Fig. 2.

Phenotypic identification of maize cultivar in the field. a Shoot dry weight, b shoot N concentration, c shoot P root dry weight concentration, d shoot K concentration, e grain yield, f seed N concentration, g seed P concentration, and h seed K concentration at five different developmental stages under sufficient K (SK) and low K (LK) conditions. Mean values ± SE, n = 3. Asterisks indicate the significance of differences between treatments, as determined by Student’s t test: *Significant at P < 0.05; **Significant at P < 0.01; ***Significant at P < 0.001. V10: the 10th leaf stage, VT tasseling stage, R1 silking stage, R3 milk-ripe stage, R6 physiological maturity