Maize Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.5, 267-275 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/mgg 267 Research Insight Open Access Effects of Irrigation Regulation on Maize Growth and Development Xingzhu Feng Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China Corresponding author: xingzhu.feng@hibio.org Maize Genomics and Genetics, 2025, Vol.16, No.5 doi: 10.5376/mgg.2025.16.0024 Received: 18 Aug., 2025 Accepted: 29 Sep., 2025 Published: 19 Oct., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Feng, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Feng X.Z., 2025, Effects of irrigation regulation on maize growth and development, Maize Genomics and Genetics, 16(5): 267-275 (doi: 10.5376/mgg.2025.16.0024) Abstract Maize (Zea mays L.) is an important food crop in the world, widely used for food, feed and industrial processing. Its growth, development and yield are highly dependent on water supply, especially in areas with insufficient precipitation or unstable climate. This study systematically explored the role of irrigation regulation in different growth stages of maize, focusing on its effects on maize physiological characteristics, yield formation and quality stability. Studies have shown that timely and appropriate irrigation can help improve photosynthetic capacity, promote root development and nutrient absorption, thereby increasing grain yield and water use efficiency. This study compared various irrigation methods such as drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation and furrow irrigation, and explored the effects of irrigation timing and frequency on yield and resource efficiency. Through case analysis of semi-arid areas in North China and oasis agriculture in Northwest China, the application effect of regionalized and precision irrigation strategies was demonstrated, hoping to provide technical guidance for maize production in different climate zones, improve irrigation efficiency and resource utilization, and achieve the win-win goal of increasing grain production and protecting the environment. Keywords Maize; Irrigation regulation; Water use efficiency; Growth stage; Yield 1 Introduction Maize (Zea mays L.) is a globally important crop. It can be used as a staple food, animal feed, and industrial raw material. Because of its high yield and strong adaptability, maize plays an important role in agriculture in many countries. Maize has played a major role in food security and economic development in both developed and developing countries (Żarski and Kuśmierek-Tomaszewska, 2023; Huang et al., 2024). Water is particularly critical for maize, especially in areas with drought or unstable rainfall. Good irrigation can not only increase yield and water use efficiency, but also improve maize photosynthesis, nutrient absorption capacity, and drought resistance (Comas et al., 2019; Li et al., 2020; Qu et al., 2024). Now some new irrigation methods, such as water-deficit irrigation and drip irrigation, have been shown to use water more rationally, which can stabilize yields and reduce environmental impacts (Zheng et al., 2019; Li et al., 2022). This study will review the current research results on the effects of irrigation regulation on corn growth and development, evaluate the effects of different irrigation strategies on corn yield, physiological characteristics and water use efficiency, explore the interaction between irrigation, nutrient management and environmental factors, and provide guidance for optimizing irrigation practices under different agricultural ecological environments. It is expected to provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for the scientific formulation of corn irrigation strategies. 2 Water Sensitivity Across Maize Developmental Stages 2.1 Water requirements from germination to jointing stage Corn is particularly sensitive to water from seed germination to seedling stage. As long as there is enough water, the seeds can germinate quickly and the germination rate is high. Studies have found that when the water supply is 150% to 325% of the seed thousand-grain weight (TKW), it is most conducive to seedling growth. But in fact, as long as the water reaches 25% of TKW, the seeds can begin to germinate (Khaeim et al., 2022). If there is a lack of water at this stage, not only will the germination rate decrease, but the seedlings will also tend to grow weak or
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