Jinhua Cheng , Shanjun Zhu , Wei Wang

Institute of Life Sciences, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
Field Crop, 2025, Vol. 8, No. 3   
Received: 11 Mar., 2025    Accepted: 12 Apr., 2025    Published: 14 May, 2025

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.

Drip irrigation and integrated water and fertilizer technology, as an advanced water-saving and efficient agricultural measure, have shown significant effects in increasing production, saving water, improving quality and enhancing efficiency in corn production. Based on a review of the research progress at home and abroad in the past five years, this study systematically analyzed the influence mechanisms of drip irrigation and water and fertilizer integration on water use efficiency (WUE) and nutrient use efficiency (NUE) in maize fields. The results show that drip irrigation can optimize the distribution of soil moisture, reduce the loss of ineffective moisture, and improve the water consumption efficiency of corn. Integrated water and fertilizer management promotes the absorption and utilization of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium by corn through simultaneous water and fertilizer supply, enhancing photosynthesis and dry matter accumulation. Compared with traditional irrigation and fertilization methods, drip irrigation with integrated water and fertilizer can significantly increase corn yield (generally by 5% to 20%) and quality (such as grain protein content), improve water use efficiency by 20% to 50%, and increase nutrient use efficiency by more than 30%. In addition, this technology can effectively save 30% to 40% of irrigation water, reduce nutrient loss and greenhouse gas emissions, and has obvious ecological and environmental benefits. At the end of this article, combined with the practical case of water and fertilizer integration of corn drip irrigation in the North China Plain, the application effect and limitations were evaluated, and suggestions for promotion and application were put forward. Research suggests that further optimizing the irrigation and fertilization system, reducing costs and strengthening intelligent management are important directions for improving the water and fertilizer utilization efficiency of corn and achieving sustainable agricultural development.

Corn; Drip irrigation; Integrated water and fertilizer management; Water use efficiency; Nutrient utilization efficiency