N-fertilizer Postponing Application Improves Dry Matter Translocation and Increases System Productivity of Wheat/Maize Intercropping

Author(s):  
Ke Xu ◽  
Qiang Chai ◽  
Falong Hu ◽  
Zhilong Fan ◽  
Wen Yin

Abstract Intercropping increases the grain yield to feed the ever-growing population in the world. It has been proven that N-fertilizer postponed topdressing can boost the productivity of cereal/legume intercropping. However, whether the application of this technology to cereal/cereal intercropping can still increase grain yield is unclear. A field experiment was conducted from 2018 to 2020 in the arid region of northwestern China to investigate the accumulation and distribution of dry matter and yield performance of wheat/maize intercropping in response to N-fertilizer postponed topdressing approaches. Allocations that were subjected to topdressing at the jointing and 15 d post-silking stages using the amount of nitrogen fertilizer (N3) that is traditionally used for maize production used only 30% and 10% of the total amount nitrogen, respectively. The allocations of postponed topdressing treatments of the two N fertilizers at these two stages were 10% and 30% for N1, and 20% and 20% for N2. The results showed that the postponed topdressing N fertilizer treatments boosted the maximum average crop growth rate (CGR) of wheat/maize intercropping. The N1 and N2 treatments increased the average maximum CGR by 32.9% and 16.4% during the co-growth period, respectively, and the second average maximum CGR was increased by 29.8% and 12.6% during the maize recovery growth stage, respectively, compared with the N3 treatment. The N1 treatment was superior to other treatments, since it increased the CGR of intercropped wheat during the co-growth period and accelerated the CGR of intercropped maize after the wheat had been harvested. This treatment also increased the biomass and grain yield of intercropping by 8.6% and 33.7%, respectively, compared with the current N management practice. This yield gain was primarily attributable to the higher total translocation of dry matter. The intercropping system increased the translocation of dry matter to grain in vegetative organs, while the N fertilizer postponed topdressing promoted this effect. Therefore, the harvest index of intercropped wheat and maize with N1 was 5.9% and 5.3% greater than that of N3, respectively. This demonstrated that optimizing the management of N fertilizer can increase the grain yield from wheat/maize intercropping via the promotion of accumulation and translocation of dry matter.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Xu ◽  
Qiang Chai ◽  
Falong Hu ◽  
Zhilong Fan ◽  
Wen Yin

AbstractIntercropping increases the grain yield to feed the ever-growing population in the world by cultivating two crop species on the same area of land. It has been proven that N-fertilizer postponed topdressing can boost the productivity of cereal/legume intercropping. However, whether the application of this technology to cereal/cereal intercropping can still increase grain yield is unclear. A field experiment was conducted from 2018 to 2020 in the arid region of northwestern China to investigate the accumulation and distribution of dry matter and yield performance of wheat/maize intercropping in response to N-fertilizer postponed topdressing application. There were three N application treatments (referred as N1, N2, N3) for maize and the total amount were all 360 kg N ha−1. N fertilizer were applied at four time, i.e. prior to sowing, at jointing stage, at pre-tasseling stage, and at 15 days post-silking stage, respectively. The N3 treatment was traditionally used for maize production and allocations subjected to these four stages were 2:3:4:1. The N1 and N2 were postponed topdressing treatments which allocations were 2:1:4:3 and 2:2:4:2, respectively. The results showed that the postponed topdressing N fertilizer treatments boosted the maximum average crop growth rate (CGR) of wheat/maize intercropping. The N1 and N2 treatments increased the average maximum CGR by 32.9% and 16.4% during the co-growth period, respectively, and the second average maximum CGR was increased by 29.8% and 12.6% during the maize recovery growth stage, respectively, compared with the N3 treatment. The N1 treatment was superior to other treatments, since it increased the CGR of intercropped wheat by 44.7% during the co-growth period and accelerated the CGR of intercropped maize by 29.8% after the wheat had been harvested. This treatment also increased the biomass and grain yield of intercropping by 8.6% and 33.7%, respectively, compared with the current N management practice. This yield gain was primarily attributable to the higher total translocation of dry matter. The N1 treatment increased the transfer amount of intercropped wheat by 28.4% from leaf and by 51.6% from stem, as well as increased the intercropped maize by 49.0% of leaf, 36.6% of stem, and 103.6% of husk, compared to N3 treatment, respectively. Integrated the N fertilizer postponed topdressing to the wheat/maize intercropping system have a promotion effect on increasing the translocation of dry matter to grain in vegetative organs. Therefore, the harvest index of intercropped wheat and maize with N1 was 5.9% and 5.3% greater than that of N3, respectively. This demonstrated that optimizing the management of N fertilizer can increase the grain yield from wheat/maize intercropping via the promotion of accumulation and translocation of dry matter.


