scholarly journals Contrasted Effects of Biochar on Maize Growth and N Use Efficiency Depending on Soil Conditions

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiaohong Zhu ◽  
Xinhua Peng ◽  
Taiqing Huang

Abstract Biochar amendment may improve crop growth through its nutrients and indirect fertility. However, this improvement varies in a wide range of biochars, crops, and soils. Our objectives were to determine the response of crop growth to biochar amendment and to assess the N use efficiency relative to the biochar and the soil types. In this pot experiment, we investigated five typical agricultural soils in China amended with two biochars. Four treatments were designed: the soil itself as a control, the soil amended with 1% biochar, the soil with fertilizer NPK, and the soil with added biochar and fertilizer. Biochar amendment increased the maize biomass and the N use efficiency in the red soil (p<0.05) but not in the other four soils (p>0.05). In the red soil, the biomass under biochar+NPK was 2.67-3.49 times higher than that of only NPK, and 1.48-1.62 times higher than that of only biochar amendment, 21-36 and 35-42% of which were contributed from biochar fertility and indirect fertility, respectively. This study indicates that biochar amendment is very plausible for the red soil but has a minor or even negative effect on the other four soils in China.

Author(s):  
Osmar B. Scremin ◽  
José A. G. da Silva ◽  
Ângela T. W. de Mamann ◽  
Rubia D. Mantai ◽  
Ana P. Brezolin ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The retainers of water in the soil can favor nitrogen (N) use efficiency in oat yield. The aim of the study was to determine if the conditions of use of the biopolymer hydrogel increase the fertilizer-N use efficiency in oat yield in succession systems of high and low residual-N release. In each succession system (soybean/oat, corn/oat), two experiments were conducted in 2014 and 2015, one to quantify biomass yield and the other to estimate grain yield and lodging. The design was randomized blocks with four replicates in a 4 x 4 factorial scheme for hydrogel doses (0, 30, 60 and 120 kg ha-1), added in the furrow with the seed, and N fertilizer doses (0, 30, 60 and 120 kg ha-1) applied in the fourth-expanded-leaf stage. The use of hydrogel increases N use efficiency in oat yield, especially under the conditions of 30 to 60 kg ha-1 of biopolymer; however, this effect is dependent on the succession system and on weather conditions.


2004 ◽  
Vol 142 (5) ◽  
pp. 495-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. SIELING

Farmers commonly apply slurry when soil conditions are suitable for spreading. In order to improve slurry nitrogen (N) use efficiency, effects of split application of pig slurry according to the crop N demand on yield were tested in 1994/95–2001/02. The crop rotation was winter oilseed rape (OSR) – winter wheat – winter barley. N was applied as pig slurry or as mineral N fertilizer (each of 0, 40 or 80 kg N/ha, total N amount: 0–240 kg N/ha) at three dates. Each year, the treatments occurred in all three crops of the rotation and were located on the same plots. On average, mineral N fertilizer led to higher grain yields in all crops (+0·33 t/ha in OSR, +0·57 t/ha in wheat, and +0·20 t/ha in barley) compared with slurry application, presumably due to a slower N mineralization of the organic fraction. However, the large year to year variation resulted in high error estimates, leading to no significant differences in yield. Taking only the ammonium amount of the slurry into account, there was no significant difference in yield between the two N sources. Yield potential was similar in both slurry and mineral N treatments, but higher N amounts were necessary on the slurry plots. Therefore, slurry N-use efficiency (NUE) remained lower than that of mineral N. However, compared with a single dose, growth-specific slurry application according to the crop demand, as made with mineral N fertilizers, increased NUE.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1223
Author(s):  
Jie Li ◽  
Shuai Wang ◽  
Jiafa Luo ◽  
Stuart Lindsey ◽  
Lingli Wang ◽  
...  

