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Journal of Integrative Agriculture
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The combined application strategy of controlled-release fertilizers can balance the yield and quality of soft wheat while meeting its nutrient requirements

Yingpeng Wang1, 2*, Yifan Hua1*, Lanxin Mei1, Yixuan Meng1, Yongtao Guo2, Jian Cai1, Mei Huang1, Yingxin Zhong1, Xiao Wang1, Dong Jiang1, Qin Zhou1#

1 National Technique Innovation Center for Regional Wheat Production/Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology, Ministry of Agriculture / Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China

2 The Kaifeng seed Industry Development Center, Kaifeng 475000, China

 Highlights 

1. Combination of different types of slow-controlled release N fertilizer (BRNF) is recommended for production of soft wheat. The N release from BRNF corresponded well to the N demand of soft wheat.

2. By providing a continuous and stable supply of nutrients, BRNF can increase the accumulation of photosynthetic products and the contribution rate of post-anthesis dry matter accumulation to grain.

3. By reducing the excessive supply of nitrogen at later stage of wheat growth, BRNF can decrease protein content in wheat grains, thereby maintaining the unique quality of weak-gluten wheat.

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摘要  

施用缓控释肥料是一种轻简化栽培技术,能够提高小麦的产量和氮肥利用效率(NUE),然而关于一次性施用不同释放期的缓控释氮(N)肥组合配施对小麦籽粒品质的影响研究仍然有限。本研究采用了脲酶抑制剂尿素(AHA)、硫包衣尿素(SCU)、SCUAHA肥料的组合(BSAF)以及混合控释肥料(BRNF),探讨了缓控释肥料的田间养分释放以及对弱筋小麦籽粒产量、氮素利用效率(NUE)和蛋白质含量的影响。本研究旨在确定一次性施用缓控释肥料对小麦籽粒产量和蛋白质含量的影响及其潜在机制。结果表明,不同缓控释肥料处理的氮释放速率明显不同。AHA表现为快速释放模式,SCUBSAF为缓慢释放模式,而BRNF则为控释模式。与CK相比,BRNF提高了籽粒产量,降低了弱筋小麦的蛋白质含量,籽粒产量平均提高了7.47%,蛋白质含量降低了1.85%BRNF更高的氮素利用效率(NUE)、氮素农学利用效率(NAE)和氮素表观回收效率(NRF)得益于较高的氮素吸收量。然而,AHASCUBSAF则表现出相反的趋势。与CK相比,BRNF提高了花后干物质积累(PDMA)及花后干物质对籽粒的贡献率(CDA),同时降低了花后氮积累(PNA)及花后氮积累对籽粒的贡献率(CNA)。产量提高和蛋白质含量降低的主要原因分别与PDMACDA的增加以及PNACNA的降低有关。因此,BRNF是一种有效的农艺策略,可以促进弱筋小麦籽粒产量与品质的协同提高。



Abstract  

The application of slow-controlled release fertilizer is a simplified and labor-saving cultivation technology and can improve yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of wheat, whereas the research on the impact of a single application of different release periods controlled-release nitrogen (N) fertilizer on wheat grain quality is still limited.  In our study, urease inhibitor urea (AHA), sulfur-coated urea (SCU), combination of SCU and AHA fertilizer (BSAF) and blended slow-controlled release fertilizer (BRNF) were used to investigate the effect of slow-controlled release fertilizer on nutrient release, grain yield, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and protein content of soft wheat.  We aimed to determine the effect of one-time application of control release fertilizer on wheat grain yield and protein content and its underlying mechanisms.  The results showed that different slow-controlled release fertilizers treatments had significantly different N release rates.  AHA presented a fast release mode, SCU and BSAF presented a slow-release mode, and BRNF presented a controlled release mode.  Compared with CK, BRNF increased grain yield and decreased protein content of soft wheat, with an average increase of 7.47% in grain yield and decrease of 1.85% in protein content.  The higher N absorption of BRNF led to greater NUE, N agronomic efficiency (NAE) and N apparent recovery fraction (NRF).  However, AHA, SCU and BSAF all showed an opposite trend. Compared with CK, BRNF improved post-anthesis dry matter accumulation (PDMA) and contribution rate of dry matter accumulated post-anthesis to the grain (CDA), while decreasing post-anthesis N accumulation (PNA) and the contribution rate of post-anthesis N accumulation to grain (CNA).  The main reasons for the improve in yield and decrease in protein content were related to the increase in PDMA and CDA, and the decrease in PNA and CNA, respectively.  Therefore, BRNF was an effective agronomic strategy to promote the coordination of grain yield and quality of soft wheat

Keywords:  soft wheat       slow-controlled release fertilizer                    nutrient release              protein content              N use efficiency  
Received: 09 October 2024   Online: 20 February 2025  
Fund: 

This study was supported by the projects of National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFD2301404), the Key Research and Development Program of Jiangsu Province, China (BE2022308), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32372224, 32021004, 32030076 and 32172116), the China Agriculture Research System (CARS-03), and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production co-sponsored by Province and Ministry (CIC-MCP).

About author:  #Correspondence Qin Zhou, Tel: +86-25-84399627, E-mail: qinzhou@njau.edu.cn * These authors contributed equally to this work and should be considered co-first authors.

Cite this article: 

Yingpeng Wang, Yifan Hua, Lanxin Mei, Yixuan Meng, Yongtao Guo, Jian Cai, Mei Huang, Yingxin Zhong, Xiao Wang, Dong Jiang, Qin Zhou. 2025. The combined application strategy of controlled-release fertilizers can balance the yield and quality of soft wheat while meeting its nutrient requirements. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Doi:10.1016/j.jia.2025.02.038

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