scholarly journals Increasing Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Corn in Midwestern Cropping Systems

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 682-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.L. Hatfield ◽  
J.H. Prueger

Nitrogen (N) loss from agricultural systems raises concerns about the potential impact of farming practices on environmental quality. N is a critical input to agricultural production. However, there is little understanding of the interactions among crop water use, N application rates, and soil types. This study was designed to quantify these interactions in corn (Zea mays L.) grown in production-size fields in central Iowa on the Clarion-Nicollet-Webster soil association. Seasonal water use varied by soil type and N application rate. Yield varied with N application rate, with the highest average yield obtained at 100 kg ha-1. N use efficiency (NUE) decreased with increasing N application rates, having values around 50%. Water use efficiency (WUE) decreased as N fertilizer rates increased. Analysis of plant growth patterns showed that in the low organic matter soils (lower water-holding capacities), potential yield was not achieved because of water deficits during the grain-filling period. Using precipitation data coupled with daily water use throughout the season, lower organic matter soils showed these soils began to drain earlier in the spring and continued to drain more water throughout the season. The low NUE in these soils together with increased drainage lead to greater N loss from these soils. Improved management decisions have shown that it is possible to couple water use patterns with N application to increase both WUE and NUE.

2009 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
LIMEI ZHAO ◽  
LIANGHUAN WU ◽  
YONGSHAN LI ◽  
XINGHUA LU ◽  
DEFENG ZHU ◽  
...  

SUMMARYField experiments were conducted in 2005 and 2006 to investigate the impacts of alternative rice cultivation systems on grain yield, water productivity, N uptake and N use efficiency (ANUE, agronomic N use efficiency; PFP, partial factor productivity of applied N). The trials compared the practices used with the system of rice intensification (SRI) and traditional flooding (TF). The effects of different N application rates (0, 80, 160 and 240 kg ha−1) and of N rates interacting with the cultivation system were also evaluated. Resulting grain yields with SRI ranged from 5.6 to 7.3 t ha−1, and from 4.1 to 6.4 t ha−1 under TF management. On average, grain yields under SRI were 21% higher in 2005 and 22% higher in 2006 than with TF. Compared with TF, SRI plots had higher harvest index across four fertilizer N rates in both years. However, there was no significance difference in above-ground biomass between two cultivation systems in either year. ANUE was increased significantly under SRI at 80 kg N ha−1 compared with TF, while at higher N application rates, ANUE with SRI was significantly lower than TF. Compared with TF, PFP under SRI was higher across all four N rates in both years, although the difference at 240 kg N ha−1 was not significant. As N rate increased, the ANUE and PFP under both SRI and TF significantly decreased. Reduction in irrigation water use with SRI was 40% in 2005 and 47% in 2006, and water use efficiency, both total and from irrigation, were significantly increased compared to TF. With both SRI and TF, the highest N application was associated with decreases in grain yield, N use efficiency and water use efficiency. This is an important finding given current debates whether N application rates in China are above the optimum, especially considering consequences for soil and water resources. Cultivation system, N rates and their interactions all produced significant differences in this study. Results confirmed that optimizing fertilizer N application rates under SRI is important to increase yield, N use efficiency and water use efficiency.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyong Xia ◽  
Weilin Kong ◽  
Lan Wang ◽  
Yanhui Xue ◽  
Wenlong Liu ◽  
...  

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a global nutritional problem that is reduced through agronomic biofortification. In the current study, the effects of foliar spraying of exogenous ZnSO4·7H2O (0.2% in Quzhou and 0.3% in Licheng, w/v) and/or sucrose (10.0%, w/v) on maize (Zea mays L.) agronomic traits; concentrations of Zn, iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), total phosphorus (P), phytic acid (PA) P, carbon (C), and nitrogen (N); C/N ratios; and Zn and Fe bioavailability (as evaluated by molar ratios of PA/Zn, PA × Ca/Zn, PA/Fe and PA × Ca/Fe) in maize grains were studied under field conditions for two years at two experimental locations. The results confirmed that there were no significant differences in maize agronomic traits following the various foliar treatments. Compared with the control treatment of foliar spraying with deionized water, foliar applications of Zn alone or combined with sucrose significantly increased maize grain Zn concentrations by 29.2–58.3% in Quzhou (from 18.4–19.9 to 25.2–29.6 mg/kg) and by 39.8–47.8% in Licheng (from 24.9 to 34.8–36.8 mg/kg), as well as its bioavailability. No significant differences were found between the foliar spraying of deionized water and sucrose, and between Zn-only and “sucrose + Zn” at each N application rate and across different N application rates and experimental sites. Similar results were observed for maize grain Fe concentrations and bioavailability, but the Fe concentration increased to a smaller extent than Zn. Foliar Zn spraying alone or with sucrose increased maize grain Fe concentrations by 4.7–28.4% in Quzhou (from 13.4–17.1 to 15.2–18.5 mg/kg) and by 15.4–25.0% in Licheng (from 24.0 to 27.7–30.0 mg/kg). Iron concentrations were significantly and positively correlated with Zn at each N application rate and across different N application rates and experimental locations, indicating that foliar Zn spraying facilitated the transport of endogenous Fe to maize grains. Therefore, foliar Zn spraying increased the Zn concentration and bioavailability in maize grains irrespective of foliar sucrose supply while also improving Fe concentrations and bioavailability to some extent. This is a promising agricultural practice for simultaneous Zn and Fe biofortification in maize grains, i.e., “killing two birds with one stone”.


