Table 3. Total root length, root DW and soil available nutrient content (Soil Nmin, Olsen-P and NH4OAc-K) in a soil volume of 60×30×60 cm3 (length × width × depth) under different maize varieties at silking in 2008 and at silking and maturity in 2009.
| Years | Stage | Parameters | BMY | JHH | ZD2 | TK5 | ND108 | ZD958 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Silking | Root length (mplant−1) | 263 a | - | 242 a | 312 a | - | 302 a |
| Root DW (gplant−1) | 9.5 b | - | 11.7 ab | 14.4 ab | - | 17.2 a | ||
| 2009 | Silking | Root length (mplant−1) | 246 ab | 189 b | 278 a | 275 ab | 286 a | 216 ab |
| Root DW (gplant−1) | 7.2 b | 6.5 b | 7.4 b | 9.8 ab | 11.0 a | 12.6 a | ||
| Soil Nmin (g) | 1. 7 a | 2.0 a | 2.0 a | 1.9 a | 1.5 ab | 0.9 b | ||
| Soil Olsen-P (g) | 0.5 a | 0.7 a | 0.7 a | 0.7 a | 0.6 a | 0.5 a | ||
| Soil NH4OAc-K(g) | 11.3 a | 10.7 a | 10.6 a | 11.7 a | 8.9 a | 9.9 a | ||
| Maturity | Root length (mplant−1) | 87c | 96 c | 114 b | 123 ab | 128a | 122 ab | |
| Root DW (gplant−1) | 4.1 b | 4.0 b | 5.4 b | 9.2 a | 8.8 a | 9.0 a | ||
| Soil Nmin (g) | 1.5 a | 1.3 ab | 1.5 a | 1.6 a | 1.1 ab | 0.7 b | ||
| Soil Olsen-P (g) | 0.5 a | 0.5 a | 0.6 a | 0.7 a | 0.6 a | 0.5 a | ||
| Soil NH4OAc-K(g) | 11.1a | 9.4 ab | 9.8 ab | 8.7 b | 8.8 b | 8.9 b |
Values followed by different letters in rows represent significant differences among varieties (P< 0.05) at a particular harvest. Values are means of three replications.