1986 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 459 ◽  
Author(s):  
GD Batten ◽  
IF Wardlaw ◽  
MJ Aston

Experiments were designed to examine the effect of the level and duration of application of phosphorus (P) on yield in wheat and the effect of growth conditions prior to anthesis on the utilisation of P taken up during the early stages of development. In the first experiment, wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Kite) was grown in sand and supplied with a complete nutrient solution containing either 1 mM phosphate or 0.25 mM phosphate. The supply of P was maintained until grain maturity, or stopped at different stages of development (floral initiation, flag leaf emergence, anthesis). The increase in total plant dry matter over this period ranged from 8.8 to 17.6 g/plant, with the 1.0 mM P supply and from 4.1 to 9.5 g/plant with the 0.25 mM P supply. Supply of P beyond anthesis resulted in more tiller dry matter and increased the P content of the grain, but did not increase grain yield at either level. With 1 mM P to maturity, up to 21% P of the grain P could be attributed to retranslocation of P within the plant after anthesis. With 0.25 mM P to floral initiation, 58% of the grain P could be attributed to such retranslocation. In a second experiment plants (cv. Kite) were grown initially at 18/13�C with 0.25 mM P until floral initiation and thereafter with a P-free solution until maturity. Between floral initiation and anthesis plants were placed in six dayhight temperatures, extending (in 3�C steps) from 15/10�C to 30/25OC, and then returned to the standard condition of 18/13�C. Higher pre-anthesis temperatures reduced the pre-anthesis growth period and the plant height, but increased the leaf phosphorus concentration and uptake of phosphorus per plant in both the pre- and post-anthesis periods. Net CO2 exchange indicated that leaf senescence in P-deficient plants was closely associated with the export of nitrogen as well as the export of P. Grain P increased from 0.15% to 0.3% when the preanthesis temperature was increased from 15/10 to 30/25�C, although grain yield per main culm did not vary greatly. These findings highlight the importance of environmental conditions in determining the level of P deficiency in wheat, and show that grain yield is not limited by the amount of P in the grain.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanqi Wei ◽  
Juliang Jin ◽  
Shangming Jiang ◽  
Shaowei Ning ◽  
Yi Cui ◽  
...  

In an agricultural drought risk system, crop drought loss sensitivity evaluation is a fundamental link for quantitative agricultural drought loss risk assessment. Summer maize growth processes under various drought patterns were simulated using the Cropping System Model (CSM)-CERES-maize, which was calibrated and validated based on pit experiments conducted in the Huaibei Plain during 2016 and 2017 seasons. Then S-shaped maize drought loss sensitivity curve was built for fitting the relationship between drought hazard index intensity at a given stage and the corresponding dry matter accumulation and grain yield loss rate, respectively. Drought stress reduced summer maize evapotranspiration, dry matter, and yield accumulation, and the reductions increased with the drought intensity at each stage. Moreover, the losses caused by drought at different stages were significantly different. When maize plants were exposed to a severe water deficit at the jointing stage, the dry matter and grain yield formation were greatly affected. Therefore, maize growth was more sensitive to drought stress at the jointing stage when the stress was serious. Furthermore, when plants encountered a relatively slight drought during the seedling or jointing stage, which represented as a lower soil water deficit intensity, the grain yield loss rates approached the maximum for the sensitivity curves of these two stages. Therefore, summer maize tolerance to water deficit at the seedling and jointing stages were weak, and yield formation was more sensitive to water deficit during these two stages when the deficit was relatively slight.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinbing Wang ◽  
Yuxin Miao ◽  
Rui Dong ◽  
Zhichao Chen ◽  
Yanjie Guan ◽  
...  