HortScience ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 509B-509
Author(s):  
Robert H. Stamps

One of the most difficult times to balance crop nitrogen (N) requirements with concerns about nitrate-N leaching occurs during crop establishment, when root systems are poorly developed and not widely distributed in the growing medium. This dilemma can be exacerbated when producing a slow-growing plant such as leatherleaf fern (Rumohra adiantiformis [Forst.] Ching) on sandy soils in shadehouses in areas with significant rainfall. Rhizomes were planted in 36 drainage lysimeters containing Tavares fine sand located in a shadehouse. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied at nine rates using liquid and/or controlled-release fertilizer. Nitrogen application rates were varied as the rhizomes became established and spread into unplanted areas of the lysimeters. Irrigation and rainfall were monitored and the amount of water not lost to evapotranspiration was determined. Nitrogen (ammoniacal, nitrate/nitrite, total Kjeldahl) concentrations in leachate collected below the rootzone were determined. Stipe sap nitrate and frond total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) were determined to try to develop a production monitoring technique. Initially, only leachate samples from controlled-release fertilizer plots treated at 21 and 42 kg of N/ha per year and liquid fertilizer at 28 kg of N/ha per year were consistently below the maximum contamination level (MCL) of 10 mg·L–1. As the fern became established, leachate nitrate/nitrite-N concentrations from higher N application rate treatments also remained below the MCL. Leachate N concentrations decreased as rainfall increased. Fern growth increased with increasing N application rate. Stipe sap nitrate-N and frond TKN concentrations were not well-correlated during establishment.


1976 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Marsh ◽  
F. J. Gordon ◽  
J. C. Murdoch ◽  
W. E. G. Stevenson

SummaryThe effect of season of harvest and previous seasonal applications of fertilizer N on the response of perennial ryegrass/white clover swards to pre-cut applications of fertilizer N was studied in three consecutive years on different sites. Herbage D.M. yield responded in a curvilinear manner to increased pre-cut N application rates. There was a tendency in all experiments for the marginal response of herbage D.M. to increased pre-cut N application rates to decrease as previous seasonal fertilizer N application rates increased. Although the effect of season of harvest on the response of herbage D.M. to pre-cut N application rates varied with site/years, it was concluded that the marginal response of herbage D.M. to pre-cut N application rate varies little throughout the greater part of the growing season. The exceptions to this are the very early and late harvests and swards that receive low supplies of N from the sward/soil complex. The results are discussed in relation to other published data and to their possible use in the control of the seasonal pattern and total seasonal supply of herbage D.M. for rotational grazing management systems.


Soil Research ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 727 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Dong ◽  
Y. Jiang ◽  
M. J. Wei ◽  
R. J. Long ◽  
Z. Z. Hu ◽  
...  

To illustrate the effect of nitrogen (N) application on soil physical and chemical characteristics, herbage yield and quality, and nitrogen and water use efficiency in the alpine region of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, a 3-year experiment was conducted on 3 mixtures of 4 perennial grasses commonly cultivated on the Plateau, Bromus inermis (BI) + Elymus nutans (EN), BI + E. sibricus (ES) + Agropyron cristatum (AC), and BI + ES + EN + AC by applying 4 levels of N fertiliser, 0, 115, 230, and 345 kg/ha from 1998 to 2000 in a randomised design. At harvesting time, soil pH and soil dry bulk density at 0–30 cm depth did not vary with N application rate. Soil organic carbon at 0–30 cm was not significantly variable under different N rates. Total soil N at 0–30 cm increased with N application rate and application year. After 3 years’ consecutive N treatment, total soil N reached 13 g/kg at an N application rate of 345 kg/ha. Soluble soil N at 0–30 cm increased with application rate but decreased with application year. At 345 kg N/ha application rate, soluble soil N was >100 mg/kg in 1998, but decreased to around 80 mg/kg in 2000. Herbage DM yields increased linearly with the N application rate. Compared with no fertiliser, 1.5 times more DM yield in 1998 and nearly double the DM yield in 1999 and 2000 were harvested for all grass mixtures at 345 kg N/ha. N concentrations in the herbages were significantly improved by N application. Each N fertiliser rate increased N contents in grass herbages by ≈3 g organic matter/kg. Apparent nitrogen recovery (ANR) decreased with N application rate in the establishment year of 1998, but increased with N application rate in 1999 and 2000. N use efficiency (NUE) decreased with N application throughout the experiment. Precipitation use efficiency (PUE) was significantly improved by N application for each grass mixture. Positive residual N-fertiliser effects were observed on herbage DM yield, ANR, NUE, and PUE in this study. BI + ES + AC showed higher DM yields, ANR, NUE, and PUE than the other 2 grass mixtures, and thus was proposed for N-input grassland systems in the alpine region of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.


