不同生育时期水分胁迫的研究结果表明，任何生育时期的土壤干旱均会导致玉米减产，其中抽雄吐丝期水分胁迫减产最重，其次是拔节期，苗期相对较轻。苗期水分胁迫使玉米子粒的“库”形成受到一定阻碍，但由于后期仍维持较大的绿叶面积，复水后可迅速补偿由于前期水分胁迫所减少的生长量，减产较轻。拔节期水分胁迫导致植株矮化，穗位高降低，从而使产量降低。抽雄吐丝期是玉米的水分临界期，干旱可导致散粉至吐丝期间隔(ASI)加大，致使花期不遇，穗粒数大幅度下降，从而严重影响玉米的产量。

The result of maize experiment with water stress in different growing stages showed that soil drought stress could lead to yield decreasing in any growing stages. The yield decreased most in tisseling and silking stage under water stress, next in jointing stage, and the affect of seeding stage was faintish comparatively. Although water stress could restrict the sink formation of maize seed, the later stage could maintain large leaf area. Re-watering could rapidly compensate the growth increment in prophase stage with water stress. Water stress in booting stage may lead to plant dwarfing, ear height lowering and the yield decreasing. Flowering was the water critical stage in maize. Drought might lead to the increment of ASI, the great decrement of grain number. Accordingly, it affected the maize yield seriously.

北京农业育种基础研究创新平台项目“超级玉米品种选育及中国玉米标准DNA指纹库构建研究”——超级玉米品种试验鉴定关键技术与方法研究；国家科技支撑计划(2006BAD02A13-4-5)