Root Characteristics for Maize with the Highest Grain Yield Potential of 22.5 Mg ha −1 in China

In maize ( Zea mays L.), rational root structure promotes high grain yield under dense sowing conditions. This study was conducted at Qitai Farm in Xinjiang, China, in 2019 and 2021. A traditional wide and narrow row planting method was adopted, with wide rows of 0.7 m and narrow rows of 0.4 m. The cultivars DH618 and SC704, which have grain yield potentials of 22.5 and 15 Mg ha −1 , respectively, were selected for study of the root structure and distribution characteristics under high-yield and high-density planting conditions. The highest yield (20.24 Mg ha −1 ) was achieved by DH618 under a planting density of 12 × 10 4 plants ha −1 . The root structure of DH618 was well developed at that planting density, and the root dry weight (RDW) was 17.49 g plant −1 and 14.65 g plant −1 at the silking and maturity stages, respectively; these values were 7.56% and 11.86% higher, respectively, than those of SC704. At the silking stage, the proportions of RDW at soil depths of 0–10, 10–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm were 66.29%, 11.83%, 16.51%, and 5.38%, respectively, for DH618; over the 20–60 cm soil layer, this was an average of 4.04% higher than the RDW of SC704. At maturity, the proportions of RDW at soil depths of 0–10, 10–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm were 61.40%, 11.19%, 17.19%, and 10.21%, respectively, for DH618, which was an average of 9.59% higher than that of SC704 over the 20–60 cm soil layer. At maturity, DH618 roots were mainly distributed in the narrow rows, accounting for 72.03% of the root structure; this was 9.53% higher than the roots of SC704. At silking and maturity, the root weight densities of DH618 were 471.98 g m −3 and 382.98 g m −3 , respectively (5.18% and 5.97% higher, respectively, than the root weight densities of SC704). The root lengths of DH618 were 239.72 m plant −1 and 199.04 m plant −1 at the silking and maturity stages, respectively; these were 16.45% and 25.39% higher, respectively, than the root lengths of SC704. The root length densities were 0.58 cm cm −3 and 0.46 cm cm −3 at the silking and maturity stages, respectively, and these were 16.86% and 17.08% higher, respectively, than the root length densities of SC704. This study indicated that the maize hybrid DH618 had a more developed root structure with increased root distribution in the deep soil and narrow rows under high-density planting compared to cultivar SC704, contributing to high grain yield under dense planting.