2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 493-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Helmers ◽  
X. Zhou ◽  
J.L. Baker ◽  
S.W. Melvin ◽  
D.W. Lemke

Helmers, M. J., Zhou, X., Baker, J. L., Melvin, S. W. and Lemke, D. W. 2012. Nitrogen loss on tile-drained Mollisols as affected by nitrogen application rate under continuous corn and corn-soybean rotation systems. Can. J. Soil Sci. 92: 493–499. Nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) loss from production agricultural systems through subsurface drainage networks is of local and regional concern throughout the Midwestern United States. The increased corn acreage and the practice of growing continuous corn instead of a corn-soybean rotation system due to the increasing demand for food and energy have raised questions about the environmental impacts of this shift in cropping systems. The objective of this 4-yr (1990–1993) study was to evaluate the effect of nitrogen (N) application rate (0–168 kg N ha−1 for corn following soybean and 0–224 kg N ha−1 for corn following corn) on NO3-N concentration, NO3-N losses, and crop yields in continuous corn and corn-soybean production systems on tile-drained Mollisols in north central Iowa. The results show that NO3-N concentrations from the continuous corn system were similar to NO3-N concentrations from the corn-soybean rotation at equivalent N application rates.When extra N fertilizer (approximately 56 kg N ha−1) was applied to continuous corn than the corn-soybean rotation, this resulted in 14–36% greater NO3-N concentrations in subsurface drainage from the continuous corn system. While corn yield increased as N application rate increased, corn yields at the recommended N application rates (112–168 kg N ha−1) in the corn-soybean rotation were up to 3145 kg ha−1 greater than corn yields at the recommended application rates (168–224 kg N ha−1) in the continuous corn system. The corn-soybean rotation with recommended N application rates (168–224 kg N ha−1) appeared to be beneficial environmentally and economically.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 171
Author(s):  
Tao Sun ◽  
Xin Yang ◽  
Xiaoli Tan ◽  
Kefeng Han ◽  
Sheng Tang ◽  
...  

Previous studies have revealed that the japonica/indica hybrid rice has a higher yield potential, biomass production, and nitrogen (N) accumulation than japonica rice in China, however, at a single N application rate. It remains unclear whether it also occurs at a higher or lower N application rate under the same field condition. To investigate the effects of nitrogen application rates on grain yield, N uptake, dry matter accumulation, and agronomic N use efficiency, field experiments were conducted in Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province during three consecutive growth seasons in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Two japonica/indica hybrid varieties (Yongyou 12 and Yongyou 538) and two japonica varieties (Xiushui 134 and Jia 58) were exposed to five N application rates (0, 150, 225, 300, and 375 kg ha−1). The results showed that grain yields of all the varieties increased with increasing nitrogen application rates, except for Jia 58 whose optimum nitrogen level was 225 kg ha−1, because no significant difference was observed between N225 and N300. Across the four rice varieties, N uptake increased significantly with increased N-fertilizer rates at all the growth stages (p < 0.05). Across the three planting years, the average grain yield of japonica/indica hybrid rice was higher than that of japonica rice by 75.6% at N0, 57.2% at N150, 41.1% at N225, 38.3% at N300, and 45.8% at N375. We also found that as compared with japonica rice, the japonica/indica hybrid rice had more grain yield, higher dry matter, and higher N uptake at all growth stages, regardless of the N application rate.


HortScience ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1293-1296 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.M. Tankou ◽  
B. Schaffer ◽  
S.K. O'Hair ◽  
C.A. Sanchez

The effects of applied N and shading duration on net gas exchange and growth of two southern Florida cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz.) cultivars grown in containers were determined. Both cultivars responded similarly to shading and N with respect to the measured variables. There were no interactions between shading duration and N application rate for any of the variables measured. Tissue dry weights, total leaf N and chlorophyll concentrations, net CO2 assimilation (A), transpiration (E), water-use efficiency (WUE), and stomatal conductance (gs) were quadratically related to the concentration of N applied to the soil. The optimum N application rate for maximum growth of both cultivars was 60 mg/plant per day. Increased shading duration reduced A, E, gs, WUE, storage root number, and weight and increased the shoot : root ratio.


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 454-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Min ◽  
ZhenAn Hou ◽  
LiJuan Ma ◽  
Wen Zhang ◽  
SiBo Ru ◽  
...  

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