Ethephon combined with synergist promoted grain formation by improving photosynthetic performance and floret development of maize

IF 6.4 1区农林科学 Q1 AGRONOMY

Field Crops Research Pub Date : 2025-09-12 DOI:10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110140

Zhi Wang , Zheng Liu , Ruixian Liu , Baoyuan Zhou , Xinbing Wang , Zaisong Ding , Renhe Zhang , Congfeng Li , Ming Zhao

{"title":"Ethephon combined with synergist promoted grain formation by improving photosynthetic performance and floret development of maize","authors":"Zhi Wang , Zheng Liu , Ruixian Liu , Baoyuan Zhou , Xinbing Wang , Zaisong Ding , Renhe Zhang , Congfeng Li , Ming Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110140","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Ethephon is used worldwide to improve the lodging resistance of maize, especially under high planting density, while limits grain formation. The mechanism of alleviating/eliminating the negative effects of ethephon on grain formation is still controversial.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The purpose of this study was to improve the lodging resistance regulation scheme to explore the effects of combined application of ethephon and synergist on the photosynthetic performance and grain formation of maize population.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Xianyu335 was used as the experimental material at two planting densities (low density, 67,500 plants ha<sup>−1</sup>, LD; high density, 97,500 plants ha<sup>−1</sup>, HD) and three chemical regulation modes (CK: clean water; ETH: spraying ethephon at 8th leaf stage; PHS: spraying ethephon at 8th leaf stage and spraying synergist at 11th leaf stage) at each planting density. The experiment assessed photosynthetic performance (chlorophyll, leaf area, net photosynthetic rate, etc.), dry matter, floret growth and development parameters, grain filling parameters, and yield.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Under LD conditions, PHS did not significantly increase grain yield. Under HD conditions without lodging, ETH yield decreased by 14.09 %, while PHS yield increased by 12.51 %; under HD conditions with lodging, ETH yield increased by 25.53 % and PHS yield increased by 40.28 %. PHS under HD reduced chlorophyll-degrading enzyme activity and increased carbon assimilation key enzyme activity, resulting in 15.02 % and 60.18 % increases in chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate, respectively, which promoted dry matter accumulation at physiological maturity by 21.28 %. Moreover, PHS increased the number of fertilized florets by 6.01 % and reduced abortive grains 54.50 %, respectively, leading to a 14.75 % increase in grain number, compared with CK. At the same time, the leaf area index at physiological maturity increased by 29.66 % under PHS. This improvement led to a higher filling rate during the later stages of maize growth and extended the filling period by approximately 8.5 days. As a result, PHS increased grain weight by 6.62 % compared with CK.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Compared with CK, PHS significantly enhances the net photosynthetic rate and delays leaf senescence, which increases the number and weight of grains while mitigating grain abortion driven by young ear growth and grain-filling, ultimately promoting grain yield of maize, especially under high planting density.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>PHS is a possible management method to achieve the common progress of lodging resistance and grain yield, which will be beneficial in promoting the further improvement of maize yield.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"334 ","pages":"Article 110140"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Field Crops Research","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378429025004058","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AGRONOMY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Context

Ethephon is used worldwide to improve the lodging resistance of maize, especially under high planting density, while limits grain formation. The mechanism of alleviating/eliminating the negative effects of ethephon on grain formation is still controversial.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to improve the lodging resistance regulation scheme to explore the effects of combined application of ethephon and synergist on the photosynthetic performance and grain formation of maize population.

Methods

Xianyu335 was used as the experimental material at two planting densities (low density, 67,500 plants ha⁻¹, LD; high density, 97,500 plants ha⁻¹, HD) and three chemical regulation modes (CK: clean water; ETH: spraying ethephon at 8th leaf stage; PHS: spraying ethephon at 8th leaf stage and spraying synergist at 11th leaf stage) at each planting density. The experiment assessed photosynthetic performance (chlorophyll, leaf area, net photosynthetic rate, etc.), dry matter, floret growth and development parameters, grain filling parameters, and yield.

