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Journal of Integrative Agriculture
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Optimizing rice yield: evaluating the nitrogen supply characteristics of slow- and controlled-release fertilizers using the leaf nitrogen balance index
Weike Tao1, 3, Qiuli Chen1, 3, Weiwei Li1, 3*, Shen Gao1, 3, Jiaqi Li1, 3, Yuhui Wang1, 3, Sajjad Ahmad1, 3, Yanfeng Ding1, 2, 3, Ganghua Li1, 3*

1 Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agriculture, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China

2 National Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, Nanjing 210095, China

3 China-Kenya belt and road joint laboratory on crop molecular biology, Nanjing 210095, China

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摘要  缓控释氮肥(SCRNF)的氮供应与水稻氮需求同步,是用一次基施SCRNF代替多次施用尿素的关键。传统的氮供应特评估主要关注氮释放模式,仅适用于包衣SCRNF忽视了氮转化机制,因此需要一个更通用、更可靠指标。基于作物氮状态能够识别氮缺乏或过剩,我们假设应用叶片氮平衡指数(NBI)作为氮状的衡量指标,可以为评估SCRNF氮供应特提供新的视野我们进行了大田试验,包含四种单SCRNF-腐殖酸尿素(HAU)、硫包尿素(SCU)、脲酶抑制剂尿素(UIU)树脂包衣尿素(PCU)-它们的四种配方,并高产分次作为对照(CK)。结果表明NBI动态可以反映不同SCRNF的供应潜力,并将它们分为短效、中效和长效肥料。含有长效SCRNF(PCU)配方在整个水稻生具有更一致有效的氮供应特性,在产量(提高5.5%)和氮利用效率(提高42.8%)方面始终优于其他配方。籽粒产量与SCRNF和CK间NBI动态差异呈负相关,表明一次应用SCRNF供应与常规高产施肥同步是实现高产的关键。我们的研究结果确了通过叶片NBI诊断氮状态来评估SCRNF的氮供应特的潜力,并强调了同步氮供应在一次应用SCRNF中的重要作用。

Abstract  Synchronizing the nitrogen (N) supply of slow- and controlled-release N fertilizers (SCRNFs) with rice N demand is pivotal in substituting multiple urea applications by a single basal application of SCRNFs.  Traditional assessment of N supply characteristics focuses mainly on N release patterns, which are only applicable to coated SCRNFs and ignore N transformation mechanisms, thus raising the need for a more universal and reliable index.  Based on the ability of crop N status to detect N deficiency or excess, we hypothesized that employing leaf N balance index (NBI) as a measure of N status could provide new insights into assessing N supply characteristics of SCRNFs.  We conducted field experiments involving four individual SCRNFs-humic acid urea (HAU), sulfur-coated urea (SCU), urease inhibitor urea (UIU), and polymer-coated urea (PCU)- and their four combined forms, along with the high-yield urea split application as control (CK).  The results showed that NBI dynamics relative to CK could reflect the N supply potential of different SCRNFs while classifying them as short-, medium-, and long-acting fertilizers.  Combinations that incorporated the long-acting SCRNF (PCU) consistently outperformed others in yield (by 5.5%) and N use efficiency (by 42.8%) by providing a more consistent and efficient N supply throughout the rice growth cycle.  Grain yield showed negative correlation with the difference in NBI dynamics between SCRNFs and CK, indicating synchronizing N supply between one-time application of SCRNFs and conventional high-yield fertilization is the key for high yield.  Our findings identify the potential of N status diagnosed by leaf NBI to evaluate N supply characteristics of SCRNFs and emphasize the significant role of synchronized N supply for a one-time SCRNF application.
Keywords:  rice              slow- and controlled-release fertilizer              nitrogen balance index              nitrogen supply              yield  
Online: 22 March 2024  

Cite this article: 

Weike Tao, Qiuli Chen, Weiwei Li, Shen Gao, Jiaqi Li, Yuhui Wang, Sajjad Ahmad, Yanfeng Ding, Ganghua Li. 2024. Optimizing rice yield: evaluating the nitrogen supply characteristics of slow- and controlled-release fertilizers using the leaf nitrogen balance index. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Doi:10.1016/j.jia.2024.03.010

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