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A large yield gap exists in rain-fed maize (<i>Zea mays </i>L.) production in semi-arid\udregions, mainly caused by frequent droughts halfway through the crop-growing period\uddue to uneven distribution of rainfall. It is questionable whether irrigation\udsystems are economically required in such a region since the total amount of\udrainfall does generally meet crop requirements. This study aimed to\udquantitatively determine the effects of water stress from jointing to\udgrain filling on root and shoot growth and the consequences for maize grain\udyield, above- and below-ground dry matter, water uptake (WU) and water use\udefficiency (WUE). Pot experiments were conducted in 2014 and 2015 with a\udmobile rain shelter to achieve conditions of no, mild or severe water\udstress. Maize yield was not affected by mild water stress over 2 years,\udwhile severe stress reduced yield by 56 %. Both water stress levels\uddecreased root biomass slightly but shoot biomass substantially. Mild water\udstress decreased root length but increased root diameter, resulting in no\udeffect on root surface area. Due to the morphological plasticity in root\udgrowth and the increase in root ∕ shoot ratio, WU under water stress was\uddecreased, and overall WUE for both above-ground dry matter and grain yield\udincreased. Our results demonstrate that an irrigation system might be not\udeconomically and ecologically necessary because the frequently occurring\udmild water stress did not reduce crop yield much. The study helps us to\udunderstand crop responses to water stress during a critical water-sensitive\udperiod (middle of the crop-growing season) and to mitigate drought risk in dry-land\udagriculture

Morphological plasticity of root growth under mild water stress increases water use efficiency without reducing yield in maize