Field Crop 2025, Vol.8, No.3, 113-125 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/fc 116 continuous water absorption as needed, and the fluctuation range of soil moisture is reduced. This change is beneficial for corn to maintain a stable water physiological state and improve water use efficiency (WUE) (Wu et al., 2021; Liu et al., 2023). Figure 1 Linear regressions between N uptake and yield (A), N recovery efficiency (B), N agronomic efficiency (C), and N partial factor productivity (D) before (V3-VT) and after (VT-PM) tasseling stages of maize in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Growth stages: V3, third-leaf; VT, tasseling; PM, physiological maturity (Adopted from Hou et al., 2022) In addition, drip irrigation has changed the proportion of water consumption at each growth stage of corn. Since drip irrigation usually provides timely water supply and avoids water shortage during the seedling stage, the water consumption of corn in the early stage is guaranteed. In the middle and later stages, by regulating the irrigation quota, an optimized water consumption pattern of "sufficient in the early stage, controlled in the water and ear period, and replenished in the grouting period" can be achieved. This water distribution is more in line with the growth requirements of corn. It can reduce excessive irrigation from jointing to tasking while ensuring that the corn does not suffer from drought during the filling period. It not only avoids ineffective evaporation but also helps to form a strong root system and ear position distribution. Practical experience has shown that reasonable drip irrigation regulation can reduce water consumption without lowering the yield. For example, in the 7-year experiment in the northwest region, the cumulative water consumption of drip irrigation treatment was reduced by approximately 180 mm compared with flood irrigation treatment, but the plant height, dry matter accumulation and grain yield of corn were significantly increased (Yang et al., 2018; Liu et al., 2022). This indicates that drip
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