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Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin ›› 2024, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (23): 22-31.doi: 10.11924/j.issn.1000-6850.casb2023-0711

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The Study on Water Consumption Patterns and Influencing Factors of Fresh Corn in Central Yunnan Based on Structural Equation Modeling

XUE Yang1,2,3(), LI Youliang1,2,3(), LIU Xiaofang4, ZHANG Lei1,2,3, CHENG Xi1,2   

  1. 1 Yunnan Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion Prevention and Green Development, Kunming 650228
    2 Yunnan Hydraulic Research Institute, Kunming 650228
    3 Water Demand of Crops under plateau three-dimensional climate Yunnan Field Scientific Observation and Research Station, Kunming 650228
    4 Large Irrigation Bureau of Meng Hai County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan 666100
  • Received:2023-10-10 Revised:2024-01-02 Online:2024-08-09 Published:2024-08-09

Abstract:

The study aims to comprehensively understand the water consumption and patterns of the growing period of fresh corn in the Dianzhong Plateau, clarifying the relationship between water consumption and its influencing factors, providing scientific support for the widespread cultivation and irrigation management of fresh corn. The Field irrigation experiments on fresh corn were carried out continuously for 2 years, referencing farmers' planting experience for experimental plots. Automatic weather stations and soil moisture observation devices were installed to collect soil moisture and meteorological data. The dynamics of soil water during the entire growth period of fresh corn, daily water consumption, and crop coefficients were analyzed. The impact of meteorological, soil, and crop factors on water consumption was also studied. It was found that there was significant variation in soil moisture in the 10~30 cm soil layer during the entire growth period of fresh corn. In the later stages of growth, the root system could absorb water from soil layers as deep as 40 cm. The water consumption during the growing season of fresh corn in 2022 and 2023 was 182.32 mm and 175.84 mm, with average water consumption intensities of 2.40 mm/day and 2.31 mm/day, respectively. Water consumption and intensity varied in different years and growth stages. In 2022, the order from highest to lowest was grain filling-milk ripening stage > seedling stage > jointing stage > tasseling stage, while in 2023, it was tasseling stage > grain filling-milk ripening stage > jointing stage > seedling stage. The average Kc values for the entire growth period of fresh corn in the two years were 0.65 and 0.44, with a trend of gradual increase with crop growth, reaching the peak during the grain filling-milk ripening stage. Soil and meteorological factors showed a positive correlation with water consumption, with path coefficients of 0.38 and 0.34, while water consumption and crop growth characteristics exhibited a negative correlation with a path coefficient of -0.46. The water consumption of fresh corn is relatively small and strongly influenced by soil and meteorological factors. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for irrigation quotas and irrigation management of fresh corn in the Dianzhong region.

Key words: fresh corn, soil moisture content, water consumption, crop coefficient, structural equation model