Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.5
4.7
Journals
Plants
Special Issues
Advance in Synergistic Research of High-Yield Maize Cultivation, Stress Response...
share announcement

Advance in Synergistic Research of High-Yield Maize Cultivation, Stress Response and Smart Agriculture

A Special Issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747) belonging to the section "Crop Physiology and Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2027 | Viewed by 986

Editor

Prof. Dr. Wanrong Gu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
Interests: maize; high yield and high efficiency; water and fertilizer integration; stress resistance regulation; smart agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on maize, a staple crop, with the core objectives of achieving high yield, high efficiency, superior quality and stable production. It integrates comprehensive research across maize cultivation and management, physiological ecology, stress resistance, soil regulation, smart agriculture and novel agricultural inputs, covering the entire growth period of maize in terms of cultivation techniques and basic theories. It centers on high-yield maize cultivation models and the physiological and ecological regulation of maize growth, including stress resistance mechanisms and regulatory technologies under adverse conditions such as low temperature, high temperature, salinity–alkalinity and drought. It incorporates key contents, including soil improvement and soil fertility enhancement, and combines smart agricultural technologies like agricultural big data and intelligent monitoring to realize the in-depth integration of digitalization and traditional cultivation. In addition, cutting-edge achievements are included, such as new-type fertilizers, water-saving technologies, water–fertilizer integration, plant growth regulators and nano-formulations, with explorations into their regulatory effects on maize growth, yield and soil environment. This Special Issue builds an interdisciplinary academic platform that integrates theory, technology and practice, addressing the synergistic challenges between high yield and stress resistance, as well as high efficiency and environmental protection. It provides theoretical support and technical references for the high-quality and sustainable development of the maize industry and the efficient utilization of agricultural resources.

Prof. Dr. Wanrong Gu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • maize
  • high yield and high efficiency
  • cultivation management
  • physiological ecology
  • abiotic stress tolerance
  • soil fertility
  • smart agriculture
  • novel agricultural inputs
  • water and fertilizer integration
  • stress resistance regulation
  • sustainable agriculture

