scholarly journals How Does Nitrogen Application Rate Affect Plant Functional Traits and Crop Growth Rate of Perennial Ryegrass-Dominated Permanent Pastures?

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2499
Author(s):  
Tammo Peters ◽  
Friedhelm Taube ◽  
Christof Kluß ◽  
Thorsten Reinsch ◽  
Ralf Loges ◽  
...  

High doses of nitrogen (N) fertiliser input on permanent pastures are crucial in terms of N surplus and N losses. Quantitative analyses of the response of plant functional traits (PFT) driving crop growth rate (CGR) under low N input are lacking in frequently defoliated pastures. This study aimed to understand the significance of PFTs for productivity and N uptake in permanent grasslands by measuring dynamics in tiller density (TD), tiller weight (TW), leaf weight ratio (LWR), leaf area index (LAI), specific leaf area (SLA), as well as leaf N content per unit mass (LNCm) and per unit area (LNCa) in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)-dominated pastures, in a simulated rotational grazing approach over two consecutive growing seasons. Annual N application rates were 0, 140 and 280 kg N ha−1. The phenological development of perennial ryegrass was the main driver of CGR, N uptake and most PFTs. The effect of N application rate on PFTs varied during the season. N application rate showed the greatest effect on TD, LAI and, to a lesser extent, on SLA and LNCm. The results of this study highlight the importance of TD and its role in driving CGR and N uptake in frequently defoliated permanent pastures.

1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-19
Author(s):  
R. Booij ◽  
A.D.H. Kreuzer ◽  
A.L. Smit ◽  
A. Van Der Werf

In field experiments with Brussels sprouts (cv. Kundry) and leeks (cv. Arcona) on a sandy soil, DM production and N uptake during crop growth were studied at different N application rates. N fertilizer application rate affected DM production, leaf area expansion and N uptake more strongly in Brussels sprouts than in leeks. When all N was applied before transplanting, Brussels sprouts showed a higher recovery of N fertilizer than leeks. This was explained by a higher rate of DM production in Brussels sprouts, a consequence of faster leaf area expansion. Late N application, whether as a part of a split application or not, increased N uptake more than DM production, so that tissue N concentrations increased. The relationship between N uptake and DM production depended on N availability and crop growth stage, and if all N was applied before transplanting, the relationship could be described by an asymptotic function. Plant plasticity allowed 'luxury consumption' of N to take place when availability was ample and 'dilution' of N when shortages developed during later growth stages. This implied an increasing tissue N concentration with increasing N application and a decreasing N concentration with increasing age. To achieve near-maximum DM production at any time, tissue N concentration should be kept at 2.8-3.1% DW during the whole growing period for Brussels sprouts as well as for leeks. However, in Brussels sprouts a minimum concentration of 1.2-1.5% DW still allowed growth. In both crops N uptake increased linearly with LAI until maximum leaf area (LAI = 4-5) was reached and this relationship was not affected by N application rate or by experimental year. Irrespective of N application rate or species, 2.3 g above ground biomass per MJ intercepted radiation was produced. Therefore, measurement of radiation interception by the canopy can be used as a tool to estimate the N status of the crop.


Soil Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weijin Wang ◽  
Glen Park ◽  
Steven Reeves ◽  
Megan Zahmel ◽  
Marijke Heenan ◽  
...  

