Please wait a minute...
Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2023, Vol. 22 Issue (4): 1184-1198    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2022.09.018
Agro-ecosystem & Environment Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Hole fertilization in the root zone facilitates maize yield and nitrogen utilization by mitigating potential N loss and improving mineral N accumulation

SHI Wen-xuan1, ZHANG Qian1, LI Lan-tao1, TAN Jin-fang2, XIE Ruo-han2#, WANG Yi-lun1#

1 College of Resources and Environment, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, P.R.China

2 School of Agriculture, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, P.R.China

Download:  PDF in ScienceDirect  
Export:  BibTeX | EndNote (RIS)      
摘要  

减少环境影响和提高氮利用率对确保中国的粮食安全至关重要。根区施肥已被认为是提高氮肥利用率(NUE)的有效策略,但在根区施肥条件下,控释尿素(CRU)与普通尿素掺混对夏玉米田的影响仍不清楚。因此,本研究进行了为期3年的田间试验,以不氮为对照,采用两种施肥模式(FF:人工开沟施,即农民施肥习惯HF:人工点播的根区穴施),每公顷施氮量210 kg hm-2(控释尿素普通尿素的混合比例为55),同时进行了一年的原位微试验。研究了不同施肥模式下的玉米产量、氮利用率和潜在氮损失。结果表明,FF相比HF处理在三年内使平均产量和氮素回收效率分别提高了8.522.3%相比之下HF具有更大的应用潜力,且显著提高了干物质积累、总氮吸收、SPAD值和LAI。此外,相比于FFHF使来自肥料的15N积累提高了17.2%15N的潜在损失减少了43.8%。收获时,HF处理FF增加了土壤耕层中矿质氮的积累,以便在下一季使用。因此,HF可以满足夏玉米对氮的需求,维持产量,提高NUE,同时减少环境中的氮损失。总的来说,根区穴施条件下控释尿素掺混普通尿素一种有效前景施肥模式有助于实现华北平原的环境完整性和粮食安全,值得进一步应用和研究。



Abstract  

Reducing environmental impacts and improving N utilization are critical to ensuring food security in China.  Although root-zone fertilization has been considered an effective strategy to improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), the effect of controlled-release urea (CRU) applied in conjunction with normal urea in this mode is unclear.  Therefore, a 3-year field experiment was conducted using a no-N-added as a control and two fertilization modes (FF, furrow fertilization by manual trenching, i.e., farmer fertilizer practice; HF: root-zone hole fertilization by point broadcast manually) at 210 kg N ha–1 (controlled-release:normal fertilizer=5:5), along with a 1-year in-situ microplot experiment.  Maize yield, NUE and N loss were investigated under different fertilization modes.  The results showed that compared with FF, HF improved the average yield and N recovery efficiency by 8.5 and 22.3% over three years, respectively.  HF had a greater potential for application than FF treatment, which led to increases in dry matter accumulation, total N uptake, SPAD value and LAI.  In addition, HF remarkably enhanced the accumulation of 15N derived from fertilizer by 17.2% compared with FF, which in turn reduced the potential loss of 15N by 43.8%.  HF increased the accumulation of N in the tillage layer of soils at harvest for potential use in the subsequent season relative to FF.  Hence, HF could match the N requirement of summer maize, sustain yield, improve NUE and reduce environmental N loss simultaneously.  Overall, root-zone hole fertilization with blended CRU and normal urea can represent an effective and promising practice to achieve environmental integrity and food security on the North China Plain, which deserves further application and investigation.

Keywords:  maize yield       hole fertilization       NUE       15N-labeled blended urea        15N loss  
Received: 06 July 2022   Accepted: 22 August 2022
Fund: 

This research was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFD0301106).

About author:  #Correspondence WANG Yi-lun, Tel: +86-371-63555504, E-mail: wangyilunrl@henau.edu.cn; XIE Ruo-han, Tel: +86-20-39339235, E-mail: xierh25@mail.sysu.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

SHI Wen-xuan, ZHANG Qian, LI Lan-tao, TAN Jin-fang, XIE Ruo-han, WANG Yi-lun. 2023. Hole fertilization in the root zone facilitates maize yield and nitrogen utilization by mitigating potential N loss and improving mineral N accumulation. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 22(4): 1184-1198.