Precision nitrogen (N) management (PNM) strategies are urgently needed for the sustainability of rain-fed maize (Zea mays L.) production in Northeast China. The objective of this study was to develop an active canopy sensor (ACS)-based PNM strategy for rain-fed maize through improving in-season prediction of yield potential (YP0), response index to side-dress N based on harvested yield (RIHarvest), and side-dress N agronomic efficiency (AENS). Field experiments involving six N rate treatments and three planting densities were conducted in three growing seasons (2015–2017) in two different soil types. A hand-held GreenSeeker sensor was used at V8-9 growth stage to collect normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and ratio vegetation index (RVI). The results indicated that NDVI or RVI combined with relative plant height (NDVI*RH or RVI*RH) were more strongly related to YP0 (R2 = 0.44–0.78) than only using NDVI or RVI (R2 = 0.26–0.68). The improved N fertilizer optimization algorithm (INFOA) using in-season predicted AENS optimized N rates better than the N fertilizer optimization algorithm (NFOA) using average constant AENS. The INFOA-based PNM strategies could increase marginal returns by 212 $ ha−1 and 70 $ ha−1, reduce N surplus by 65% and 62%, and improve N use efficiency (NUE) by 4%–40% and 11%–65% compared with farmer’s typical N management in the black and aeolian sandy soils, respectively. It is concluded that the ACS-based PNM strategies have the potential to significantly improve profitability and sustainability of maize production in Northeast China. More studies are needed to further improve N management strategies using more advanced sensing technologies and incorporating weather and soil information.


1988 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Reddy ◽  
M. M. Panda ◽  
B. C. Ghosh ◽  
B. B. Reddy

SummaryUnder conditions of semi-deep water (51–100 cm) rice varieties with greater plant height produced more dry matter and grain yield as N fertilizer was increased from 0 to 20 and 40 kg/ha. The varieties which performed better in a situation of slow rise in water level to a depth of 120 cm could not survive a quick rise in water level owing to their lesser plant height and elongation ability. The loss of dry matter (dead and dried leaves) was also greater in varieties susceptible to deep water than varieties tolerant of deep water.With the increase in N fertilizer, there was increase in plant height, number of tillers, dry-matter production and grain yield. The loss of dry matter was less in crops given N fertilizer than in those not given N fertilizer. The varieties capable of producing higher grain yield in response to N fertilizer under semi-deep water did not improve their grain yield under intermediate deep water (15–50 cm). With increase in application of N fertilizer from 0 to 40 kg/ha the N concentration in grain increased. N concentration did not vary in straw under intermediate deep water, there was no definite trend in semi-deep water, and it was higher under conditions of semi-deep than intermediate deep water.


2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 484-490
Author(s):  
Marina Freitas e Silva ◽  
Wender Santos Rezende ◽  
Domingos da Costa Ferreira Júnior ◽  
Thays Vieira Bueno ◽  
Flávia Bastos Agostinho ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Conservation of vegetative organs, as leaves and stalks, is essential to achieve high maize production. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of leaf area maintenance due to fungicides spraying on stalk integrity, its chemical composition and grain yield. The experiment was conducted in Uberlândia - MG, during the second season of 2016. The experiment design was a randomized complete block with six replications and six treatments, representing combinations of fungicides belonging to carboxamide, strobilurin, triazole, and dithiocarbamate chemical groups, and the check treatment (without fungicides). The assessed traits were leaf green area, wet and dry stalk density, stalk breaking strength and height, stalk lignin and cellulose percentage, stalk dry matter, stalk lignin and cellulose content per hectare and grain yield. Treatments containing fungicides, especially the ones containing carboxamide, resulted in higher leaf green area and stalk density. Application of fungicides also increased stalk breaking strength and height; however, no effect was observed on stalk lignin and cellulose percentage. Grain yield, stalk dry matter production, and stalk lignin and cellulose contents per hectare were enhanced by fungicide application, with higher improvements in plants treated with carboxamide. Application of fungicides, mainly when combined with carboxamides, promotes higher maintenance of leaf green area, which leads to improved stalk integrity, higher grain yield, and higher straw production.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2491
Author(s):  
Gabriel Dias Paiao ◽  
Fabián G. Fernández ◽  
Seth L. Naeve

