关键词: 单株玉米, 总耗水量, 蒸腾耗水量

Abstract: How much water for an individual plant of corn does cost? There is no conclusion so far worldwide. Many literatures have frequently cited the number of "200kg" as the whole water consumption for an individual plant of corn in entire growth period. In the monograph of "Corn Cultivation in China", the water consumption of corn by transpiration is 80kg/plant, which is two and half times difference with the former number mentioned. By analyzing the data collected at the Yucheng Comprehensive Experimental Station, CAS, the author studied the water consumption for an individual plant of corn and the average total water consumption (including transpiration and evaporation among plants) under the natural growth condition. The following results were concluded: 1) Water consumption for an individual plant of spring corn is about 100kg/plant and transpiration is about 60kg/plant. 2) Total water consumption for summer corn in North China Plain is 50-80 kg/plant and transpiration is 30-40 kg/plant. 3) Water condition in soil has no great influence on water consumption for an individual plant of corn unless the long-term drought happening. 4) The density of corn planting impacts the water consumption greatly. When the density of corn planting increased from 50,000 plants/ha to100,000 plants/ha, the total water consumption increased only 13.18%. Meanwhile the water consumption for an individual plan decreased by 44.48%.

Key words: an individual plant of corn, total water consumption, water consumption by transpiration