Alam M M, Karim M R, Ladha J K. 2013. Integrating best management practices for rice with farmers’ crop management techniques: A potential option for minimizing rice yield gap. Field Crops Research, 144, 62–68.
Cai G X, Chen D L, Ding H, Pacholski A, Fan X H, Zhu Z L. 2002. Nitrogen losses from fertilizers applied to maize, wheat and rice in the North China Plain. Nutrient Cycling Agroecosystems, 63, 187–195.
Chen X P, Cui Z L, Fan M S, Vitousek P, Zhao M, Ma W Q, Wang Z L, Zhang W J, Yan X Y, Yang J C, Deng X P, Gao Q, Zhang Q, Guo S W, Ren J, Li S Q, Ye Y L, Wang Z H, Huang J L, Tang Q Y, et al. 2014. Producing more grain with lower environmental costs. Nature, 514, 486–490.
Chen Z M, Wang H Y, Liu X W, Liu Y Z, Gao S S, Zhou J M. 2016. The effect of N fertilizer placement on the fate of urea-15N and yield of winter wheat in Southeast China. PLoS ONE, 11, e0153701.
Cui Z L, Wang G L, Yue S C, Wu L, Zhang W F, Zhang F S, Chen X P. 2014. Closing the N-use efficiency gap to achieve food and environmental security. Environmental Science & Technology, 48, 5780–5787.
Follett R F. 2001. Innovative 15N micro-plot research techniques to study nitrogen use efficiency under different ecosystems. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 32, 951–979.
Geng J B, Sun Y B, Zhang M, Li C L, Yang Y C, Liu Z G, Li S L. 2015. Long-term effects of controlled release urea application on crop yields and soil fertility under rice-oilseed rape rotation system. Field Crops Research, 184, 65–73.
Grassini P, Eskridge K M, Cassman K G. 2012. Distinguishing between yield advances and yield plateaus in historical crop production trends. Nature Communications, 4, 2918.
Guo J J, Fan J L, Zhang F C, Yan S C, Zheng J, Wu Y, Li J, Wang Y L, Sun X, Liu X Q, Xiang Y Z, Li Z J. 2021. Blending urea and slow-release nitrogen fertilizer increases dryland maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency while mitigating ammonia volatilization. Science of the Total Environment, 790, 148058.
Guo S, Jiang R, Qu H C, Wang Y L, Misselbrook T, Gunina A, Kuzyakov Y. 2019. Fate and transport of urea N in a rain-fed ridge-furrow crop system with plastic mulch. Soil Tillage Research, 186, 214–223.
Hu H Y, Ning T Y, Li Z J, Han H F, Zhang Z Z, Qin S J, Zheng Y H. 2013. Coupling effects of urea types and subsoiling on nitrogen-water use and yield of different varieties of maize in northern China. Field Crops Research, 142, 85–94.
Jiang C Q, Lu D J, Zu C L, Zhou J M, Wang H Y. 2018a. Root-zone fertilization improves crop yields and minimizes nitrogen loss in summer maize in China. Scientific Reports, 8, 15139.
Jiang C Q, Wang H Y, Lu D J, Zhou J M, Wang S J, Zu C L. 2018b. Single fertilization of urea in root zone improving crop yield, nutrient uptake and use efficiency in summer maize. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, 34, 146–153. (in Chinese)
Ju X T, Zhang C. 2017. Nitrogen cycling and environmental impacts in upland agricultural soils in North China: A review. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 16, 2848–2862.
Kapoor V, Singh U, Patil S K, Magre H, Shrivastava L K, Mishra V N, Das R O, Samadhiya V K, Sanabria J, Diamond R. 2008. Rice growth, grain yield, and floodwater nutrient dynamics as affected by nutrient placement method and rate. Agronomy Journal, 100, 526.
Kou C L, Luo X S, Ju X T. 2017. Effects of optimal nitrogen fertilization on N balance and nitrate-N accumulation in greenhouse tomato fields. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizers, 27, 837–848. (in Chinese)
Li C, Wang C, Wen X, Qin X, Liu Y, Han J, Li Y, Liao Y, Wu W. 2017. Ridge-furrow with plastic film mulching practice improves maize productivity and resource use efficiency under the wheat–maize double-cropping system in dry semi-humid areas. Field Crops Research, 203, 201–211.
Li C L, Wang Y, Li Y X, Zhu L, Cao Y Q, Zhao X H, Feng G Z, Gao Q. 2020. Mixture of controlled-release and normal urea to improve nitrogen management for maize across contrasting soil types. Agronomy Journal, 112, 3101–3113. 
Li Z L, Liu Z G, Zhang M, Li C L, Li Y C, Wan Y S, Martin C G. 2020. Long-term effects of controlled-release potassium chloride on soil available potassium, nutrient absorption and yield of maize plants. Soil Tillage Research, 196, 1–12.
Liu T Q, Fan D J, Zhang X X, Chen J, Li C F, Gao C G. 2015. Deep placement of nitrogen fertilizers reduces ammonia volatilization and increases nitrogen utilization efficiency in no-tillage paddy fields in central China. Field Crops Research, 184, 80–90.
Liu X E, Li X G, Guo R Y, Kuzyakov Y, Li F M. 2015. The effect of plastic mulch on the fate of urea-N in rain-fed maize production in a semiarid environment as assessed by 15N-labeling. European Journal of Agronomy, 70, 71–77.
Liu X J, Ju X T, Zhang F S, Pan J, Christie P. 2003. Nitrogen dynamics and budgets in a winter wheat–maize cropping system in the North China Plain. Field Crops Research, 83, 111–124.
Mae T. 1997. Physiological nitrogen efficiency in rice: nitrogen utilization, photosynthesis, and yield potential. Plant and Soil, 196, 201–210.
Min J, Sun H J, Wang Y, Pan Y F, Kronzucker H J, Zhao D Q, Shi W M. 2021. Mechanical side-deep fertilization mitigates ammonia volatilization and nitrogen runoff and increases profitability in rice production independent of fertilizer type and split ratio. Journal of Clean Production, 361, 1–9.
Mohanty S K, Singh U, Balasubramanian V, Jha K P. 1999. Nitrogen placement technologies for productivity, profitability, and environmental quality of rainfed lowland rice system. In: Balasubramanian V, Ladha J K, Denning G L, eds., Resource Management in Rice Systems, Nutrients. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences. Vol. 81. Springer, Dordrecht.
Nkebiwe P M, Weinmann M, Bar-Tal, A, Müller T. 2016. Fertilizer placement to improve crop nutrient acquisition and yield: A review and meta-analysis. Field Crops Research, 196, 389–401.
Noellsch A J, Motavalli P P, Nelson K A, Kitchen N R. 2009. Corn response to conventional and slow-release nitrogen fertilizers across a claypan landscape. Agronomy Journal, 101, 607–614.
Pan S G, Wen X C, Wang Z M, Ashraf U, Tian H, Duan M Y, Mo Z W, Fan P S, Tang X R. 2017. Benefits of mechanized deep placement of nitrogen fertilizer in direct-seeded rice in South China. Field Crops Research, 203, 139–149.
Pan Y H, Guo J J, Fan L Y, Ji Y, Liu Z, Wang F, Pu Z X, Ling N, Shen Q R, Guo S W. 2022. The source-sink balance during the grain filling period facilitates rice production under organic fertilizer substitution. European Journal of Agronomy, 134, 126468.
Quan Z, Li S L, Zhu F F, Zhang L M, He J Z, Wei W X, Fang Y T. 2018. Fates of 15N-labeled fertilizer in a black soil–maize system and the response to straw incorporation in Northeast China. Journal of Soils Sediments, 18, 1441–1452.
Rees R M, Roelcke M, Li S X, Wang X Q, Li S Q, Stockdale E A, Mctaggart I P, Smith K A, Richter J. 1997. The effect of fertilizer placement on nitrogen uptake and yield of wheat and maize in Chinese loess soils. Nutrient Cycling Agroecosystems, 47, 81–91.
