome which contributed to the enhanced aerobic stability. Furthermore, dandelions reduced CH₄ and CO₂ emissions by 14.88 and 13.73%, respectively, and also positively influencing IVDMD by 4.46%. Collectively, dandelion alone or combined with LAB are promising strategies to improve the aerobic stability of anaerobically fermented whole-plant corn, a process linked to the interactions between the bacteriome and mycobiome, and to contribute to clean production by reducing rumen CH₄ and CO₂ emissions. 

The irrigation districts of Northern China face issues such as water scarcity, inability to effectively utilize flood resources, and groundwater overexploitation. In view of these challenges, this study proposes a new concept of deep storage irrigation through flood resources utilization. However, whether deep storage irrigation can recharge deep soil moisture and sustain crop production still requires further study. A two-year field experiment was conducted on summer maize in the Guanzhong Plain with five soil wetting layer depths (T1: 60 cm; T2: 90 cm; T3: 120 cm; T4: 150 cm; T5: 180 cm) and soil saturation moisture content as the irrigation upper limit. The results presented that the ranges of deep soil moisture recharge in the 100–200 cm soil profile (SMS_100–200) was 73.34–267.42 and 0–150.03 mm in 2021 (wet season) and 2022 (normal season). When the effective precipitation and irrigation exceeded 390 mm, the SMS_100–200 began to linearly increase. The highest grain yield (GY) were observed at T2 and T3 treatments in 2021 (11.44 t ha⁻¹) and 2022 (11.25 t ha⁻¹), respectively. The maize GY of T4 in 2021 and T5 in 2022 were only 3.9 and 5.7% lower than the maximize GY, respectively. However, the SMS_100–200 for T4 and T5 were 2.4 and 5.0 times that of T2 and T3 treatments in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Overall, the further increase in irrigation amounts induced only a slight decrease in grain yield, but it significantly increased deep soil moisture recharge. Therefore, the deep storage irrigation breaks through the traditional idea of water-saving irrigation with limited water resources, which can be utilized as an effective alternative to address the issues of water scarcity, low flood resources utilization, and groundwater level declines in the irrigation districts of northern China.

The flavonoids produced by legume roots are signal molecules that induce nod genes for symbiotic rhizobium.  Nevertheless, the promoting effects of flavonoids in root exudates in intercropping system on soybean nodulation are still unknown.  A two years of field experiments was carried with maize soybean strip intercropping, i.e., the interspecific row spacing of 30 cm (MS30), 45 cm (MS45), 60 cm (MS60), and sole soybean/maize:SS/MM, and root interaction, i.e., root no barrier (NB) and root polythene-plastic barrier (PB), to evaluate relationships between flavonoids in root exudates and nodulation.  We found that root-root interaction between soybean and maize enhances the nodules number and fresh weight in intercropped soybean.  This enhancement increase gradually with expansion of interspecific distance.  Proportion of nodules with diameter greater than 0.4cm was higher in intercropped soybean with NB than with PB.  The expressions of nodules-related genes (GmENOD40, GmNIN2b and GmEXPB2) were up-regulated.  Furthermore, compared with monocropping, isoflavones secretion of soybean roots reduced, flavonoids and flavonols secretion of maize and soybean roots increased under intercropping.  The secretion of differential metabolites of flavonoids in the rhizosphere of maize and soybean declined with root barrier.  The expressions of GmCHS8 and GmIFS1 in soybean roots were up-regulated and GmICHG was down-regulated under root interaction.  The most of the flavonoids and flavonol compounds were positively correlated with nodule diameter.  The nodules number, the nodules fresh weight and the proportion of nodules with a diameter greater than 0.2 cm increased in different genotypes of soybean treated with maize root exudate, which promoted the improvement of nitrogen fixation capacity.  Therefore, maize-soybean strip intercropping combined with reasonable spacing to enhance the positive effect of underground root interaction, and improve the nodulation and nitrogen fixation capacity of intercropping soybean.

