Increasing N use efficiency while decreasing gaseous N losses in a non-tilled wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop using a double inhibitor

Controlled release nitrogen (N) fertilizers have been commonly used in horticultural applications such as turf grasses and container-grown woody perennials. Agrium, a major N manufacturer in North and South America, is developing a low-cost controlled release urea (CRU) product for use in field crops such as grain corn, canola, wheat, and other small grain cereals. From 1998 to 2000, 11 field trials were conducted across western Canada to determine if seed-placed CRU could maintain crop yields and increase grain N and N use efficiency when compared to the practice of side-banding of urea N fertilizer. CRU was designed to release timely and adequate, but not excessive, amounts of N to the crop. Crop uptake of N from seed-placed CRU was sufficient to provide yields similar to those of side-banded urea N. Grain N concentrations of the CRU treatments were higher, on average, than those from side-banded urea, resulting in 4.2% higher N use efficiency across the entire N application range from 25 to 100 kg ha-1. Higher levels of removal of N in grain from CRU compared to side-banded urea can result in less residual N remaining in the soil, and limit the possibility of N losses due to denitrification and leaching.

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The effect of grazing season length on nitrogen utilization efficiency and nitrogen balance in spring-calving dairy production systems

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s002185961200010x ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 150 (5) ◽

pp. 630-643 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

W. RYAN ◽

D. HENNESSY ◽

T. M. BOLAND ◽

L. SHALLOO

Keyword(s):

Milk Production ◽

Production Systems ◽

Utilization Efficiency ◽

N Use Efficiency ◽

Dairy Production ◽

N Losses ◽

Grazing Season ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Milk Solids ◽

N Use

SUMMARYThere is a continual requirement for grass-based production systems to optimize economic and environmental sustainability through increased efficiency in the use of all inputs, especially nitrogen (N). An N balance model was used to assess N use efficiency and N surplus, and to predict N losses from grass-based dairy production systems differing in the length of the grazing season (GS). Data from a 3-year grazing study with a 3×3 factorial design, with three turnout dates (1 February, 21 February and 15 March) and three housing dates (25 October, 10 November and 25 November) were used to generate estimates of N use efficiency and N losses. As the length of the GS increased by a mean of 30 days, milk production, milk solids production and milk N output increased by 3, 6 and 6%, respectively. The increase in milk production as the length of the GS increased resulted in a 2% decline in N surplus and a 5% increase in N use efficiency. Increasing GS length increased the proportion of grazed grass in the diet, which increased N cycling within the system, resulting in an 8% increase in milk solids/ha produced/kg of surplus N. The increased cycling of N reduced the quantity of N partitioned for loss to the environment by 8%. Reducing fertilizer N input by 20% increased N use efficiency by 22% and reduced total N losses by 16%. The environmental and production consequences of increased length of the GS and reduced N loss are favourable as the costs associated with N inputs increase.

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Optimizing N fertilizer rates sustained rice yields, improved N use efficiency, and decreased N losses via runoff from rice-wheat cropping systems

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment ◽

10.1016/j.agee.2021.107724 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 324 ◽

pp. 107724

Author(s):

Jun Qiao ◽

Jing Wang ◽

Dong Zhao ◽

Wei Zhou ◽

Graeme Schwenke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cropping Systems ◽

N Fertilizer ◽

N Use Efficiency ◽

N Losses ◽

Rice Yields ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Fertilizer Rates ◽

N Use

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Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency—A Key for Sustainable Rice Production Systems

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems ◽

10.3389/fsufs.2021.737412 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

Author(s):

Pauline Chivenge ◽

Sheetal Sharma ◽

Michelle Anne Bunquin ◽

Jon Hellin

Keyword(s):

