Effects of different nitrogen fertilization systems on crop yield and nitrogen use efficiency – Results of a field experiment in southern Germany
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PROVIDER: S-EPMC10981040 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Magnesium deficiency is a frequently occurring limiting factor for crop production due to low levels of exchangeable Mg (ex-Mg) in acidic soil, which negatively affects sustainability of agriculture development. How Mg fertilization affects crop yield and subsequent physiological outcomes in different crop species, as well as agronomic efficiencies of Mg fertilizers, under varying soil conditions remain particular interesting questions to be addressed. A meta-analysis was performed with 570 paired observations retrieved from 99 field research articles to compare effects of Mg fertilization on crop production and corresponding agronomic efficiencies in different production systems under varying soil conditions. The mean value of yield increase and agronomic efficiency derived from Mg application was 8.5% and 34.4 kg kg-1 respectively, when combining all yield measurements together, regardless of the crop type, soil condition, and other factors. Under severe Mg deficiency (ex-Mg < 60 mg kg-1), yield increased up to 9.4%, nearly two folds of yield gain (4.9%) in the soil containing more than 120 mg kg-1 ex-Mg. The effects of Mg fertilization on yield was 11.3% when soil pH was lower than 6.5. The agronomic efficiency of Mg fertilizers was negatively correlated with application levels of Mg, with 38.3 kg kg-1 at lower MgO levels (0-50 kg ha-1) and 32.6 kg kg-1 at higher MgO levels (50-100 kg ha-1). Clear interactions existed between soil ex-Mg, pH, and types and amount of Mg fertilizers in terms of crop yield increase. With Mg supplementation, Mg accumulation in the leaf tissues increased by 34.3% on average; and concentrations of sugar in edible organs were 5.5% higher compared to non-Mg supplemented treatments. Our analysis corroborated that Mg fertilization enhances crop performance by improving yield or resulting in favorable physiological outcomes, providing great potentials for integrated Mg management for higher crop yield and quality.
| S-EPMC6992656 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A long-term field experiment was conducted from 1989 to 2007 in northern France in a loamy soil to assess the cumulative effects of cropping systems (CSs) on soil compaction, soil porosity, soil structure, crop emergence and yield. Three CSs, including different crop rotations and cultivations (early or late sowing and harvesting), were compared. CS I was the succession of spring pea/winter wheat/oilseed rape (flax from 2001)/winter wheat while CSs II and III were the succession of sugar beet/winter wheat/maize/winter wheat. The latter two CSs consisted of different sowing dates, based on two distinct decision rules aimed at minimizing the risk of soil compaction in the CS II or maximizing the duration of the crop in the CS III. The tillage system was only mouldboard ploughing up to 2000 while a new treatment with superficial tillage (i.e. at 6 cm depth) was integrated since then into the experiment to compare the effects of annual ploughing and reduced tillage on changes in soil structure over time. Soil water content was measured for each field operation by taking samples every 0.05 m up to a depth of 0.30 m in the topsoil. Soil compaction and soil structure was evaluated after each sowing using a morphological approach and soil bulk density measurements. The ''profil cultural'' method was used to map soil structure variations in the topsoil below the seedbed. Dry bulk density was measured with a gamma-ray transmission probe. Seedling emergence rates and crop yield were also measured in relation to CSs. This dataset represents an important description of the changes in the soil compaction level, crop emergence rates and yield, in relation to CSs and climate, and the overall impact on seedbed structure variations for major field crops under northern France conditions. This information can be used as input variables of several soil-crop models aiming at evaluating the impact of CSs and climate on soil compaction and seedbed structures.
| S-EPMC8637148 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study investigates the effects of sensor-based, variable-rate mineral nitrogen (N) application (VRA) in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) on the spatial variability of grain yield, protein content, N uptake, N balance, and N efficiency compared with uniform N application (UA). To analyze the effects of VRA and UA on yield and N balance parameters, on-farm strip trials were conducted on heterogeneous arable fields covering an area of 49 hectares. The trials were carried out over a four-year period, from 2020 to 2023, with crops under both application methods placed in strips side-by-side. The N fertilizer requirements for growth stages (GSs) 32 and 39 were determined using an online map-overlay VRA method. This method integrated the site-specific yield potential and current plant development derived from spectral reflectance measurements using a tractor-mounted sensor system. The results show that the application of N fertilizer can be reduced by up to 38 kg ha-1 yr-1. The N efficiency can be increased by 15% and a significant reduction in variability of N balances can be achieved. However, the effects on yield and N efficiency are highly dependent on the specific application conditions (weather conditions, disease occurrence, and crop development). Not every field trial showed advantages of VRA over UA fertilization. Overall, the VRA system demonstrated encouraging potential, functioning as intended. However, further adjustment and optimization are required to ensure that the VRA fertilization system works robustly and reliably under on-farm conditions.