Due to the breeding of dense-resistant and lodging-resistant varieties in maize production, dense planting has become an effective means for achieving high and stable yields, while excellent hybrids are a prerequisite for reasonable dense planting in maize production.  Nonetheless, the photosynthetic mechanism of improving plant density tolerance of maize hybrids released at different era in China remains unclear.  This study aims to investigate the 40-year breeding effort for enhanced photosynthetic trait at different densities, and elucidate the physiological and ecological mechanisms of improving the density tolerance of maize hybrids.  We conducted a 3-year study in 2019, 2020, and 2021.  From 1970 to 2009, a comparison was made between the eight major hybrids promoted in China, divided into four decades, under three planting densities (45,000 (D1), 67,500 (D2), and 90,000 (D3) plants ha⁻¹).  At high density, modern hybrids had more rational canopy structure and leaf photosynthetic performance compared with old hybrids and specific leaf nitrogen has decreased slightly.  Among all treatments, the modern hybrids (2000s) were able to maintain higher net photosynthetic rate and photosynthetic nitrogen utilization efficiency (PNUE) at D3 density, and therefore possessed the highest grain yield (GY), which was 118.47% higher than that of the old hybrids (1970s).  Leaf area duration after anthesis, total chlorophyll content, photosynthesis key enzyme activities, and maximum efficiency of PSII photochemistry were all positively correlated with GY, with PNUE was more significantly correlated with GY indeed and is a key indicator for maize hybrids optimization.  Based on these results, breeders should continue to conduct hybrid selections under adverse and high-density conditions, focusing on the optimization of population structure and the continuous improvement of photosynthetic capacity, searching for the optimal leaf nitrogen-content status, so as to select and breed high-yielding and density-tolerance hybrids, which resulted in a sustained increase in maize GY.

This paper summarized the high yield cultivation technology for summer maize using dense planting and drip irrigation with integrated water and fertilizer management in Northern Anhui Province. Before sowing, maize varieties suitable for dense planting, such as Annong 218, are selected. Fine land preparation is carried out, and straw returning is implemented to enhance soil fertility. Precision sowing is performed before June 25 using a navigation-equipped seeder to complete direct seeding, fertilization, and drip tape laying in a single operation. Base fertilizer is applied through layered deep placement of maize-specific compound fertilizer at 40-45 kg/667 m², accompanied by the installation of a precise drip irrigation system. Field management emphasizes accurate regulation of water and fertilizer, with staged drip irrigation and topdressing according to growth stages. Chemical control to prevent lodging is applied at the 6-8 leaf stage. Pest and disease control follows a prevention-first approach, and pesticides should be applied during the seedling stage, bell mouth stage, and tasseling and flowering stage to prevent rust, maize borer. Harvesting is conducted when the grain milk line disappears and moisture content falls below 28%, using high-performance combine harvesters. Post-harvest operations include grain drying, drip tape recycling, and straw returning. This technology system integrates superior varieties, dense planting, precise water and fertilizer management, and full mechanization to achieve high yield, efficiency, and green sustainable production in summer maize cultivation.

