The Effect of Zinc Fertilizer on Water Absorption of Maize Roots

Applying fertilizer rationally to promote high grain yield has become one of the main means of agriculture. Zinc fertilizer can improve crop drought resistance and increase yield. Plants absorb water and nutrients through their root systems. The aim of this work was to study the effect of zinc fertilizer on water absorption in maize roots. Maize (Zea mays L.), Zhengdan 958, was grown in experimental field and the effect of different zinc concentration (0, 20, 50, 80 kg/ha ZnSO₄) on the morphological structure and function in maize roots under two water conditions (water deficit condition and water supply condition) was studied. High pressure flowmeter (HPFM) was used to test the root hydraulic conductance and the root morphology was measured by scanner and root analysis software (RHIZO) with soil core method. Our results indicate that with different zinc concentration, the morphology and root hydraulic conductance of maize root changed to different degrees. The root system (dry weight, length, area and volume) and hydraulic conductance of roots are best when the zinc concentration is 20 kg/ha under normal water supply, but 50 kg/ha under water stress. The effect of zinc fertilizer was obvious after spinning stage under normal water condition and before spinning stage under water stress. These results suggest that proper amount of zinc can promote root growth and improve water absorption capacity of maize roots to resist the drought resistance.