Soil drainage is not considered in the N fertilizer guidelines for corn (Zea mays L.) in the US Midwest. This study investigated the influence of soil drainage on corn grain yield, N requirement, and residual soil N, and evaluated the utility of in-season soil N measurements to guide N application. This 6-year study in Minnesota, US on a corn–soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) rotation had drained and undrained conditions and six at planting (PL) (0–225 in 45 kg N ha−1 increments) and four split (SP) N fertilizer rates (at planting/V6-V8—45/45, 45/90, 45/135, 45/179 kg N ha−1). The drained compared to undrained soil produced 8% more grain yield (12.8 vs. 11.9 Mg ha−1), 12% more N uptake (169 vs. 151 kg N ha−1), 16% lower optimal N rate (ONR) (160 vs. 193 kg N ha−1), 3.1% greater grain yield at ONR (13.5 vs. 13.1 Mg ha−1), and similar in season and residual soil N. Compared to SP, PL lowered ONR (151 vs. 168 kg N ha−1) in drained soils, and the opposite occurred for undrained soils (206 vs. 189 kg N ha−1). These results substantiate the agronomic benefits of artificial drainage and the need to incorporate drainage conditions into N management guidelines.


2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-34
Author(s):  
MAH S Jahan ◽  
MAR Sarkar ◽  
NCD Barma ◽  
MNA Mondal ◽  
MNS Ferdousi

A field experiment was conducted at Regional Wheat Research Centre of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur, Bangladesh during 2007 and 2008. The objectives were to find out the optimum nutrient management practice for grain yield, nutrient balance and economics of T. Aman rice. Twelve nutrient management treatments (with and without CRI) were tested in RCBD with 3 replications. Treatments were T1=HYG (0-80-16- 44-12-2-0), T2=MYG (0-56-12-32-8-1.5-0), T3=IPNS (5000-65-13-32-9-2-0), T4=STB (0-68-15-37-11-2-0), T5=FP (0-39-7-12-0-0-0), T6=CON (0-0-0-0-0-0- 0), T7=HYG+CRI(Crop residue incorporation), T8=MYG+CRI, T9=IPNS+CRI, T10=STB+CRI, T11=FP+CRI, T12=CON+CRI kg ha-1 CDNPKSZnB for T. Aman rice. On an average, maximum grain yield of T. Aman rice was obtained from STB+CRI (5.24 t ha-1) followed by IPNS+CRI (5.13 t ha-1), STB (5.12 t ha-1), IPNS (5.03 t ha-1), HYG+CRI (4.50t ha-1) and HYG (4.41 t ha-1). Numerically but not statistically higher yield and yield contributing parameters were noticed in CRI plots than without CRI. Except N and K remaining nutrient balance like P S Zn and B were found positive in case of HYG, MYG, IPNS and STB along with or without CRI nutrient managements while FP and CON (Control) showed negative balance. The maximum BCR was observed in STB (3.25) followed by STB+CRI (3.14) and IPNS (2.98) and similar trend was observed in MBCR.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 40(1): 17-34, March 2015


PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9596
Author(s):  
Guoying Yang ◽  
Hongting Ji ◽  
Hongjiang Liu ◽  
Yuefang Zhang ◽  
Liugen Chen ◽  
...  

