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Estimation of Nitrogen Supply for Summer Maize Production through a Long-Term Field Trial in China

Authors :
Shaohui Huang
Wenfang Yang
Wencheng Ding
Liangliang Jia
Lingling Jiang
Yingxia Liu
Xinpeng Xu
Yunma Yang
Ping He
Junfang Yang
Source :
Agronomy, Vol 11, Iss 7, p 1358 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2021.

Abstract

Supplying adequate nitrogen (N) to meet crop demand is critical for enhancing agricultural sustainability. Not only fertilizer N, but also N from other available sources should be considered in N supply capacity. We conducted a 10-year farming experiment using a split-plot design with two different main fertilizer management approaches and three N application strategies as add-on sub-treatments. Based on the experiment, we estimated the total N supply (TNsupply) for the summer maize cropping system, through considering environmental, soil, crop residue, and fertilizer N sources. An appropriate TNsupply was established by correlating TNsupply with the relative yield (RY), N input and output, and N use efficiency (NUE). The results revealed a wide variation in TNsupply (from 88 to 755 kg ha−1). The RY, N input, and N output fitted well to TNsupply using linear-plateau, linear, and linear-plateau models, respectively. The lower limits of TNsupply for achieving the maximum RY and N output were 361 and 358 kg ha−1, respectively. The relationship between N input and N output was described as linear-plateau. We determined the slope of the linear curve (55.4%) as the lower limit of NUE, beyond which the upper limit of TNsupply was determined to be less than 497 kg ha−1. Thus, appropriate TNsupply values ranged from 325 to 497 kg ha−1 for summer maize production, which could ensure enough N supply for higher yields and avoid excessive N input for higher NUE and lower environmental N loss. Our findings highlight that TNsupply can be an alternative indicator for evaluating N management.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20734395
Volume :
11
Issue :
7
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Agronomy
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.25776cf3a6fd4dedbec4dbfeb98c9d9e
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11071358