Disintegrating the impact of climate change on maize yield from human management practices in China

•The average maize yield in China's maize planting regions increased by 1.7 times from 1982 to 2013.•The overall impact of human management on maize yield exceeded that of climate change.•The vapor pressure deficit was the main negative driver of China's maize yield.•The determinants of maize yield varied greatly across the four planting regions in China.