Effects of optimized N fertilization on greenhouse gas emission and crop production in the North China Plain

AbstractIn pursuit of maximum grain yield farmers in the North China Plain usually apply excessive N fertilizer, resulting in wasted resources and environmental pollution. To assess the economic and environmental performances of different nitrogen rates will be conductive to sustain cleaner crop production. An 8-year field experiment was carried out with four treatments, N0 (0 kg ha−1 for winter wheat and summer maize), N1 (168 kg ha−1 for winter wheat and 129 kg ha−1 for summer maize), N2 (240 kg ha−1 for winter wheat and 185 kg ha−1 for summer maize) and N3 (300 kg ha−1 for winter wheat and summer maize), on the double cropping at Dawenkou research field (36°11’N, 117°06’E), Shandong Province, China. The crop production, soil physical-chemical parameters, and greenhouse gas emission are measured and the economic and environmental performances are assessed. The optimal nitrogen rate obtained the highest grain yield of summer maize in 4 of 8 year and was equivalent to conventional N rate in the other years. The nitrogen partial factor productivity and agronomic efficiency of optimal nitrogen rate was 63% and 58% higher than that of conventional nitrogen rate. The optimal nitrogen rate effectively decreased soil bulk density and increased weight percentage of water-stable aggregate and activities of urease and invertase compared to conventional nitrogen rate, which improved soil productivity. The fertilizer nitrogen loss and global warming potential of optimal nitrogen rate reduced by 76% and 35% compared to conventional nitrogen rate. The annual greenhouse gas intensity of optimal nitrogen rate decreased by 14–35% compared to others. The net ecosystem economic budget under optimal nitrogen rate is 252–604 $ ha−1 yr.−1 higher than other addition levels. The optimal nitrogen rate produces more grains and obtains higher economic and environmental benefits.

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Simulating greenhouse gas emissions and stocks of carbon and nitrogen in soil from a long-term no-till system in the North China Plain

Soil and Tillage Research ◽

10.1016/j.still.2017.12.013 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 178 ◽

pp. 32-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Xubo Zhang ◽

Zhigang Sun ◽

Jian Liu ◽

Zhu Ouyang ◽

Lianhai Wu

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

North China Plain ◽

North China ◽

Gas Emissions ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

The North ◽

The North China Plain ◽

No Till

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Japanese Bindweed (Calystegia hederacea) Abundance and Response to Winter Wheat Seeding Rate and Nitrogen Fertilization in the North China Plain

Weed Technology ◽

10.1614/wt-d-13-00020.1 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 768-777 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alexander Menegat ◽

Ortrud Jäck ◽

Jinwei Zhang ◽

Kathrin Kleinknecht ◽

Bettina U. Müller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Winter Wheat ◽

North China Plain ◽

North China ◽

Wheat Yield ◽

N Fertilization ◽

Seeding Rate ◽

The North ◽

The North China Plain ◽

Winter Wheat Yield ◽

Tribenuron Methyl

Japanese bindweed was found to be one of the most abundant and most difficult-to-control weed species during a 2-yr weed survey in more than 100 winter wheat fields in the North China Plain region. Multivariate data analysis showed that Japanese bindweed is most abundant at sites with comparative low nitrogen (N) fertilization intensities and low crop densities. To gain deeper insights into the biology of Japanese bindweed under various N fertilization intensities, winter wheat seeding rates, herbicide treatments, and their interactions, a 2-yr field experiment was performed. In nonfertilized plots, a herbicide efficacy (based on density reduction) of 22% for 2,4-D, and of 25% for tribenuron-methyl was found. The maximum herbicide efficacy in Nmin-fertilized plots (target N value based on expected crop yield minus soil mineral nitrogen content,) was 32% for 2,4-D and 34% for tribenuron-methyl. In plots fertilized according to the farmer's practices, a maximum herbicide efficacy of 72% for 2,4-D and of 64% for tribenuron-methyl could be observed. Furthermore, medium and high seeding rates improved the herbicide efficacy by at least 39% for tribenuron-methyl and 44% for 2,4-D compared to the low seeding rate. Winter wheat yield was not significantly affected by seeding rate itself, whereas at low and medium seeding rates, Nminfertilization was decreasing winter wheat yield significantly compared to the farmer's usual fertilization practice. At the highest seeding rate, Nminfertilization resulted in equal yields compared to the farmer's practices of fertilization.

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Effects of Strategic Tillage on Soil Physicochemical Properties and Grain Yield in the North China Plain

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10081167 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1167

Author(s):

Qiuyue Liu ◽

Zhengrong Kan ◽

Cong He ◽

Hailin Zhang

Keyword(s):

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Soil Compaction ◽

Crop Production ◽

North China Plain ◽

North China ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Soil Physicochemical Properties ◽

The North ◽

The North China Plain ◽

No Till

No-till (NT) practice has been widely adopted to improve soil quality, but soil compaction and soil organic carbon (SOC) stratification under long-term NT limit crop production. Strategic tillage (ST), based on single tillage, is proposed as an attractive management practice to sustain the benefits of continuous NT and mitigate its adverse effects. Four tillage systems, including continuous rotary tillage (RT), NT, rotary tillage + subsoiling (RS), and no-till + subsoiling (NS), were implemented to investigate the effects of strategic tillage (i.e., RS and NS) on soil physical properties (compaction and aggregates), SOC, and crop yield in the North China Plain (NCP). The results showed that ST as expected decreased soil bulk density, penetration resistance, and SOC stratification compared with RT and NT at 0–20 cm soil depth (p < 0.05). At 0–10 cm soil depth, more macroaggregates (>0.25 mm) were observed in NT and NS, contributing to higher mean weight and geometric mean diameters, this compared with RT and RS. Additionally, macroaggregate associated SOC was higher, thus resulting in higher SOC storage in NT (31.4–33.4 Mg ha −1) and NS (33.3–35.4 Mg ha−1) at 0–30 cm depth (p < 0.05). Low soil compaction and high SOC in NS were beneficial for the grain yield of wheat and maize, significantly higher by 8.7–32.5% and 14.0–29.8% compared with the other treatments, respectively (p < 0.05). Based on our findings, NS seems to be a promising alternative tillage system to improve soil physicochemical properties and crop production in the NCP. More studies are therefore needed to better understand the benefit of NS.

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