ERF (Ethylene Responsive Factor) transcription factors are an important subfamily of the AP2/ERF family, characterized by a highly conserved AP2 domain. They specifically recognize and bind to cis-acting elements such as GCC-box and DRE/CRT in the promoters of target genes, playing a central regulatory role in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Members of the ERF family are primarily involved in regulating responses to abiotic stresses such as drought, high salt, low temperature, and hypoxia, while others mediate resistance to biotic stresses like pathogens through hormone signaling pathways involving salicylic acid and jasmonic acid. In recent years, several key ERF members involved in stress responses have been identified in maize, and their crucial roles in enhancing drought tolerance, salt tolerance, and disease resistance have been confirmed through genetic transformation. Through literature research and inductive analysis, this review summarizes the structural characteristics and functional classification of ERF transcription factors in maize, with a focus on elucidating their regulatory mechanisms and networks under biotic and abiotic stress conditions. ERF transcription factors, via their conserved AP2 domain, bind to cis-acting elements such as the GCC-box and DRE/CRT, participate in phytohormone signaling pathways including abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA), and ethylene (ET) to regulate downstream stress-responsive gene expression. 229 maize AP2/ERF family genes have been identified, among which 105 ERF subfamily members respond to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures, as well as biotic stresses such as Exserohilum turcicum and Fusarium graminearum, some genes (e.g., ZmERF21 and ZmEREB92) have broad-spectrum stress tolerance potential. ERF transcription factors are the core nodes of maize stress resistance regulatory network, enhancing resilience through multiple collaborative approaches. Future research should integrate technologies like ChIP-seq and gene editing to further elucidate ERF target genes and interaction networks, excavate superior allelic variants, provide genetic resources and theoretical support for molecular design and breeding of maize stress resistance.

In order to explore the high-quality development path of agriculture adapting to climate change in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, this paper analyzed the characteristics of resource endowment utilization based on methods such as literature analysis, mathematical statistics, and multi-scenario emission simulation, in Ningxia. The results showed that the air temperature presented a significant rising trend, the total precipitation presented a decreasing trend, the drought trend was obvious, and the light resources generally presented a decreasing trend from north to south, in Ningxia. Over the past 20 years, the sown area of grain crops in Ningxia had shown a highly significant decreasing trend. The sown area of maize had increased by 57.0%, with an average increase of 101000 hectares every 10 years. In the next 30 years, the number of days from sowing to ripening would gradually increase from north to south, and the interdecadal trend would be decreasing. Under the influence of climate change, agricultural production will face the declining coupling degree of arable land with climate and water resources, and the pressure of grain production will be increasing in the future, in Ningxia. On this basis, this study puts forward suggestions on how to adapt to climate change and promote high-quality development of agriculture, based on the characteristics of resource endowment. It proposed to adjust the crop planting industrial layout in Ningxia to promote the planting structure in response to climate change in a coordinated manner. And it is also proposed facilitating the establishment of an overall efficiency improvement system for agricultural scientific and technological innovation in-depth exploration of the impact laws and adaptation mechanisms of climate change, aiming to provide decision-making references for the high-quality development of agriculture in Ningxia and offer suggestions for building a strong agricultural country.

With the improvement of the ability to resist dominant disasters, unnoticeable natural hazards have gradually evolved into a key factor affecting the continuous and balanced increase of crop yield in China. Understanding the mechanisms, characteristics and countermeasures to the unnoticeable natural hazards could provide important theoretical and technological supports to the implement strategies for hazard alleviation. This paper reviews the types of the main unnoticeable natural hazards on maize production, and points out the diversity and complexity of them. The study explores the impact of unnoticeable natural hazards on maize growth and development, revealing that these hazards significantly inhibit photosynthesis, delay growth stages, and reduce pollination and seed-setting rates. Additionally, they impede plant growth and lead to poor kernel development, ultimately compromising both maize yield and quality. Specifically, drought and high temperatures exacerbate water stress, while waterlogging and prolonged overcast/rainy conditions cause root hypoxia and insufficient light energy, respectively. Furthermore, low-temperature chilling injury slows growth and increases physiological disorders. Collectively, these factors lead to yield reduction and diminish farmer income. According to the specific characteristics of different types of unnoticeable natural hazards, the technical measures for preventing or reducing the agricultural unnoticeable natural hazards were put forward, aiming at providing reference for high and stable yield of maize. Through scientific management and countermeasures, the adverse effects on maize production can be effectively mitigated, and both yield and quality can be enhanced.

