Maize hybrids response to limited nitrogen under current and future CO2 environments

ORCID

Bheemanahalli: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9325-4901

MSU Affiliation

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Department of Plant and Soil Sciences

Creation Date

2025-11-19

Abstract

Given the increased nitrogen fertilization, rise in fertilizer prices, and atmospheric CO2 levels, it is crucial to understand how crops respond to these changing environmental conditions. In this study, using sunlit growth chambers, we investigated the responses of ten maize hybrids to elevated CO2 (eCO2, 760 ppm) and low nitrogen (20% of control, LN) conditions during the early seedling stage. The study revealed significant differences (p < 0.5 to p < 0.001) in the measured morpho-physiological parameters among the hybrids under LN, except for root traits. Under eCO2 and LN conditions, the chlorophyll content and nitrogen balance index reduced by 15% and 39%, respectively, compared to the control. Conversely, the flavonoid and anthocyanin increased by 37% and 25% under eCO2 and LN, respectively. The LN had a remarkable impact on shoot growth, leading to significant reductions in plant height (28%), leaf area (52%), and shoot dry weight (43%) under eCO2 compared to control N under ambient CO2. In contrast, the effect of eCO2 on shoot growth was not evident, suggesting a cross-over response of C4 plants to the eCO2. Under eCO2 and LN, the plants produced longer roots (8.9%) with a reduced diameter and a high root-to-shoot ratio compared to the control. The percent changes in root length, average diameter, and root-to-shoot ratio under eCO2 and LN compared to control N and ambient CO2 were 23%, -8.8%, and 96%, respectively. Among the ten hybrids, the cumulative eCO2 and LN response index revealed that PGY7215VT2P and Armor-1717 had higher responses compared to D57VP51 and REV-25BHR26, indicating their potential for growing under nitrogen-limited conditions.

Publication Date

9-1-2024

Publication Title

Plant Physiology Reports

Publisher

Springer

First Page

568

Last Page

581

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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40502-024-00802-7