Abstract:

To study the phosphorus application levels for the optimal growth of Coix varieties in phosphorus-deficient soil of south China, the agronomic characters and yield of Coix varieties under different phosphorus application levels were observed. The method of plot experiment was adopted in Wenshan of Yunnan Province, random blocks were arranged, and there were 5 treatments with 3 repeats, among which no phosphate fertilizer was used as control. The growth period, agronomic characters and yield components were observed and recorded under different phosphorus application levels. The results showed that under certain conditions, the growth period of Coix variety ‘Wenyi 2’ had no significant difference under different phosphorus application levels. Compared with those of the control, the plant height, stem diameter, internode number, leaf number and uniformity were the best when phosphorus was applied at 180 kg/hm². The effective ear number, grain number per ear and 1000-grain weight also increased significantly. From seedling stage to mature stage, the overall plant integrity was good, and the field resistance was enhanced. The grain number per ear, 1000-grain weight and effective ear number increased with the increase of phosphorus application level. The results indicated that phosphate fertilizer could promote the growth of Coix and increase the yield. In this experiment, the optimum phosphorus application level was 180 kg/hm².

Key words: Coix lacryma-jobi, phosphorus application level, agronomic characters, yield, Wenshan