The current production status of summer maize was systematically reviewed in Xiaoxian, Anhui Province, and its high yield cultivation techniques were summarized. In the study area, the planting area of summer maize has been continuously expanding with steadily increasing yields, highlighting the need to focus on key aspects such as variety selection, sowing quality, soil quality, fertilizer and water management, and mitigation of abiotic stress. Based on these considerations, an integrated green cultivation technology for enhancing yield and efficiency has been developed, which includes: selecting certified varieties tolerant to dense planting, resistant to lodging and major diseases, and suitable for mechanical grain harvesting; promoting precision sowing through uniform crushing and incorporation of previous crop straw, implementing stubble-based precision direct seeding technology centered on “optimal timing, appropriate seeding rate, suitable soil moisture, and adequate sowing depth”, complemented by trenching for waterlogging prevention; adopting a green pest control strategy with a “seal first, kill later” approach to weed management, combining scientific pesticide application based on pest monitoring, and promoting “one-spray, multiple-promotion” technology in later stages to preserve leaves and increase grain weight; implementing precision water and fertilizer management by determining fertilizer application rates according to soil fertility and target yield, emphasizing split deep application of nitrogen fertilizer, advocating integrated water-fertilizer technology to regulate fertilizer via water, and applying chemical growth regulators as needed based on seedling conditions; practicing timely late harvesting by selecting ear or grain harvesting methods based on grain moisture content after maize reaches full maturity, supported by drying technology. The demonstration and application of this technical system provide a reference for achieving high yield, high efficiency, and ecological sustainability in summer maize production.

The key measures of integrated drip irrigation and water fertilizer technology for maize planting were summarized and analyzed in Xiaoxian, Anhui Province. In terms of variety selection, certified high quality varieties suitable for dense planting, lodging resistance, and mechanized operations are chosen, with seed coating or chemical treatment applied. In terms of land preparation, land preparation quality was improved through precise straw management and deep tillage and loosening, combined with precision seeding technology, laying the foundation for dense planting. During sowing, wide-narrow row configuration and shallow-buried drip irrigation were adopted to ensure precise water and fertilizer supply and promote uniform, robust seedling emergence. For fertilization management, balanced application of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, along with staged topdressing, was implemented to meet the demands of key growth stages. For disease and pest control follows an integrated “one-spray, multiple-promotion” strategy, combined with soil sealing and stem-and-leaf weed control. During harvesting, appropriate delayed harvesting is practiced to increase 1 000-grain weight, and grain direct harvesting and supporting drying technologies are promoted to achieve full mechanization. Demonstration planting in 2024 resulted in large-scale balanced yield increase, improved resource use efficiency, and synergistic development of grain production and ecological protection. This article provides a reference for the large-scale promotion and application of integrated drip irrigation and water fertilizer technologies.

To explore the effects of different nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) combined application rates on dry matter accumulation, grain yield, root development, and nutrient uptake and utilization of maize, a pot experiment was conducted using Denghai 605 as the test cultivar with a split-plot design. 4 nitrogen application levels were set: 0 (N0), 225 kg/hm² (N1), 300 kg/hm² (N2), and 375 kg/hm² (N3); 4 phosphorus application levels were established: 0 (P0), 60 kg/hm² (P1), 90 kg/hm² (P2), and 120 kg/hm² (P3), resulting in a total of 16 treatments. Key indicators including aboveground dry matter accumulation, grain yield, root morphological traits, and nutrient uptake and utilization efficiency were measured for each treatment. The results showed that under the same nitrogen (or phosphorus) application level, the aboveground dry matter accumulation and grain yield of summer maize showed an increasing trend with the increase in phosphorus (or nitrogen) application rate. The N3P3 treatment achieved the highest aboveground dry matter accumulation and grain yield, with the aboveground dry matter accumulation reaching 84.01 g/plant at the flowering stage and 313.31 g/plant at the full maturity stage, and the grain yield being 190.74 g/plant. The root length, root surface area, root volume, and root dry weight of summer maize also exhibited an increasing trend, with the N3P3 treatment performing optimally. At the full-ripening stage, under the same nitrogen application level, the root-shoot ratio increased slightly with the increase of phosphorus application rate：under the same phosphorus application level, the root-shoot ratio decreased slightly with the increase of nitrogen application rate. Under the same nitrogen (phosphorus) application level, the nitrogen (phosphorus) uptake efficiency and nitrogen (phosphorus) partial factor productivity of summer maize showed a gradual increasing trend with the increase of phosphorus (nitrogen) application rate. Overall, reasonable combined application of nitrogen and phosphorus can promote root development, enhance nutrient uptake and utilization efficiency, and thereby increase the dry matter accumulation and yield of summer maize. Under the experimental conditions, the N3P3 treatment yielded the best results.