Decision Support ◽

Production Systems ◽

Rice Production ◽

N Use Efficiency ◽

Decision Support Tools ◽

N Losses ◽

Fertilizer Use ◽

Support Tools ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

N Use

Fertilizer use and genetic improvement of cereal crops contributed to increased yields and greater food security in the last six decades. For rice, however, fertilizer use has outpaced improvement in yield. Excess application of nutrients beyond crop needs, especially nitrogen (N), is associated with losses to the environment. Environmental pollution can be mitigated by addressing fertilizer overuse, improving N use efficiency, while maintaining or improving rice productivity and farmers' income. A promising approach is the site-specific nutrient management (SSNM), developed in the 1990s to optimize supply to meet demand of nutrients, initially for rice, but now extended to other crops. The SSNM approach has been further refined with the development of digital decision support tools such as Rice Crop Manager, Nutrient Expert, and RiceAdvice. This enables more farmers to benefit from SSNM recommendations. In this mini-review, we show how SSNM can foster sustainability in rice production systems through improved rice yields, profit, and N use efficiency while reducing N losses. Farmer adoption of SSNM, however, remains low. National policies and incentives, financial investments, and strengthened extension systems are needed to enhance scaling of SSNM-based decision support tools.

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Effects of nitrogen fertilization on grain protein content, nitrogen uptake, and nitrogen use efficiency of six spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, in relation to estimated moisture supply

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps92-026 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 72 (1) ◽

pp. 235-241 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

L. E. Gauer ◽

C. A. Grant ◽

L. D. Bailey ◽

D. T. Gehl

Keyword(s):

Triticum Aestivum ◽

Protein Content ◽

Spring Wheat ◽

Nitrogen Fertilization ◽

N Uptake ◽

Triticum Aestivum L ◽

Nitrogen Use ◽

Moisture Supply ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

N Use

The effects of nitrogen fertilization on protein content, N uptake and N use efficiency of grain for six spring wheat cultivars were evaluated over a N application range of 0–200 kg ha−1, under two moisture supply levels, on Black Chernozemic soils in Manitoba. Moisture supply influenced protein content, protein yield, and grain N use efficiency (NUE) of applied fertilizer. Increased moisture supply lowered protein content and increased protein yield and NUE. Increasing N level increased protein, N uptake and decreased NUE, but effects depended on moisture supply. Cultivar differences occurred, especially at the higher moisture level.Key words: Protein, Triticum aestivum L., nitrogen uptake, nitrogen use efficiency, moisture

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Effect of IW:CPE-Based Irrigation Scheduling and N-Fertilization Rate on Yield, Water and N-Use Efficiency of Wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Agricultural Research ◽

10.1007/s40003-020-00489-w ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

R. L. Choudhary ◽

P. S. Minhas ◽

G. C. Wakchaure ◽

S. K. Bal ◽

P. Ratnakumar

Keyword(s):

Triticum Aestivum ◽

Fertilization Rate ◽

N Fertilization ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

N Use Efficiency ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

N Use

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The Effect of Grazing System and Level of Concentrate Protein Feeding on Milk Production and N Use Efficiency of Dairy Cows on Peat Meadows

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12031055 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 1055

Author(s):

Nyncke Hoekstra ◽

Gertjan Holshof ◽

Ronald Zom ◽

Bert Philipsen ◽

René Schils ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Milk Production ◽

Negative Impact ◽

N Use Efficiency ◽

Management Tool ◽

N Losses ◽

Urea Content ◽

Milk Urea ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Strip Grazing ◽

N Use

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of two contrasting grazing systems, strip-grazing and kurzrasen, at a high stocking rate on herbage intake and milk production and quality on a peat meadow. Additionally, we assessed the effect of the level of crude protein (CP) fed in concentrate on milk production and N use efficiency. Even at the relatively high stocking rates, cows still achieved substantial fresh grass intake (on average >6 kg dry matter cow−1 day−1) from both systems. Despite the lower level of gross grass production under kurzrasen management, the difference in milk production between kurzrasen and strip-grazing was small and non-significant. Feeding concentrate with a lower CP level, had no negative impact on milk yield, provided that the CP content of the total ration remained above ~150 g kg−1 DM and milk urea content was above ~18 mg 100 g−1 milk. Reducing the CP content in the concentrate significantly increased the N use efficiency, and both were strongly related to the milk urea content. Therefore, optimising the use of milk urea as a management tool on dairy farms, also during the grazing season, could reduce N losses to the environment, while maintaining productivity.