Shen Y, Sui P, Huang J, Wang D, Whalen J K, Chen Y. 2018. Global warming potential from maize and maize–soybean as affected by nitrogen fertilizer and cropping practices in the North China Plain. Field Crops Research, 225, 117–127.
Song C, Guan Y, Wang D, Zewudie D, Li F M. 2014. Palygorskite-coated fertilizers with a timely release of nutrients increase potato productivity in a rain-fed cropland. Field Crops Research, 166, 10–17.
Tewari K, Sato T, Abiko M, Ohtake N, Sueyoshi K, Takahashi Y, Nagumo Y, Tutida T, Ohyama T. 2010. Analysis of the nitrogen nutrition of soybean plants with deep placement of coated urea and lime nitrogen. Soil Science and Plant Nutrient, 53, 772–781.
Torbert H A, Mulvaney R L, Vandenheuvel R M, Hoeft R G. 1992. Soil type and moisture regime effects on fertilizer efficiency calculation methods in a N15 tracer study. Agronomy Journal, 84, 66–70.
Wang H Y, Zhou J M. 2013. Root-zone fertilization - a key and necessary approach to improve fertilizer use efficiency and reduce non-point source pollution from the cropland. Soils, 45, 785–790. (in Chinese)
Wang S, Luo S, Yue S, Shen Y, Li S. 2016. Fate of 15N fertilizer under different nitrogen split applications to plastic mulched maize in semiarid farmland. Nutrient Cycling Agroecosystems, 105, 129–140.
Wu P, Liu F, Li H, Cai T, Zhang P, Jia Z K. 2021. Suitable fertilizer application depth can increase nitrogen use efficiency and maize yield by reducing gaseous nitrogen losses. Science of the Total Environment, 781, 146787.
Xu J, Peng S, Yang S. 2012. Ammonia volatilization losses from rice paddies with different irrigation and nitrogen managements. Agricultural Water Management, 104, 184–192.
Yang J, Gao W, Ren S. 2015. Long-term effects of combined application of chemical nitrogen with organic materials on crop yields, soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in fluvo-aquic soil. Soil Tillage Research, 151, 67–74.
Yang Y, Ni X, Zhou Z, Yu L X, Liu B M, Yang Y, Wu Y. 2017. Performance of matrix-based slow-release urea in reducing nitrogen loss and improving maize yields and profits. Field Crops Research, 212, 73–81.
Yao Y L, Zhang M, Tian Y H, Zhao M, Zhang B W, Zhao M, Zeng K, Yin B. 2018. Urea deep placement for minimizing NH3 loss in an intensive rice cropping system. Field Crops Research, 218, 254–266.
Yao Z S, Zheng X H, Zhang Y N, Liu C Y, Wang R, Lin S, Zuo Q, Butterbach-Bahl K. 2017. Urea deep placement reduces yield-scaled greenhouse gas (CH4 and N2O) and NO emissions from a ground cover rice production system. Scientific Reports, 7, 1–11.
Zhang F S, Wang J Q, Zhang W F, Cui A L, Ma W Q, Chen X P, Jiang R F. 2008. Nutrient use efficiencies of major cereal crops in China and measures for improvement. Acta Pedologica Sinica, 45, 915–924. (in Chinese)
Zhang L, Liang Z Y, Hu Y C, Schmidhalter U, Zhang W S, Ruan S Y, Chen X P. 2021. Integrated assessment of agronomic, environmental and ecosystem economic benefits of blending use of controlled-release and common urea in wheat production. Journal of Clean Production, 287, 125572.
Zhang M, Yao Y, Zhao M, Zhang B, Tian Y, Yin B, Zhu Z. 2017. Integration of urea deep placement and organic addition for improving yield and soil properties and decreasing N loss in paddy field. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 247, 236–245.
Zhao C, Huang H, Qian Z H, Jiang H X, Liu G M, Hu K, Xu Y J, Dai Q G, Huo Z Y. 2021. Effect of side deep placement of nitrogen on yield and nitrogen use efficiency of single season late japonica rice. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 20, 1487–1502.