[Objective] The detection of corn borer infestations is essential for improving corn yield and quality, as corn borer pests pose a significant threat to global corn production. In traditional agricultural practices, identifying corn borer infestations relies on manual field inspections or trapping tools, which are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and difficult to implement over large areas. These methods are further limited by their susceptibility to human error and inability to meet the demands of modern precision agriculture. To address these challenges, a method for detecting corn borer infestations using low-altitude, close-range imagery captured by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) was investigated. By focusing on detecting boreholes rather than insect bodies, this approach overcomes the difficulties of detecting corn borers, which are nocturnal and often concealed within plant tissues, thereby enhancing the applicability of field-based detection and aligning with practical field conditions. [Methods] Based on the YOLOv11 (You Only Look Once v11) object detection algorithm, a model named YOLO-ESN was introduced, for corn borer infestation detection. The YOLO-ESN model was optimized through multiple modifications. In the Backbone, an enhanced lightweight attention (ELA) mechanism was incorporated to increase sensitivity and improve the extraction of small visual features, such as boreholes, by modeling spatial dependencies in horizontal and vertical directions using one-dimensional convolutions. In the Neck, a C3k2-Spatial and channel reconstruction convolution (C3k2-SCConv) module was introduced to reduce the number of model parameters while improving feature fusion efficiency through spatial and channel reconstruction, suppressing redundant information. In the Head, a small-object detection branch, termed the P2 detection head, was added, enabling YOLO-ESN to directly utilize shallow, high-resolution features from early network layers to enhance the detection of fine-grained targets like boreholes. Additionally, a combined loss function of normalized Wasserstein distance (NWD) and efficient intersection over union (EIoU) was employed to optimize bounding box regression accuracy, addressing gradient vanishing issues for small targets and improving target localization stability and robustness. A decision tree algorithm was applied to classify infestation severity levels based on borehole detection results, and heatmaps were generated to visualize the spatial distribution of corn borer infestations across the field. [Results and Discussions] Multiple experiments were conducted using a constructed dataset of corn borer infestation images. The results demonstrated that YOLO-ESN achieved an mAP@50 of 88.6% and an mAP@50:95 of 40.5%, representing an improvement of 7.6 and 4.9 percentage points, respectively, compared to the original YOLOv11 model. The total number of parameters in YOLO-ESN was reduced by 11.52%, contributing to a lighter model suitable for UAV deployment. Ablation studies evaluated individual contributions: incorporating the ELA mechanism alone improved mAP@50 by 0.3 percentage points, and the parameters are reduced by 10.57%; replacing the C3k2 module with C3k2-SCConv reduced parameters by 2.5% while increasing mAP@50 by 0.9 percentage points; adding the P2 detection head enhanced mAP@50 and mAP@50:95 by 4.1 and 1.2 percentage points, respectively; and introducing the NWD+EIoU loss function improved mAP@50 and mAP@50:95 by 1.9 and 1.2 percentage points, respectively. Comparative experiments demonstrate that YOLO-ESN outperforms a range of mainstream object detection models, including Faster R-CNN, SSD, YOLOv8, YOLOv11, and YOLOv12. YOLO-ESN achieves an mAP@50 and an mAP@50:95, surpassing Faster R-CNN by 14.9 and 9.7 percentage points, respectively, and SSD by 17.8 and 11.4 percentage points, respectively. With a compact parameter size of 8.37 M, YOLO-ESN delivers excellent detection accuracy and generalization, striking a strong balance between performance and efficiency. Although its inference speed (32.48 frame/s) was slightly slower than YOLOv12 (75.44 frame/s), it offered a superior trade-off between accuracy and efficiency. These results validated YOLO-ESN as a lightweight, high-performing solution for small object detection tasks, such as dense small targets in remote sensing images. The decision tree algorithm classified infestation severity with high accuracy, achieving F₁-Scores of 0.906, 0.803, and 0.842 for mild, moderate, and severe infestations, respectively. Heatmaps generated from borehole detection results enabled spatial visualization of infestation severity, providing a scientific basis for quantitative monitoring and targeted pesticide application in field infestations. [Conclusions] The proposed YOLO-ESN model has more advantages in overall detection accuracy and running speed. While improving the lightweight degree and deployment efficiency of the model, it also shows better recognition ability in small target detection, and can accurately locate the wormhole area on the corn leaf, effectively improving the bounding box regression accuracy and feature extraction efficiency. Compared with the traditional insect recognition method, the use of wormholes as detection objects is more in line with the actual field situation, effectively avoiding the problems of insect occlusion and strong concealment, and improving the availability of field image data and algorithm robustness. The heat map generated by the model detection results can also effectively display the distribution changes of insect pests in farmland, providing a scientific basis for precision pesticide spraying and farmland management. Overall, this study provides an effective solution for the intelligent detection of corn borer pests, has strong versatility and promotion prospects, and can provide strong technical support for precision agriculture and smart farmland management.