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Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Onion Yield Increased with a Polymer-coated Nitrogen Source

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.37.2.338 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 338-342 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Dan Drost ◽

Rich Koenig ◽

Terry Tindall

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Source ◽

Nitrogen Use Efficiency ◽

N Use Efficiency ◽

N Losses ◽

Nitrogen Use ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Cropping Seasons ◽

Polymer Coated Urea ◽

N Use ◽

Bulb Yield

Nitrogen (N) losses can be substantial in furrow-irrigated onions (Allium cepa L.). Polymer-coated urea (PU) may reduce N losses and result in an increase in productivity. In this study, we investigated the effects of different rates and blends of urea and PU on onion yield and N use for two cropping seasons. Nitrogen was applied at 112, 168, and 224 kg·ha-1 as PU or urea. In addition, three PU/urea blends equal to 224 kg·ha-1 of N were compared. Plant growth and N concentration, soil nitrate concentrations, and bulb yield were evaluated each year. Onion yield decreased by 95 Mg·ha-1 for each 25% increase in the proportion of urea in the fertilizer blends. Reducing the N rates from 224 to 112 kg·ha-1 had minimal effect on bulb yield when all the fertilizer was supplied by urea. A reduction of N applied from 224 to 168 kg·ha-1 had little effect on yield, although a further reduction to 112 kg·ha-1 did significantly reduce bulb yield when the entire N was supplied from PU. Nitrogen source and rate had no effect on bulb maturity and only minor effects on leaf area and storage potential. Soil sampling indicated that more N was retained in PU-treated onion beds than in urea-treated beds, which improved nitrogen use efficiency. In addition, N use efficiency improved when there was more PU in the blend and when PU was compared with urea at the same rate. We conclude that the use of PU can dramatically improve N use efficiency and productivity in direct-seeded onions.

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Optimization of Topdressing for Winter Wheat by Accurate Growth Monitoring and Improved Production Estimation

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13122349 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 2349

Author(s):

Jingchun Ji ◽

Jianli Liu ◽

Jingjing Chen ◽

Yujie Niu ◽

Kefan Xuan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Winter Wheat ◽

Crop Production ◽

Optimization Method ◽

Growth Potential ◽

N Use Efficiency ◽

Growth Monitoring ◽

Aerial Vehicle ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Improved Model ◽

N Use

Topdressing accounts for approximately 40% of the total nitrogen (N) application of winter wheat on the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain in China. However, N use efficiency of topdressing is low due to the inadaptable topdressing method used by local farmers. To improve the N use efficiency of winter wheat, an optimization method for topdressing (THP) is proposed that uses unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based remote sensing to accurately acquire the growth status and an improved model for growth potential estimation and optimization of N fertilizer amount for topdressing (NFT). The method was validated and compared with three other methods by a field experiment: the conventional local farmer’s method (TLF), a nitrogen fertilization optimization algorithm (NFOA) proposed by Raun and Lukina (TRL) and a simplification introduced by Li and Zhang (TLZ). It shows that when insufficient basal fertilizer was provided, the proposed method provided as much NFT as the TLF method, i.e., 25.05% or 11.88% more than the TRL and TLZ methods and increased the yields by 4.62% or 2.27%, respectively; and when sufficient basal fertilizer was provided, the THP method followed the TRL and TLZ methods to reduce NFT but maintained as much yield as the TLF method with a decrease of NFT by 4.20%. The results prove that THP could enhance crop production under insufficient N preceding conditions by prescribing more fertilizer and increase nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by lowering the fertilizer amount when enough basal fertilizer is provided.

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