Abstract: Based on daily meteorological observation data of 46 stations in Liaoning Province from 1966 to 2015, we analyzed the interannual trends of climate factors in the growing season of maize. The photosynthetic, lighttemperature, and climate potential productivity were estimated by mechanical method. The temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of climate potential productivity of maize were analyzed by empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and rotated EOF (REOF) decomposition methods. The results showed that: (1) The mean temperature during the growth period of maize increased, solar radiation declined, and the precipitation showed a fluctuating decline trend in Liaoning Province from 1966 to 2015. The trend of photosynthetic potential productivity of maize was decreased by phases, light temperature potential productivity and climate potential productivity of maize showed a fluctuating upward trend, but the trends of those changes were not significant. Compared with the 1970s and 1980s, climate potential productivity of maize increased substantially in the early 21st century. (2) The photosynthetic potential productivity was gradually decreased from southwest to northeast, and light temperature potential productivity showed a belt typed distribution. The first two modes of EOF analysis explained 86.47% of the total variation. The results revealed the spatial distribution of climate potential productivity of maize characterized by an overall consistency, with the midland region being a center. Among them, southern coastal area and eastern region showed a reverse trend in Liaoning Province. (3) The spatial distribution of the climate potential productivity of maize in Liaoning Province could be divided into four typical distribution types. The high value area was located in the middle and southern coastal areas, while the low value area was located in the eastern part and the semi-arid western part of Liaoning.

Key words: antcolonization, tropical forest, organic carbon mineralization, soil properties