近年来，随着农业供给侧结构性改革的实施，玉米价格回落，玉米生产出现了高生产、高库存、效益低、卖粮难等突出问题，农民种植积极性受挫，玉米生产面临变革。未来玉米产业如何定位、如何发展，种植面积调减只是第一步，更为重要的是对玉米生产各环节的优化和升级。通过梳理我国当前玉米生产、消费和需求现状，从农业种植结构、劳动力结构变化、生产经营方式、品种创新、质量安全、生产潜力提高等方面进行了分析研究，提出了优化产业结构、稳定玉米生产，适应劳动力变化、加快土地集中耕种、提高种植效益，加快玉米品种原始创新、培育多元优质高效型品种，多措并举、提高玉米安全质量，种养结合、培肥地力、持续提高玉米生产潜力等具体措施。最终实现多元、优质、高产、高效及生态、智慧、可持续的玉米生产现代化。

利用主基因-多基因遗传模型，以玉米杂交组合农大3138的P₁，P₂，F₁和F_2∶3家系为材料，联合分析了玉米产量性状的遗传效应。结果表明：穗长、穗粗、穗重和单株粒重是由多基因模型控制；行粒数和千粒重检测到1对完全显性主基因，穗行数和秃顶长存在2对主效基因，而且穗行数的2对主效基因之间存在互作效应。同时对不同方法计算出来的遗传率作了比较，认为存在主效基因的性状遗传率偏低的原因是由于基因的显性作用所致。讨论了不同产量性状的育种对策。

Foxtail millet is a highly nutritious crop, which is widely cultivated in arid and semi-arid areas worldwide. Humic acid (HA), as a common plant growth regulator, is used as an organic fertilizer and feed additive in agricultural production. However, the impact of potassium humate KH on the photosynthetic rate and yield of foxtail millet has not yet been studied. We explored the effects of KH application on the morphology, photosynthetic ability, carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and yield of foxtail millet. A field experiment was performed using six concentrations of KH (0, 20, 40, 80, 160, and 320 kg ha−1) supplied foliarly at the booting stage in Zhangza 10 cultivar (a widely grown high-yield variety). The results showed that KH treatment increased growth, chlorophyll content (SPAD), photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), and stomatal conductance (Gs). In addition, soluble protein content, sugar content, and nitrate reductase activity increased in KH-treated plants. With increased KH concentration, the effects became more evident and the peak values of each factor were achieved at 80 kg ha−1. Photosynthetic rate showed significant correlation with SPAD, Tr, Gs, and soluble protein content, but was negatively correlated with intercellular CO2 concentration. Compared to that of the control, the yield of foxtail millet under the T2, T3, T4, and T5 (40, 80, 160, and 320 kg ha−1 of KH) treatments significantly increased by 6.0%, 12.7%, 10.5%, and 8.6%, respectively. Yield exhibited a significant positive correlation with Tr, Pn, and Gs. Overall, KH enhances photosynthetic rate and yield of foxtail millet, therefore it may be conducive to stable millet production. These findings may provide a theoretical basis for the green and efficient production of millet fields.

In this work, we sought to understand how breeding has affected photosynthesis and to identify key photosynthetic indices that are important for increasing maize yield in the field. Our 2-year (2017-2018) field experiment used five high-yielding hybrid maize cultivars (generated in the 1970s, 2000s, and 2010s) and was conducted in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. We investigated the effects of planting density on maize grain yield, photosynthetic parameters, respiration, and chlorophyll content, under three planting density regimens: 75,000, 105,000, and 135,000 plants ha. Our results showed that increasing planting density to the medium level (105,000 plants ha) significantly increased grain yield (Y) up to 20.32% compared to the low level (75,000 plants ha). However, further increasing planting density to 135,000 plants ha did not lead to an additional increase in yield, with some cultivars actually exhibiting an opposite trend. Interestingly, no significant changes in photosynthetic rate, dark respiration, stomatal density, and aperture were observed upon increasing planting density. Moreover, our experiments revealed a positive correlation between grain yield and the net photosynthetic rate (P) upon the hybrid release year. Compared to other cultivars, the higher grain yield obtained in DH618 resulted from a higher 1000-kernel weight (TKW), which can be explained by a longer photosynthetic duration, a higher chlorophyll content, and a lower ratio of chlorophyll a/b. Moreover, we found that a higher leaf area per plant and the leaf area index (HI) do not necessarily result in an improvement in maize yield. Taken together, we demonstrated that higher photosynthetic capacity, longer photosynthetic duration, suitable LAI, and higher chlorophyll content with lower chlorophyll a/b ratio are important factors for obtaining high-yielding maize cultivars and can be used for the improvement of maize crop yield.