Results

Under LD conditions, PHS did not significantly increase grain yield. Under HD conditions without lodging, ETH yield decreased by 14.09 %, while PHS yield increased by 12.51 %; under HD conditions with lodging, ETH yield increased by 25.53 % and PHS yield increased by 40.28 %. PHS under HD reduced chlorophyll-degrading enzyme activity and increased carbon assimilation key enzyme activity, resulting in 15.02 % and 60.18 % increases in chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate, respectively, which promoted dry matter accumulation at physiological maturity by 21.28 %. Moreover, PHS increased the number of fertilized florets by 6.01 % and reduced abortive grains 54.50 %, respectively, leading to a 14.75 % increase in grain number, compared with CK. At the same time, the leaf area index at physiological maturity increased by 29.66 % under PHS. This improvement led to a higher filling rate during the later stages of maize growth and extended the filling period by approximately 8.5 days. As a result, PHS increased grain weight by 6.62 % compared with CK.

Conclusions

Compared with CK, PHS significantly enhances the net photosynthetic rate and delays leaf senescence, which increases the number and weight of grains while mitigating grain abortion driven by young ear growth and grain-filling, ultimately promoting grain yield of maize, especially under high planting density.

Implications

PHS is a possible management method to achieve the common progress of lodging resistance and grain yield, which will be beneficial in promoting the further improvement of maize yield.

查看原文本刊更多论文

乙烯利与增效剂配用通过改善玉米光合性能和小花发育促进籽粒形成

tethephon在世界范围内用于提高玉米的抗倒伏性，特别是在高种植密度下，同时限制籽粒形成。减轻/消除乙烯利对颗粒形成的负面影响的机制仍存在争议。目的完善玉米抗倒伏调控方案，探讨乙烯利与增效剂配施对玉米群体光合性能和籽粒形成的影响。方法以鲜育335为试验材料，在两种种植密度（低密度，67,500株ha−1，LD；高密度，97,500株ha−1，HD）和三种化学调节模式（CK：清水；ETH：第8叶期喷乙烯利；PHS：第8叶期喷乙烯利和第11叶期喷增效剂）下进行试验。试验评估了光合性能（叶绿素、叶面积、净光合速率等）、干物质、小花生长发育参数、籽粒灌浆参数和产量。结果在LD条件下，小灵通对籽粒产量的影响不显著。在无倒伏的HD条件下，ETH产量下降14.09 %，PHS产量增加12.51 %；在HD倒伏条件下，ETH增产25.53 %，PHS增产40.28 %。HD处理下小PHS降低了叶绿素降解酶活性，提高了碳同化关键酶活性，叶绿素含量和净光合速率分别提高了15.02 %和60.18 %，促进生理成熟期干物质积累提高了21.28 %。与对照相比，小PHS处理的受精小花数增加了6.01 %，败育粒数减少了54.50 %，籽粒数增加了14.75 %。同时，小PHS处理下生理成熟期叶面积指数提高29.66 %。这一改良提高了玉米生长后期的灌浆率，使灌浆期延长了约8.5天。结果表明，小PHS处理籽粒重比对照处理提高了6.62 %。结论与对照相比，小PHS处理显著提高了玉米的净光合速率，延缓了叶片衰老，增加了籽粒数量和重量，减轻了幼穗生长和灌浆导致的籽粒败育，最终提高了玉米的产量，特别是在高种植密度下。意义sphs是实现玉米抗倒伏与产量共同进步的一种可能的管理方法，有利于促进玉米产量的进一步提高。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Field Crops Research 农林科学-农艺学

CiteScore

9.60

自引率

12.10%

发文量

307

审稿时长

46 days

期刊介绍： Field Crops Research is an international journal publishing scientific articles on: √ experimental and modelling research at field, farm and landscape levels on temperate and tropical crops and cropping systems, with a focus on crop ecology and physiology, agronomy, and plant genetics and breeding.