Abstract:

To explore the most suitable sowing period for the growth and development and yield formation of spring maize in east Gansu (Longdong), and to provide reference for local maize planting, based on the maize regional joint test of the National Agricultural Meteorological Experiment Station - the Xifeng spring maize sowing by stage test, which was carried out from 2018 to 2020, we studied the effects of different sowing dates on the growth and development process and yield formation of Longdong spring maize. The results showed that for every 10 days’ delay of sowing, the duration of the whole growth period of maize was shortened by 5.5 days. The influence of sowing date on the duration of the whole spring maize growth period mainly concentrated on the emergence time and the seedling growth stage. With the delay of the sowing date, the time required for emergence and seedling growth were shortened. The duration of the whole growth period of maize was significantly and negatively correlated with temperature, while significantly and positively correlated with the accumulated temperature and sunshine hours. Precipitation had little effect on the duration of the whole growth period of maize. With the delay of the sowing date, the number of kernels per plant, 100-kernel weight and yield of maize showed a trend of first increase and then decrease, that is, the above agronomic traits under sowing date SD2 and SD3 were higher than those under SD1 and SD4. Appropriate late sowing, abundant precipitation before tasseling, and high temperature and accumulated temperature after tasseling were beneficial to the increase of 100-kernel weight and the number of kernels per plant, thus increasing the yield. The suitable sowing period of spring maize in Longdong is from late April to early May, when the meteorological condition is most conducive to the growth and development of spring maize and can maximize the maize yield.

Key words: sowing by stages, maize, meteorological condition, yield, quality