Impact of Vermicompost Application Rate for Winter Wheat on Dry Matter Accumulation,Transportation,and Yield of Subsequent Maize in Lime Concretion Black Soil

LIANG Lu; YIN Kun; ZHANG Weijie; ZHUANG Qiuli; XU Bohan; TIAN Kaiyue; ZHANG Dongjie; ZHANG Donghui; HUANG Yubo

doi:10.15933/j.cnki.1004-3268.2026.05.005

Abstract：To clarify the impact of earthworm cast application rate during the previous winter wheat season on dry matter accumulation,transportation,and yield of the subsequent maize crop in the sand-ginger black soil region of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain,a field location experiment was conducted in sand-ginger black soil area of Guoxiaozhuang Village,Dancheng County,Zhoukou City,Henan Province in 2021.During the previous winter wheat season,five treatments with different earthworm cast application rates were set up,namely 0(CK),3.75,7.5,15,and 30 t/ha,denoted as EC0,EC1,EC2,EC3,and EC4,respectively,with equal amounts of chemical fertilizer applied.Based on data from two maize seasons spanning 2023-2024,the regulatory effects of earthworm cast application rate during the previous winter wheat season on dry matter accumulation,distribution,transportation,and grain yield of the subsequent maize crop were investigated.The results showed that,over two growing seasons,compared to the EC0 treatment,the application of earthworm casts in the previous winter wheat crop significantly increased the dry matter accumulation in the above-ground parts of the subsequent maize crop after jointing,and significantly improved the maximum growth rate of dry matter(9.77％—32.87％)and the average growth rate(8.30％—28.61％)in the above-ground parts,with the EC3 treatment showing the best results and advancing the days when the maximum growth rate of dry matter occurred overall.The application of earthworm casts significantly increased the average accumulation rates of dry matter during the gradual increase period(emergence to early jointing),rapid increase period(early jointing to early grain filling),and slow increase period(early grain filling to maturity)of the subsequent maize crop(8.05％—29.25％,9.77％—32.87％,and 6.06％—21.70％respectively),with the EC3 treatment showing the best results and shortening the duration of the rapid increase period(0.69-2.25 days)and extending the duration of the slow increase period(0.42-1.59 days).The application of earthworm casts significantly increased the dry matter accumulation to the ear of the subsequent maize crop and improved dry matter accumulation after silking(5.59％—22.68％)and the contribution rate of dry matter after silking to the grain(1.42％—5.82％),both with the EC3 treatment showing the best results.The application of earthworm casts significantly increased the grain yield of the subsequent maize crop(5.71％—26.75％),with the highest value achieved in the EC3 treatment.In summary,under the region of lime concretion black soil in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain,the application of 15 t/ha earthworm casts combined with chemical fertilizer in the previous winter wheat crop can effectively promote the dry matter accumulation,accumulation rate in the above-ground parts of the subsequent maize crop,improve the dry matter accumulation in the maize ear,increase dry matter accumulation after silking and its contribution rate to the grain,and ultimately increase yield.