Effects of different rhizosphere ventilation treatment on water and nutrients absorption of maize

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the effects of different rhizosphere ventilation treatment on water and nutrients absorption of maize. The pot experiment was conducted using three methods: no ventilation, two day ventilation and four day ventilation, under conditions of the different levels of irrigation methods. As such, the influence of rhizosphere ventilation treatment on the physiological, water and nutrient absorption of maize was studied. Results showed that, with the increase in
ventilation frequency, plant height, leaf area and the content of chlorophyll in maize increased to a certain degree. Root activity of once in every four days ventilation was the biggest (8.237 mg/ (g·h)), followed by that of once in every two days ventilation (6.171 mg/ (g·h)), and that of no ventilation was the least (4.940 mg/ (g·h)). Consequently, it increased by 66.7 and 29.9%, respectively. The chlorophyll content experimental results showed that, rhizosphere ventilation treatment does not affect transpiration of potted maize and has no significant difference on the irrigation water utilization rate.

Key words: Potted maize, rhizosphere ventilation, water, nutrients absorption, agricultural water-saving.