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

24 pages, 8886 KB  
Article
Combining Reduced Irrigation with Organic Fertilizer Substitution Enhances Water–Nitrogen Productivity and Soil Carbon–Nitrogen Pools of Maize in Arid Northwest China
by Wei Pan, Fuqiang Li, Xiaofan Pan, Wenbo He, Weijie Shi, Jianlong Wei, Qinli Wang and Haoliang Deng
Plants 2026, 15(15), 2270; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15152270 - 24 Jul 2026
Viewed by 353
Abstract
To address the challenges of excessive water and fertilizer application, declining soil fertility, and suboptimal maize yields in the oasis irrigation areas of Northwest China, a two-year (2024–2025) field experiment was conducted. Three irrigation levels were implemented: a 30% reduction (W1: 3575 m [...] Read more.
To address the challenges of excessive water and fertilizer application, declining soil fertility, and suboptimal maize yields in the oasis irrigation areas of Northwest China, a two-year (2024–2025) field experiment was conducted. Three irrigation levels were implemented: a 30% reduction (W1: 3575 m3·ha−1), a 15% reduction (W2: 4335 m3·ha−1), and conventional irrigation (W3: 5100 m3·ha−1). Nitrogen management comprised three strategies: 30% organic substitution (N3), 15% organic substitution (N2), and full chemical nitrogen fertilizer (N1). Statistical approaches, including correlation analysis and the CRITIC-AHP-VIKOR comprehensive evaluation model, were applied. The results indicated that ear length differed significantly among treatments, with the longest ears observed in W2N2 and W3N2 (17.39–17.68 cm) and the shortest in W1N1 (14.52 cm). Under W2 conditions, the kernel number per ear in N2 was 1.73% higher than that in N3, whereas under W1 conditions, N2 showed a 0.21% reduction compared to N3. The 100-kernel weight varied minimally, ranging from 32.04 to 40.70 g, with no significant difference between W2N2 and W3N3. Among all treatments, W2N2 produced the greatest yield, exceeding those of W3N3 and W2N3 by 6.07% and 5.96%, respectively. During the two experiments years, this treatment also promoted the accumulation of soil carbon and nitrogen in the 0–20 cm layer, increasing soil organic matter by 22.34–118.15% and total nitrogen by 5.62–40.45%. In contrast, grain quality parameters, including crude protein, crude starch, and crude fat contents, did not differ significantly between W2N2 and W3N3. Moreover, W2N2 achieved an irrigation water use efficiency of 4.41 kg·m−3, which was significantly greater than that under W1N2, while nitrogen use efficiency was improved by 42.57%. Correlation analysis revealed that maize yield is significantly positively correlated with soil carbon and nitrogen pools, grain quality indicators, and nitrogen fertilizer partial productivity, whereas quality parameters were positively correlated with irrigation water use efficiency, though not significantly. The CRITIC-AHP-VIKOR model identified that the comprehensive strategy of 15% irrigation reduction combined with 15% organic nitrogen substitution synergistically enhances maize yield, maintains soil carbon and nitrogen pools, and improves water–nitrogen use efficiency. These results provide a theoretical basis for promoting sustainable maize cultivation in arid irrigated areas characterized by limited water and nitrogen availability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Synergistic Research of High-Yield Maize Cultivation, Stress Response and Smart Agriculture)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 911 KB  
Article
Soil-Temperature-Compensated Growing Degree Days Improve Unified Simulation of Maize LAI Dynamics Across Film Mulching Treatments
by Wangwang Zhang, Yuanzheng Zhang, Weishu Wang and Shijun Sun
Plants 2026, 15(14), 2163; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15142163 - 14 Jul 2026
Viewed by 362
Abstract
Film mulching can promote maize canopy development by altering soil thermal conditions. However, commonly used air-temperature-based growing degree days (GDDsair) may not adequately reflect mulch-induced soil warming or the effects of biodegradable film degradation on leaf area index (LAI) dynamics. To [...] Read more.
Film mulching can promote maize canopy development by altering soil thermal conditions. However, commonly used air-temperature-based growing degree days (GDDsair) may not adequately reflect mulch-induced soil warming or the effects of biodegradable film degradation on leaf area index (LAI) dynamics. To improve unified simulation of maize LAI under different film mulching conditions, field experiments were conducted in 2023 and 2024. Five treatments were established: 0.006, 0.008 and 0.010 mm biodegradable films (DM1, DM2 and DM3, respectively), a 0.010 mm conventional plastic film (PM), and a no-mulching control (CK). The compensation of increased soil temperature for air-temperature-based thermal accumulation during early maize growth was quantified. Modified Logistic LAI models were then developed using days after emergence (DAEs), GDDsair, soil-temperature-compensated growing degree days (GDDsstc), and normalized GDDsstc (NGDDsstc) as driving variables. The models were calibrated with observations from 2023 and independently validated with observations from 2024. The compensation effect acted through mulch-induced increases in 0–10 cm soil temperature during early maize growth and was stronger at the seedling stage than at the jointing stage. Compared with DM1 and DM2, daily compensation values were higher by 0.25–0.78 °C under DM3 and by 0.26–0.76 °C under PM. Independent validation showed that the GDDsstc-driven model had lower prediction error than the DAEs- and GDDsair-driven models. The NGDDsstc-driven model performed best; its RMSE values were 17.61%, 15.17% and 10.91% lower than those of the DAEs-, GDDsair- and GDDsstc-driven models, respectively. These results indicate that incorporating mulch-induced soil temperature compensation into the thermal time scale can more accurately represent maize canopy development under film mulching conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Synergistic Research of High-Yield Maize Cultivation, Stress Response and Smart Agriculture)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop