Field Crop 2025, Vol.8, No.3, 113-125 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/fc 121 Figure 2 Use of drip irrigation for ornamental plants (Adopted from Çetin and Akalp, 2019) 7 Practice of Integrated Water and Fertilizer Drip Irrigation Model for Corn in the North China Plain 7.1 Basic situation of the test area and treatment design To verify the benefits of drip irrigation and water and fertilizer integration in corn production, this study conducted field experiments in typical corn-growing areas of the North China Plain. The experimental site has a warm temperate semi-humid climate with an annual precipitation of about 500 to 600 mm. The soil is loam with medium fertility, but there is a risk of nitrogen leaching loss. The local traditional pattern is two harvests of winter wheat and summer corn. Corn is often irrigated by furrow irrigation 4 to 5 times, combined with the application of fertilizers, with an average yield of about 600 kilograms per mu. Groundwater is the main water source. Long-term over-exploitation has led to a continuous decline in water level, and water-saving technologies are urgently needed (Ning et al., 2024). The experiment was conducted for two consecutive years from 2019 to 2020, with three treatments: T1 was traditional border irrigation and fertilization (base fertilizer + two top dressings, total nitrogen approximately 20 kg per mu, irrigation volume about 150 mm); T2 is a medium-input drip irrigation and water and fertilizer integration method. It adopts "large ridge double-row" planting, reducing the total amount of nitrogen fertilizer by 20%. It is applied in three installments along with the drip irrigation, with a total irrigation volume of 100-120mm, which is 20%-30% less than the traditional method. T3 is a high-input treatment. Fertilizer is supplied in sufficient quantities (about 18 kg of nitrogen per mu). Small water drip irrigation (20 mm) is carried out every 10 days from jointing to filling stage, for a total of 5 to 6 times, with a total irrigation volume of approximately 150 mm. Except for water and fertilizer management, all other measures remain the same. 7.2 Performance results of water and fertilizer utilization efficiency and yield The results of two years of field trials show that drip irrigation with integrated water and fertilizer has significant advantages over traditional methods in corn production. In terms of yield, T1 averaged 618.5 kg per mu, while T2 and T3 were 649.0 kg and 653.5 kg respectively, with growth rates of 5.0% and 5.7%. Although the increase in production is not significant, it was achieved under the condition of reduced irrigation and fertilization, which is of great significance. The increase in yield mainly stems from the rise in the number of grains per panicle and the weight of a thousand grains. In terms of water use efficiency (WUE), T1 consumes approximately 410 mm of water, while T2 and T3 consume 370 mm and 380 mm respectively, a reduction of about 10%. The slight increase in output significantly raised WUE, with T1 at 1.50 kg/m³, T2 at 1.76, and T3 at 1.72, increasing by 17.3% and 14.7% respectively. Among them, T2 was the highest, indicating that moderate water and fertilizer conservation can effectively reduce ineffective water consumption. In terms of nutrient utilization efficiency, the nitrogen fertilizer utilization rate of T1 is approximately 35%, while that of T2 and T3 reaches 48% and 47% respectively. The phosphorus utilization rate has risen from 20% to 25%-27%. The potassium utilization rate has increased from 15% to over 30%. Although T3 has a higher fertilizer input, its efficiency is not superior to that of T2, indicating that moderate fertilization is actually more beneficial. In terms of irrigation water utilization efficiency
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