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Journal of Integrative Agriculture
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Long-term excessive nitrogen application decreases spring maize nitrogen use efficiency via suppressing root physiological characteristics
Hong Ren1, 2, Zheng Liu1, Xinbing Wang1, Wenbin Zhou1, Baoyuan Zhou1, Ming Zhao1, Congfeng Li1#

1 Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology and Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China

2 College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Jilin 130118, China

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摘要  长期过量施用氮肥玉米的产量和氮肥利用率(NUE出现不在增加甚至降低的现象根系形态和生理特性在其中的作用尚不清楚。本研究的目的是从从根系形态和根系生理特征的角度解释过量施氮下不增产的机理。中国东北地区吉林省进行了连续10年的长期氮肥定位试验,2019年、2020年和2021三个氮肥水平(零氮、N0;推荐氮、N2;以及高水平N4种植两种当地广泛推广的玉米品种:“先玉335”XY335)和郑单958”ZD958)。分析了籽粒产量、氮含量、根系形态和其他生理特性,以进一步评价不同氮处理下氮吸收、氮利用、植株生长和根系生理之间的关系。与N0相比,随着氮投入的增加,根生物量、吐丝后氮吸收和籽粒产量显著提高,而推荐氮和高氮之间没有观察到显著差异。高氮施用增加了根长和根表面积,但降低了根活(通过TTC235-氯化三苯基四氮唑)法测定)、硝酸还原酶活性和根系活跃吸收面积,与基因型无关。根长和根冠比与氮吸收呈负相关(分别为-1.2%-24.6%),而根表面积、根活性、硝酸还原酶活性和根系活跃吸收面积与氮吸收呈正相关。品种与施氮量的互作效应显著响应NUEXY335通过较高的根表面积(23.6%)、根活性(12.5%)、硝酸还原酶活性(8.3%)和根系活跃吸收面积(6.9%)获得了最高的NUE11.6%)和氮回收效率(18.4%)。总体而言,推荐施氮量通过提高根表面积根系活力、硝酸还原酶活性和根系活跃吸收面积促进氮吸收、NUE和籽粒产量,而高施氮量通过降低根表面积、根系活力、硝酸还原酶活性和根系活跃吸收面积不增加甚至降低NUE。我们的试验研究成功地揭示了根表面积、根活性、硝酸还原酶活性和根系活跃吸收面积是高氮条件下NUE增加的限制因素。

Abstract  Long-term excessive nitrogen (N) application does not increase or even decreases grain yield and N use efficiency (NUE) of maize, in which the roles of root morphological and physiological characteristics are not clear.  The goal of this study was to explain the mechanism underlying no increment in grain yield under excessive N application from the perspective of root morpho-physiological characteristics.  A 10-year long-term N fertilizer trial was conducted in Jilin Province, Northeast China, growing maize at three N fertilizer levels (zero N, N0; recommended N, N2; and high N level, N4) in 2019, 2020 and 2021.  Two widely planted maize genotypes: ‘Xianyu 335’ (XY335) and ‘Zhengdan 958’ (ZD958) were used.  Grain yield, N content, root morphology and other physiological characteristics were analyzed to further evaluate the relationships between N uptake, N utilization, plant growth, and root systems under different N treatments.  Compared with N0, root biomass, post-silking N uptake and grain yield were significantly improved with increased N input, whereas no significant differences were observed between recommended N and high N.  High N application increased root length and root surface area, but decreased root activity (measured by TTC (2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride) method), nitrate reductase activity and root activity absorbing area regardless of genotypes.  Root length and root to shoot ratio negatively contributed to N uptake (by -1.2% and -24.6%), while root surface area, root activity, nitrate reductase activity and root activity absorbing area were positively contributed to N uptake.  The interaction effect between cultivar and N application was significant on NUE.  XY335 obtained the highest NUE (11.6%) and N recovery efficiency (18.4%) through higher root surface area (23.6%), root activity (12.5%), nitrate reductase activity (8.3%) and root activity absorbing area (6.9%) compared with other treatments.  Overall, recommended N application promoted Post N uptake, NUE and grain yield by root surface area and root activity, nitrate reductase activity and root activity absorbing area, while high N application did not increase or even decreased NUE by reducing root surface area, root activity, nitrate reductase activity and root activity absorbing area.  Our case study successfully revealed that root surface area, root activity, nitrate reductase activity and root activity absorbing area were the limiting factors of NUE increase under high N application.
Keywords:  maize       nitrogen level              root characteristics              genotypic difference              nitrogen use efficiency  
Online: 14 June 2024  
Fund: This research is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFD2301702), the Supported by earmarked fund for CARS (02-14), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31971852).
About author:  Hong Ren, E-mail: E-mail:renhong1235@163.com; #Correspondence Congfeng Li, Tel: +86-10-82108756, E-mail: licongfeng@caas.cn

Cite this article: 

Hong Ren, Zheng Liu, Xinbing Wang, Wenbin Zhou, Baoyuan Zhou, Ming Zhao, Congfeng Li. 2024. Long-term excessive nitrogen application decreases spring maize nitrogen use efficiency via suppressing root physiological characteristics. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Doi:10.1016/j.jia.2024.05.031

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