Abstract: Effects of seed mass,nutrient content and nutrient reserve on dry biomass and nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium partition in the seedlings of 16 maize cultivars,and their susceptibility to external nutrient supply were conducted by using a sand experiments. The result showed that,seed nutrient reserve was significant positively associated with roots,sheath and straw,and leaf biomass of maize seedling without external nutrients supply(control). External nutrients supply increased biomass of maize seedling,range(by 80. 8%) and coefficient of variation(CV) of root∶ shoot ratio(by 118. 2%),while reduced root∶ shoot ratio,and CV of biomass in roots,sheath and straw,and leaf,when compared with the control. Nutrient supplied seedling showed the maximum increase in root, sheath and straw,and leaf potassium content over phosphorus content and nitrogen content. In addition,External nutrients supply reduced CV of potassium content in all parts of the seedling,and in the leaves showed the maximum reduction. By contrast,increase in both of nitrogen content in the seedlings and its CV was observed under nutrient supply condition in compared with the control. The increase in CV of root nitrogen content was higher than that ofsheath and straw,and leaf nitrogen content. Furthermore,external nutrients supply increased root phosphorus content,and CV of phosphorus content in sheath and straw,and leaf significantly,when compared with the control. However,seedling had the highest CV of phosphorus content in roots under the two conditions. Among mineral nutrients reserve,Potassium is the first to become depleted from the seed. Clustering analysis on seed and seedling traits indicated that Zhengdan 958,used as a standard control cultivars in the national new cultivars certification experiment,was different from the other 15 maize cultivars in seed and seedling traits,because of the lowest increase in nitrogen and phosphorus accumulation,nitrogen and potassium depletion under nutrient supply,and no obvious change in root∶ shoot ratio,root nitrogen and potassium content of the cultivars response to external nutrients supply,while increase in potassium accumulation was slightly higher than that in Nongda 108,and all of which might be the main reason for wide ecological fitness in Zhengdan 958.

Key words: Seed, Nutrient content, Seed mass, Maize, Nutrient supply, Ecological fitness

CLC Number: 

• S513.01

• S323