Heterosis for Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Maize Hybrids Enhanced over Decades in China

Abstract

The nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of modern maize hybrids has been greatly improved, but for decades, little was known on whether the NUE heterosis of maize hybrids had increased. A two-year field study was conducted on eight maize hybrids and their parental inbred lines from the 1970s to 2000s under two N levels (0, 150 kg N ha−1). These were the most popular hybrids in China’s main maize-growing areas at the time. The results showed that the yield of the maize hybrids increased significantly at an average rate of 37.5% every 10 years. The evolution of NUE heterosis was mainly related to the increased kernel number per ear. The absolute NUE heterosis (AHNUE) and the mid-parent NUE heterosis (MPHNUE) of maize hybrids increased by 151.4% and 76.4% in the past four decades, or an average rate of 2.11 kg kg−1 and 19.1% every 10 years. Based on the coefficient of determination, the contribution of the mid-parent nitrogen internal efficiency heterosis (MPHNIE) to MPHNUE (43–57%) was significantly higher than that of the mid-parent nitrogen recovery efficiency heterosis (MPHNRE) (19–32%), indicating that the evolution of maize NUE heterosis was mainly derived from its NIE heterosis evolution. The increase of NIE heterosis in the past 40 years was closely related to the increased heterosis of kernel number per ear, the pre-silking N accumulation and the post-silking N remobilization. Therefore, the enhancement of maize NUE heterosis can be attributed to (i) heterosis improvement in post-silking N remobilization, which results mainly from greater heterosis in pre-silking N accumulation; (ii) heterosis improvement in carbon and nitrogen sink capacity, which exhibit as heterosis enhancement in grain yield and grain nitrogen concentration. To further improve yield and NUE, the pre-silking N and carbon accumulation and post-silking N remobilization should both continue to increase in maize breeding. Our results will provide new insights into NUE and help breeders select genotypes with both higher yields and higher NUE for the future.