Objectives This study aimed to clarify the possibility of slow-released fertilizer once basal application in spring maize in Jiangsu Province, China, to provide theoretical reference for simple fertilization management in Jiangsu spring maize planting regions.

Methods The two maize cultivars used are currently promoted Suyu29 (SY29) and Suyu30 (SY30). Under high yield fertilization recommendation rates of N, P₂O₅ and K₂O (405, 135 and 135 kg/hm²), the slow-released compound fertilizer was once applied at sowing (SF), and the nitrogen in the conventional fertilizers was divided into two parts, and one-third applied at sowing and two-thirds top-dressed urea at jointing stage (CF). The grain yield, accumulation and translocation of dry matter and nitrogen, and nitrogen use efficiency were investigated.

Results The grain yields were increased by fertilization and the yields in SF treatment were significantly higher than those in CF treatment. Compared with the CF treatment, the yields of SY29 and SY30 in SF treatment were increased by 24.7% and 17.8%, respectively. The accumulation amounts of dry matter and nitrogen at the silking, post-silking and maturity stages were increased more significantly in SF treatment than those in CF treatment, compared with no fertilization (CK). Compared with CF treatment, the increases of dry matter at the silking, post-silking and maturity stage under SF treatment were 9.1%, 10.4% and 14.7% for SY29, and 9.8%, 26.2% and 21.1% for SY30; the increases of N accumulation under SF treatment were 3.8%, 33.3% and 13.3% for SY29, and 14.5%, 30.1% and 19.2% for SY30. The SF treatment had higher leaf area index at the silking stage (increased by 7.6% and 9.6% for SY29 and SY30, respectively), and similar ratio of grain weight/leaf area with its counterpart in CF treatment. For SY29, the post-silking dry matter translocation under SF treatment was 2256.0 kg/hm², higher than that under CF (1832.3 kg/hm²), but for SY30, that under SF treatment(1254.8 kg/hm²) was lower than that under CF treatment (1462.3 kg/hm²). The post-silking nitrogen translocation under SF treatment was higher than under CF treatment for both cultivars, which were increased by 8.6% and 16.9% for SY29 and SY30, respectively. Nitrogen use efficiency, agronomical efficiency, and partial factor productivity were all higher under the SF treatment condition.

Conclusions Under the recommended high-yield fertilization for spring maize in Jiangsu Province, once application of slow-released fertilizer at sowing could improve grain yield with higher nitrogen use efficiency and lower labor cost.