Effects of water and nutrient interaction on maize yields in lower reach of Liaohe River Plain

Based on a long-term located experiment with 16 years, the authors investigated the response of increasing crop yields to fertilization. The effects of water-nutrient interaction on maize yields in lower reach of Liaohe River plain were estimated in different precipitation years. It was shown that the evapotranspiration was significantly correlated with the precipitation in the growth stage of maize. Under different conditions of fertilization, the water consumption of maize was similar. At the same time, the crop growth was directly influenced by the water supply, and the yield decreased markedly in waterlogging or drought years. Under high level fertilization treatments and fitting water supply (normal rainfall), the increase of crop yields was the highest, the effect of water-nutrient interaction on maize yields was the most significant, and it accounted for 44.9% of the total increased crop yields.