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Background and Aims <p>Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) grain yield has increased over recent decades due to genetic improvement and advances in crop management, accompanied by greater nitrogen (N) fertilizer use. The N dilution curve provides a physiological framework to diagnose crop N status by describing allometric relationship between aboveground biomass and plant N concentration. However, it remains unclear whether long-term breeding progress and recent architectural have altered this relationship. This study aimed to (i) evaluate historical changes in the maize N dilution curve and (ii) compare N dilution patterns between short- and tall-stature hybrids.</p> Methods <p>Three published datasets including hybrids released between 1930 and 2020 were synthesized and combined with two experiments conducted in the United States and Argentina under non-limiting N conditions. Nitrogen dilution curves were fitted using Bayesian modeling, whole-plant and organ-level (leaf and stem) N dilution dynamics were evaluated.</p> Results <p>The N dilution curve differed between the oldest hybrids (1930–1949) and modern hybrids (1990–2020).&#xa0;Posterior model parameters median&#xa0;across eras were 2.69 for a and 0.22 for b,&#xa0;with no shifts detected among hybrids released from 1950 to 2020. Across field experiments, short- and tall-stature hybrids exhibited similar N dilution patterns at the whole-plant, leaf, and stem levels.</p> Conclusion <p>These findings demonstrate that neither long-term genetic improvement nor reduced plant height alters the core physiological relationships governing N dilution in maize. Overall, the results reinforce the robustness of the N dilution framework and support its use as a physiological reference for understanding crop N status.</p>

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From past to future: Trends in maize N dilution curve

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月19日

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  • Leonardo Bosche,
  • Gustavo Maddonni,
  • Federico Gomez,
  • German Mandrini,
  • Juan Carlos Villavicencio,
  • Juan Ignacio Cagnola,
  • Arslan Munir,
  • Daniel Quinn,
  • Tony Vyn,
  • Ignacio Ciampitti

摘要

Background and Aims

Maize (Zea mays L.) grain yield has increased over recent decades due to genetic improvement and advances in crop management, accompanied by greater nitrogen (N) fertilizer use. The N dilution curve provides a physiological framework to diagnose crop N status by describing allometric relationship between aboveground biomass and plant N concentration. However, it remains unclear whether long-term breeding progress and recent architectural have altered this relationship. This study aimed to (i) evaluate historical changes in the maize N dilution curve and (ii) compare N dilution patterns between short- and tall-stature hybrids.

Methods

Three published datasets including hybrids released between 1930 and 2020 were synthesized and combined with two experiments conducted in the United States and Argentina under non-limiting N conditions. Nitrogen dilution curves were fitted using Bayesian modeling, whole-plant and organ-level (leaf and stem) N dilution dynamics were evaluated.

Results

The N dilution curve differed between the oldest hybrids (1930–1949) and modern hybrids (1990–2020). Posterior model parameters median across eras were 2.69 for a and 0.22 for b, with no shifts detected among hybrids released from 1950 to 2020. Across field experiments, short- and tall-stature hybrids exhibited similar N dilution patterns at the whole-plant, leaf, and stem levels.

Conclusion

These findings demonstrate that neither long-term genetic improvement nor reduced plant height alters the core physiological relationships governing N dilution in maize. Overall, the results reinforce the robustness of the N dilution framework and support its use as a physiological reference for understanding crop N status.