Effects of nitrogen application on diurnal photosyn-thetic changes,agronomic traits and dry matter quality of silage maize during the male pumping stage in Hexi irrigation area
[Objective]To explore the effects of nitrogen application on daily photosynthetic variation,agronomic traits,dry matter quality of silage maize in the irrigation area of Hexi Corridor,and to identify the optimal nitrogen ap-plication rate.[Method]Field experiments were carried out in the irrigation area of Hexi corridor in 2022 usingsilage maize Jinling No.67 as the research object.,Five nitrogen application levels were tested;N0(0 kg/hm2),N1(218 kg/hm2),N2(249 kg/hm2),N3(280 kg/hm2),N4(311k g/hm2)We analyzed the impact of different nitrogen appli-cation levels on the relative chlorophyll content(SPAD),photosynthetic characteristics,agronomic traits and dry mat-ter content of leaves during the male floweringstage of silage maize.[Result]Compared with N0,the SPAD of si-lage maize under N3 treatment increased by 17.56%.Under the N3 treatment,the net photosynthetic rate and water utilization rate increased by 17.42%and 36.56%,respectively.The transpiration rate and stomatal conductance un-der N4 treatment were 50.00%and 49.14%higher than N0,while intercellular carbon dioxide levels under N2 treat-ment were 42.96%higher than N0.Agronomic traits and dry matter quality were the highest under N3 treatment,with plant height,basal diameter,leaf area index and dry matter quality were increased by 10.60%,18.18%,41.05%and 34.59%respectively,compared toN0.[Conclusion]A nitrogen application rate of 280 kg/hm2 in Hexi irrigation area significantly enhances the photosynthetic characteristics,agronomic traits and dry matter quality of maize during the male floweringstage.