The large amount of ammonia released during agricultural application of urea fertilizer can result in a partial loss of applied nitrogen, having a detrimental effect on air quality. Although Chamomile recutita has nitrogen transformation inhibitory properties, providing potential agricultural and environmental benefits, the full extent of the effects of the major constituents of this plant on urease activity and NH3 volatilization in soils is currently unknown. Soil incubation experiments were established using 2-Cyclopenten-1-one and Eugenol, two major constituents of C. recutita, to evaluate their effects on inorganic soil nitrogen pools, urease activity, and NH3 volatilization in grey desert soil and red soil. An application rate of 0.25 g N kg−1 soil fertilizer was applied as urea with and without additives. An unfertilized treatment was also included as a control. In order to compare results, N(butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT), a common synthetic urease inhibitor, was also used. NBPT, 2-Cyclopenten-1-one and Eugenol were applied at a rate of 0.00125 g kg−1 soil (equivalent to 0.5% N). The results indicated that the rate of urea hydrolysis was higher in grey desert soil compared to red soil. Soil in the urea-only treatments recorded urea hydrolysis to be almost complete within seven days of application. The rate of hydrolysis was inhibited by the two natural compounds, and higher concentrations of urea were maintained for more than two weeks. Soil amended with the two materials exhibited strong soil urease inhibition in both soil treatments (75.1% in the alkaline grey desert soil and 72.8% in the acidic red soil). The strongest inhibitory effect occurred one to three days after incubation in the Eugenol treatment. Moreover, the inhibitory effects of Cyclopenten-1-one and Eugenol were superior to that of NBPT in the two soils. Cyclopenten-1-one and Eugenol also significantly reduced soil NH3 emissions by 14.2 to 45.3%, especially in the acidic red soil. Molecular docking studies confirmed inhibition mechanisms, highlighting that natural compounds interacted with the amino acid residues of the urease active center. This action resulted in the urease active pocket being blocked, thereby inhibiting enzyme activity. Overall, our findings suggest that 2-Cyclopenten-1-one and Eugenol are both capable of hindering urease activity and reducing the risk of N loss in the two tested soils. Results highlight their applicability as urease inhibitors and their effect in delaying the release of ammonia nitrogen, thereby increasing fertilizer N use efficiency. However, in order to fully assess N use efficiency and the N balance due to the presence of Chamomile extract in soil-crop systems, further field scale investigations are required.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2349
Author(s):  
Jingchun Ji ◽  
Jianli Liu ◽  
Jingjing Chen ◽  
Yujie Niu ◽  
Kefan Xuan ◽  
...  

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.


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.


Author(s):  
Juliane S. P. Costa ◽  
Rubia D. Mantai ◽  
José A. G. da Silva ◽  
Osmar B. Scremin ◽  
Emilio G. Arenhardt ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Single or split nitrogen (N) supply can maximize the expression of wheat yield indicators. The objective of the study was to evaluate the greater N use efficiency on wheat yield indicators by the single and split N supply under favorable and unfavorable year conditions to the crop in succession system of high and reduced residual N release. The study was conducted in 2014 and 2015, in a randomized complete block design with four replicates in a 4 x 3 factorial, for N-fertilizer doses (0, 30, 60, 120 kg ha-1) and supply forms [full dose (100%) in the phenological stage V3 (third expanded leaf); split dose (70 and 30%) in the phenological stages V3/V6 (third and sixth expanded leaves, respectively) and; split dose (70 and 30%) in the phenological stages V3/R1 (third expanded leaf and early grain filling)], respectively, in soybean/wheat and maize/wheat cultivation systems. The highest N use efficiency for wheat yield was obtained with the single dose supply in favorable year of temperature and rainfall and with the split dose in the V3/V6 stages in unfavorable year, regardless of the succession system of high and reduced residual N release.


2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-8
Author(s):  
Mahmood-ul-Hassan . ◽  
Taj Muhammad . ◽  
Saeed Ahmad . ◽  
Muhammad Iqbal . ◽  
Abdul Karim . ◽  
...  

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