Substituting partial chemical nitrogen fertilizers with organic fertilizers maintains grain yield and increases nitrogen use efficiency in maize.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Long-term application of excessive nitrogen (N) not only leads to low N use efficiency (NUE) but also exacerbates the risk of environmental pollution due to N losses. Substituting partial chemical N with organic fertilizer (SP) is an environmentally friendly and sustainable fertilization practice. However, the appropriate rate of SP in rainfed maize cropping systems in semi-arid regions of China is unknown.

Methods

Therefore, we conducted a field experiment between 2021 and 2022 in a semi-arid region of Northern China to investigate the effects of SP on maize growth, carbon and N metabolism (C/NM), and NUE. The following treatments were used in the experiment: no N application (CK), 100% chemical N (SP0, 210 kg N ha^-1), and SP substituting 15% (SP1),

SUBMITTER: Wang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11446218 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature