Global Maize Project in China: Liufangzi, Gongzhuling, Jilin Province

This long-term Global Maize field trial was established in 2009 at Liufangzi, Gongzhuling city, Jilin Province. This year was the 7^th season of monocropped spring maize. Multiple effects of ecological intensification (EI) were investigated to compare yield and N use efficiency against farmers’ practices (FP). In 2015, spring maize was planted on May 1 and harvested on September 30.

The experiment was designed to compare an EI application of 200-75-90 kg N-P₂O-K₂O/ha against FP of applying 251-145-100 kg/ha. The study also had three subplots that created three different N application regimes: (1) N applied in all three years, (2) N applied in two of every three years, and (3) no N applied in any year.

Results found that EI, with N applied in all years, produced 11 t/ha, which was significantly higher that produced under FP (9.6 t/ha). Additionally, much less fertilizer N was applied in EI versus FP. Agronomic efficiency (kg grain yield increase per kg N applied, AE) within EI was 44.2 kg/kg, which was significantly higher than AE under FP (28.0 kg/kg). Likewise, partial factor productivity of N (kg grain yield per kg N applied, PFP) was higher (55.0 kg/kg) in EI than in FP (38.3 kg/kg). This was mainly due to the lower fertilizer N application in EI compared to FP.