[Objective] The accurate identification of maize tassels is critical for the production of hybrid seed. Existing object detection models in complex farmland scenarios face limitations such as restricted data diversity, insufficient feature extraction, high computational load, and low detection efficiency. To address these challenges, a real-time field maize tassel detection model, LightTassel-YOLO (You Only Look Once) based on an improved YOLOv11n is proposed. The model is designed to quickly and accurately identify maize tassels, enabling efficient operation of detasseling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and reducing the impact of manual intervention. [Methods] Data was continuously collected during the tasseling stage of maize from 2023 to 2024 using UAVs, establishing a large-scale, high-quality maize tassel dataset that covered different maize tasseling stages, multiple varieties, varying altitudes, and diverse meteorological conditions. First, EfficientViT (Efficient vision transformer) was applied as the backbone network to enhance the ability to perceive information across multi-scale features. Second, the C2PSA-CPCA (Convolutional block with parallel spatial attention with channel prior convolutional attention) module was designed to dynamically assign attention weights to the channel and spatial dimensions of feature maps, effectively enhancing the network's capability to extract target features while reducing computational complexity. Finally, the C3k2-SCConv module was constructed to facilitate representative feature learning and achieve low-cost spatial feature reconstruction, thereby improving the model's detection accuracy. [Results and Discussions] The results demonstrated that LightTassel-YOLO provided a reliable method for maize tassel detection. The final model achieved an accuracy of 92.6%, a recall of 89.1%, and an AP@0.5 of 94.7%, representing improvements of 2.5, 3.8 and 4.0 percentage points over the baseline model YOLOv11n, respectively. The model had only 3.23 M parameters and a computational cost of 6.7 GFLOPs. In addition, LightTassel-YOLO was compared with mainstream object detection algorithms such as Faster R-CNN, SSD, and multiple versions of the YOLO series. The results demonstrated that the proposed method outperformed these algorithms in overall performance and exhibits excellent adaptability in typical field scenarios. [Conclusions] The proposed method provides an effective theoretical framework for precise maize tassel monitoring and holds significant potential for advancing intelligent field management practices.