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Journal of Integrative Agriculture
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Paired nitrogen management for improving wheat yields while minimizing nitrogen losses

Xiaotian Mi, Wanyi Xie1, Lei Fan1, Tianli Zhang1, Yaru Liu1, Gang He1, 2#

1 College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Key Laboratory of Low-carbon Green Agriculture in Northwestern China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangling 712100, China

2 State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China

 Hightlights 

l Using 40% less N fertilizer reduced wheat yield by 2%, despite the lower Nr losses.

l High topdressing frequency and nitrification inhibitors gave better yield benefits.

l N management techniques showed better yields and Nr loss gains in high-fertility soils.

l Paired N management techniques increased wheat yield with synergistic/additive effects.

l Paired N management techniques reduced Nr losses with antagonistic/additive effects.

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摘要  

优化氮肥管理技术能够提高作物产量,同时减少活性氮损失。其中,配对氮肥管理技术的协同效应对设计最佳氮肥管理技术具有重要意义,但目前对交互效应的评估仍然不足。因此,我们进一项荟萃分析,量化优化氮肥管理技术(优化氮肥用量、优化追肥和施用增效肥料)对小麦产量、氮肥利用效率(NUE)和氮损失的影响,以及配对的氮肥管理技术(优化氮肥用量和优化追肥或应用增效肥料相结合)的交互效应。结果表明,优化氮肥用量减少活性氮损失28-31,同时降低小麦产量2%;然而,当氮肥减少量小于20%时,小麦增产2%。此外,优化追肥或应用增效肥料显著提高小麦产量4-8%,提高氮肥利用效率8-14%,同时减少活性氮素损失28-40%;高频次追肥和应用硝化抑制剂对小麦产量的积极影响更强。配对的氮管理技术提高小麦产量3-4%,增加氮肥利用效率37-38%,具有叠加或协同效应;尽管它降低活性氮损失5-66%,但表现出拮抗效应。这种非叠加效应促进了对小麦产量的积极影响,但减弱了降低环境风险方面的益处。总之,这项研究强调了创新氮管理的协同效应对于解决作物产量和活性氮损失之间权衡问题的重要性。



Abstract  

Excellent nitrogen (N) management techniques can improve crop yields while mitigating reactive N (Nr) losses. The synergistic effects of applying paired N management techniques have important implications for designing excellent N management strategies, but the interaction effects remain poorly known. Here, a meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the effects of optimized N management techniques (optimized N application rate, optimized topdressing, and applying enhanced-efficiency fertilizers) on wheat yield, N use efficiency (NUE), and Nr losses, as well as the interactive effects of paired N management techniques (combining an optimized N rate with topdressing or enhanced-efficiency fertilizers). The results demonstrated that an optimized N fertilizer rate reduced Nr losses by 28–31% while the wheat yield declined by 2%; however, the wheat yield increased by 2% when the reduction of N fertilizer was less than 20%. The adoption of topdressing and enhanced-efficiency fertilizers significantly increased wheat yields by 4–8% and NUE by 8–14%, while reducing Nr losses by 28–40%, and high topdressing frequency and nitrification inhibitors showed stronger positive effects on wheat yield. Paired N management techniques increased wheat yields by 3–4% and NUE by 37–38%, with additive or synergistic effects; and they also reduced Nr losses by 5–66% but showed an antagonistic effect. Such non-additive interactions amplified the positive effects on wheat production, but the benefits in terms of environmental risk reduction were weakened. Overall, this study highlights the importance of synergistic effects in innovative N management to address the trade-off between crop yield and Nr losses.

Keywords:  crop productivity       N application rate              optimized topdressing              enhanced-efficiency fertilizers              interaction effect  
Online: 30 December 2024  
Fund: 

This study was financially support by the Shaanxi Province Key R&D Program of China (2024NC2-GJHX-28), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31902120), and the National Key R&D Program of China (2021YFD1900700).

About author:  Xiaotian Mi, E-mail: mixaiotian1203@163.com; # Correspondence Gang He, E-mail: hegang029@nwafu.edu.cn

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