| S-EPMC11820920 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In agricultural plant production, nitrate, ammonium, and urea are the major fertilized nitrogen forms, which differ in root uptake and downstream signaling processes in plants. Nitrate is known to stimulate cytokinin synthesis in roots, while for urea no hormonal effect has been described yet. Elevated cytokinin levels can delay plant senescence favoring prolonged nitrogen uptake. As the cultivation of winter oilseed rape provokes high nitrogen-balance surpluses, we tested the hypotheses whether nitrogen use efficiency increases under ammonium nitrate- relative to urea-based nutrition and whether this is subject to genotypic variation. In a 2-year field study, 15 oilseed rape lines were fertilized either with ammonium nitrate or with urease inhibitor-stabilized urea and analyzed for seed yield and nitrogen-related yield parameters. Despite a significant environmental impact on the performance of the individual lines, which did not allow revealing consistent impact of the genotype, ammonium nitrate-based nutrition tended to increase seed yield in average over all lines. To resolve whether the fertilizer N forms act on grain yield via phytohormones, we collected xylem exudates at three developmental stages and determined the translocation rates of cytokinins and N forms. Relative to urea, ammonium nitrate-based nutrition enhanced the translocation of nitrate or total nitrogen together with cytokinins, whereas in the urea treatment translocation rates were lower as long as urea remained stable in the soil solution. At later developmental stages, i.e., when urea became hydrolyzed, nitrogen and cytokinin translocation increased. In consequence, urea tended to increase nitrogen partitioning in the shoot toward generative organs. However, differences in overall nitrogen accumulation in shoots were not present at the end of the vegetation period, and neither nitrogen uptake nor utilization efficiency was consistently different between the two applied nitrogen forms.
| S-EPMC7874180 | biostudies-literature
Project description:High external nitrogen (N) inputs can maximize maize yield but can cause a subsequent reduction in N use efficiency (NUE). Thus, it is necessary to identify the minimum effective N fertilizer input that does not affect maize grain yield (GY) and to investigate the photosynthetic and root system consequences of this optimal dose. We conducted a 4-year field experiment from 2014 to 2017 with four N application rates: 300 (N300), 225 (N225), 150 (N150), and 0 Kg ha-1 (N0) in the Northwest of China. GY was assessed by measuring the photosynthetic capacity and root system (root volume, surface area, length density and distribution). Grain yield decreased by -3%, 7.7%, and 21.9% when the N application rates decreased by 25%, 50%, and 100% from 300 Kg ha-1. We found that yield reduction driven by N reduction was primarily due to decreased radiation use efficiency (RUE) and WUE instead of intercepted photosynthetically active radiation and evapotranspiration. In the N225 treatment, GY, WUE, and RUE were not significantly reduced, or in some cases, were greater than those of the N300 treatment. This pattern was also observed with relevant photosynthetic and root attributes (i.e., high net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and root weight, as well as deep root distribution). Our results suggest that application of N at 225 Kg ha-1 can increased yield by improving the RUE, WUE, and NUE in semi-arid regions.
| S-EPMC7676353 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC10859442 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Appropriate nitrogen (N) management system is essential for effective crop productivity and minimizing agricultural pollution. However, the underlying mechanistic understanding of how N fertilizer regulates crop yield via soil properties in soils with different fertilities remains unresolved. Here, we used a field experiment that spanned 3 cropping seasons to evaluate the grain yield (GY), aboveground biomass and N recovery efficiency (NRE) after treatment with five N fertilizer application rates (N0, N75, N112, N150, and N187) in soils with three levels of fertility. Our results indicated that the highest GY across low, moderate, and high fertility soils were 1.5 t hm-2 (N150), 4.9 t hm-2 (N187), and 5.4 t hm-2 (N112), respectively. The highest aboveground biomass and NRE were observed at N150 for all three levels of soil fertility, while only the N uptake by aboveground biomass of low and high fertility soils decreased at N187, confirming that excessive N fertilization results in a further decline in crop N uptake. The relationship between GY, NRE and N fertilizer application rates fit the unary quadratic polynomial model. To achieve a balance between grain production and environmental benefits in N fertilizer, appropriate N fertilizer rates were determined to be 97.5 kg hm-2, 140 kg hm-2 and 131 kg hm-2 for low, moderate and high fertility soils, respectively. Structural equation modeling suggested that GY was significant correlated with soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and N directly in low fertility field, with SMBC directly in moderate fertility field, and via SOC and NO3 -N in high fertility field. Therefore, a soil-based management strategy for N fertilizers could enhance food security while reducing agricultural N fertilizer inputs to mitigate environmental impacts.