Zhao M, Tian Y, Ma Y, Zhang M, Yao Y, Xiong Z, Yin B, Zhu Z. 2015. Mitigating gaseous nitrogen emissions intensity from a Chinese rice cropping system through an improved management practice aimed to close the yield gap. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 203, 36–45.
Zheng W K, Wang Y S, Li Y C, Liu Z G, Chen J Q, Zhou H Y, Gao Y X, Chen B C, Zhang M. 2020. Developing water and nitrogen budgets of a wheat–maize rotation system using auto-weighing lysimeters: effects of blended application of controlled-release and un-coated urea. Environmental Pollution, 263, 1–11.
Zheng W K, Zhang M, Liu Z G, Zhou H Y, Lu H, Zhang W T, Yang Y C, Li C L, Chen B C. 2016. Combining controlled-release urea and normal urea to improve the nitrogen use efficiency and yield under wheat–maize double cropping system. Field Crops Research, 197, 52–62.
Zhong X M, Zhou X, Fei J C, Huang Y, Wang G, Kang X R, Hu W F, Zhang H R, Rong X G, Peng J W. 2021. Reducing ammonia volatilization and increasing nitrogen use efficiency in machine-transplanted rice with side-deep fertilization in a double-cropping rice system in Southern China. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 306, 1–12.
Zhu C H, Ouyang Y Y, Diao Y, Yu J Q, Luo X, Zheng J G, Li X Y. 2021. Effects of mechanized deep placement of nitrogen fertilizer rate and type on rice yield and nitrogen use efficiency in Chuanxi Plain, China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 20, 581–592.
[1] DING Yong-gang, ZHANG Xin-bo, MA Quan, LI Fu-jian, TAO Rong-rong, ZHU Min, Li Chun-yan, ZHU Xin-kai, GUO Wen-shan, DING Jin-feng. Tiller fertility is critical for improving grain yield, photosynthesis and nitrogen efficiency in wheat[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2023, 22(7): 2054-2066.
[2] MA Da-ling, XIE Rui-zhi, YU Xiao-fang, LI Shao-kun, GAO Ju-lin. Historical trends in maize morphology from the 1950s to the 2010s in China[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2022, 21(8): 2159-2167.
[3] ZHANG Sha, Bai Yun, Zhang Jia-hua, Shahzad ALI. Developing a process-based and remote sensing driven crop yield model for maize (PRYM–Maize) and its validation over the Northeast China Plain[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2021, 20(2): 408-423.
[4] WU Jian-zhai, ZHANG Jing, GE Zhang-ming, XING Li-wei, HAN Shu-qing, SHEN Chen, KONG Fan-tao . Impact of climate change on maize yield in China from 1979 to 2016[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2021, 20(1): 289-299.
[5] WANG Qian, LIU Chang-hai, HUANG Dong, DONG Qing-long, LI Peng-min, Steve van NOCKER, MA Feng-wang . Physiological evaluation of nitrogen use efficiency of different apple cultivars under various nitrogen and water supply conditions[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2020, 19(3): 709-720.
[6] LI Hui, FENG Wen-ting, HE Xin-hua, ZHU Ping, GAO Hong-jun, SUN Nan, XU Ming-gang . Chemical fertilizers could be completely replaced by manure to maintain high maize yield and soil organic carbon (SOC) when SOC reaches a threshold in the Northeast China Plain[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2017, 16(04): 937-946.
[7] ZHU Lin, LIU Jian-liang, LUO Sha-sha, BU Ling-duo, CHEN Xin-ping; LI Shi-qing. Soil mulching can mitigate soil water deficiency impacts on rainfed maize production in semiarid environments[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2015, 14(1): 58-66.
[8] QIAN Gui-xia12, ZHANG Yi-pin1, WU Jian-guo23 and PAN Yue-hong4. Revenue Sharing in Dairy Industry Supply Chain - A Case Study of Hohhot, China[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2013, 12(12): 2300-2309.
No Suggested Reading articles found!