Background Integrating a chemical nitrogen (N) fertilizer with an organic fertilizer and using slow-release mechanism are important N management strategies to increase the N utilization efficiency (NUE) and grain yield of rice. However, the performances of both N management strategies on the productivity, the nutrient absorption and utilization efficiency, and the economic benefits of rice have not yet been comprehensively evaluated. Methods A 2-year field experiment was conducted with seven N management strategies without fertilizer (control), 100% conventional N fertilizer (conventional compound fertilizer and urea) (N100), 75% conventional N fertilizer with 25% organic–inorganic compound fertilizer (N75+OICF25), 50% conventional N fertilizer with 50% organic–inorganic compound fertilizer (N50+OICF50), 100% organic–inorganic compound fertilizer (OICF100), slow-release compound fertilizer with urea (SRCF+U), compound fertilizer with sulfur-coated urea (CF+SCU). The responses of the productivity, the nutrient absorption and utilization efficiency, and the economic benefits of rice to the different N management strategies were evaluated. Results CF+SCU performed comparably or better than N100, judging by the grain yield (GY), the N, phosphate (P) and potassium (K) agronomic efficiency (NAE, PAE and KAE), and the apparent N, P and K recovery efficiency (ANRE, APRE and AKRE). SRCF+U significantly increased the GY by an average of 7.7%, the NAE and the ANRE by 23.8 and 26.7%, the PAE and the APRE by 90.6 and 109.3%, and the KAE and the AKRE by 74.2 and 57.7%. The higher GY and nutrient utilization efficiency when using SRCF+U were attributed to the higher total biomass and total nutrient absorption. N75+OICF25 and N50+OICF50 produced a comparable grain yield than N100, whereas a significant yield reduction was observed when using OICF100. Compared with N100, N75+OICF25 resulted in a comparable or higher fertilizer use efficiency (0.3 and 4.7% for NAE and ANRE, 0.3 and 3.2% for PAE and APRE, 0.3 and −2.8% for KAE and AKRE). However, the fertilizer use efficiency when using N50+OICF50 and OICF100 were lower than with N100. The highest net return (NR) (5,845.03 yuan ha−1) and benefit to cost (B:C) ratio (0.34) were obtained when using SRCF+U. The NR and the B:C ratio when using N75+OICF25 were slightly higher than when using N100. However, N50+OICF50 and OICF100 significantly decreased the NR and the B:C ratio compared with N100 by 14.5 and 12.1% and by 35.1 and 29.0%, respectively. Conclusions SRCF+U and CF+SCU enhanced the crop productivity, the nutrient uptake and utilization efficiency, and the economic benefits compared with N100. The comprehensive performance of SRCF+U was better than that of CF+SCU. N75+OICF25 produced almost similar productivity, nutrient uptake and use efficiency compared with N100. It demonstrated that N75+OICF25 stabilized the grain yield production of rice and reduced the input of chemical N fertilizer.


2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 878 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. W. Dunn ◽  
T. S. Dunn ◽  
H. G. Beecher

The need for continual improvement in water productivity of rice farming has led to the development of delayed permanent (continuous) water (DPW) irrigation practice for drill-sown rice in south-eastern Australia. Current rice-growing practices have the crop flooded for most, or all, of its growing period, whereas DPW has reduced the period of flooding during the vegetative phase, resulting in significant water savings. The changed water-management practice required nitrogen (N) management practices to be investigated, because traditional N application timings and rates may no longer be suitable. Six experiments were conducted over three rice-growing seasons, 2010–11, 2011–12 and 2012–13, on two soil types in south-eastern Australia. Nitrogen applications at sowing, early tillering, mid-tillering and pre-PW were investigated at different rates and split-timing combinations. In the third season, three current commercial semi-dwarf rice varieties, Reiziq, Sherpa and Langi, were investigated for their growth and grain yield using different N treatments under DPW management. Nitrogen applied with the seed at sowing increased vegetative plant growth but did not increase grain yield, whereas N applied at early tillering had no significant impact on plant growth or grain yield. Nitrogen applied at mid-tillering often increased plant growth but did not lead to increased grain yield over treatments that received all N before PW application at 18–22 days before panicle initiation. When rice is managed under DPW, all N should be applied in one application, before the application of PW. The results from this research show that applying 100 kg N ha–1 before PW for rice grown under DPW was the best N-management option for the experimental fields. All three varieties grew and yielded well under the practice of DPW and responded similarly to N application rates and timings.


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