| S-EPMC10935998 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The blind pursuit of high yields via increased fertilizer inputs increases the environmental costs. Relay intercropping has advantages for yield, but a strategy for N management is urgently required to decrease N inputs without yield loss in maize-soybean relay intercropping systems (IMS). Experiments were conducted with three levels of N and three planting patterns, and dry matter accumulation, nitrogen uptake, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), competition ratio (CR), system productivity index (SPI), land equivalent ratio (LER), and crop root distribution were investigated. Our results showed that the CR of soybean was greater than 1, and that the change in root distribution in space and time resulted in an interspecific facilitation in IMS. The maximum yield of maize under monoculture maize (MM) occurred with conventional nitrogen (CN), whereas under IMS, the maximum yield occurred with reduced nitrogen (RN). The yield of monoculture soybean (MS) and of soybean in IMS both reached a maximum under RN. The LER of IMS varied from 1.85 to 2.36, and the SPI peaked under RN. Additionally, the NUE of IMS increased by 103.7% under RN compared with that under CN. In conclusion, the separation of the root ecological niche contributed to a positive interspecific facilitation, which increased the land productivity. Thus, maize-soybean relay intercropping with reduced N input provides a very useful approach to increase land productivity and avert environmental pollution.
| S-EPMC5598979 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Despite the essential role of nitrogen fertilizers in achieving high crop yields, current application practices often exhibit low efficiency. Optimizing nitrogen (N) fertilization in agriculture is, therefore, critical for enhancing crop productivity while ensuring sustainable food production. This study investigates the effects of nitrification inhibitors (Nis) such as Dimethyl Pyrazole Phosphate (DMPP) and Dimethyl Pyrazole Fulvic Acid (DMPFA), plant growth-promoting bacteria inoculation, and phosphorus (P) application on the soil-plant-microbe system in maize. DMPFA is an organic nitrification inhibitor that combines DMP and fulvic acid for the benefits of both compounds as a chelator. A comprehensive rhizobox experiment was conducted, employing varying levels of P, inoculant types, and Nis, to analyze the influence of these factors on various soil properties, maize fitness, and phenotypic traits, including root architecture and exudate profile. Additionally, the experiment examined the effects of treatments on the bacterial and fungal communities within the rhizosphere and maize roots. Our results showed that the use of Nis improved plant nutrition and biomass. For example, the use of DMPFA as a nitrification inhibitor significantly improved phosphorus use efficiency by up to 29%, increased P content to 37%, and raised P concentration in the shoot by 26%, compared to traditional ammonium treatments. The microbial communities inhabiting maize rhizosphere and roots were also highly influenced by the different treatments. Among them, the N treatment was the major driver in shaping bacterial and fungal communities in both plant compartments. Notably, Nis reduced significantly the abundance of bacterial groups involved in the nitrification process. Moreover, we observed that each experimental treatment employed in this investigation could select, promote, or reduce specific groups of beneficial or detrimental soil microorganisms. Overall, our results highlight the intricate interplay between soil amendments, microbial communities, and plant nutrient dynamics, suggesting that Nis, particularly DMPFA, could be pivotal in bolstering agricultural sustainability by optimizing nutrient utilization.
| S-EPMC11479917 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cropping systems have fertilized soils for decades with undetermined consequences for the productivity and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. One of the critical unknowns is the role of soil biodiversity in controlling crop production after decades of fertilization. This knowledge gap limits our capacity to assess how changes in soil biodiversity could alter crop production and soil health in changing environments. Here, we used multitrophic ecological networks to investigate the importance of soil biodiversity, in particular, the biodiversity of key-stone taxa in controlling soil functioning and wheat production in a 35-year field fertilization experiment. We found strong and positive associations between soil functional genes, crop production and the biodiversity of key-stone phylotypes; soils supporting a larger number of key-stone nematode, bacteria and fungi phylotypes yielded the highest wheat production. These key-stone phylotypes were also positively associated with plant growth (phototrophic bacteria, nitrogen fixers) and multiple functional genes related to nutrient cycling. The retrieved information on the genomes clustered with key-stone bacterial phylotypes indicated that the key-stone taxa had higher gene copies of oxidoreductases (participating most biogeochemical cycles of ecosystems and linking to microbial energetics) and 71 essential functional genes associated with carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycling. Altogether, our work highlights the fundamental role of the biodiversity of key-stone phylotypes in maintaining soil functioning and crop production after several decades of fertilization, and provides a list of key-stone phylotypes linking to crop production and soil nutrient cycling, which could give science-based guidance for sustainable food production.
| S-EPMC8027226 | biostudies-literature