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from sugarcane cropped soils are usually high compared with those from other arable lands. Nitrogen-efficient management strategies are needed to mitigate N2O emissions from sugarcane farming whilst maintaining productivity and profitability. A year-long field experiment was conducted in wet tropical Australia to assess the efficacy of polymer-coated urea (PCU) and nitrification inhibitor (3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate)-coated urea (NICU). Emissions of N2O were measured using manual and automatic gas sampling chambers in combination. The nitrogen (N) release from PCU continued for >5–6 months, and lower soil NO3– contents were recorded for≥3 months in the NICU treatments compared with the conventional urea treatments. The annual cumulative N2O emissions were high, amounting to 11.4–18.2kg N2O-Nha–1. In contrast to findings in most other cropping systems, there were no significant differences in annual N2O emissions between treatments with different urea formulations and application rates (0, 100 and 140kgNha–1). Daily variation in N2O emissions at this site was driven predominantly by rainfall. Urea formulations did not significantly affect sugarcane or sugar yield at the same N application rate. Decreasing fertiliser application rate from the recommended 140kgNha–1 to 100kgNha–1 led to a decrease in sugar yield by 1.3tha–1 and 2.2tha–1 for the conventional urea and PCU treatments, respectively, but no yield loss occurred for the NICU treatment. Crop N uptake also declined at the reduced N application rate with conventional urea, but not with the PCU and NICU. These results demonstrated that substituting NICU for conventional urea may substantially decrease fertiliser N application from the normal recommended rates whilst causing no yield loss or N deficiency to the crop. Further studies are required to investigate the optimal integrated fertiliser management strategies for sugarcane production, particularly choice of products and application time and rates, in relation to site and seasonal conditions.


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.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1080
Author(s):  
Xiangqian Zhang ◽  
Shizhou Du ◽  
Yunji Xu ◽  
Chengfu Cao ◽  
Huan Chen

(Aims) To clarify the mechanisms though which dense planting could alleviate the negative effect of the reducing N rate on yield, (Methods) an experiment with four nitrogen levels—0 (N0), 120 (N1), 180 (N2) and 240 (N3) kg N ha−1—and three plant densities—180 (D1), 240 (D2) and 300 (D3) × 104 basic seedlings ha−1—was conducted. (Results) Increasing plant density decreased the root length, root volume, root surface area and root tips of individual plant while it enhanced the aforementioned root traits in population. The chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate of the individual plants were decreased with the increase in plant density and enhanced with the increase in N level. The increasing density and N application rate enhanced the leaf area index, photosynthetic high-efficiency leaf area and canopy photosynthetically active radiation of population. N accumulation per plant was decreased with increasing density and was enhanced with an increasing N application level. Within the same N level, the N accumulation in the population, N production efficiency and N recovery efficiency were consistently D3 > D2 > D1. A high N application rate with high density was not conducive to improving the NR (nitrate reductase), GS (glutamine synthetase) and GOGAT (glutamate synthase) activities. The yield could be maintained as stable or improved if decreasing by 60 kg N ha−1 with increasing 60 × 104 basic seedlings ha−1 within the range of N application in this experiment. (Conclusions) These results indicated that the yield of wheat could be improved with less N application by adjusting the compensatory effects from the plant density in populations.


1995 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-232
Author(s):  
H. Biemond ◽  
J. Vos ◽  
P.C. Struik

In greenhouse pot trials, Brussels sprouts cv. Icarus SG2004 plants were supplied with various amounts of N at different stages during growth. The rate of leaf emergence ranged from 0.39 to 0.72 per day and was significantly increased by increasing N application rate. Leaf expansion rate and mature leaf area increased with leaf number, reaching maximum values between leaf number 10 and 20 and decreasing subsequently. Plants receiving more N had a higher total green leaf area per plant, due to more and larger green leaves. Specific leaf area of all leaves declined gradually from 130-230 cmsuperscript 2/g (depending on experiment) at about 30 days after planting to 60 cmsuperscript 2/g at the end of the experiments and was usually significantly increased by increasing N application rate.


1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 695 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Boonchoo ◽  
S. Fukai ◽  
Suzan E. Hetherington

Two types of experiments were conducted with the malting barley cv. Grimmett to examine how assimilate and nitrogen (N) availability at different growth stages determined yield and grain protein concentration (GPC) in south-east Queensland. In one series of experiments, plants were sown in April, June, and August so that they would experience different growing conditions, and responses to N application rate were examined. Another experiment examined response of growth, yield, and GPC to variation of assimilate production pre and post anthesis, caused by the canopy manipulation treatments of opening, closure, and 50% shading at 3 different growth stages. Without N application all 3 sowings produced similar yields (1·9-2·3 t/ha), but when N was applied, yield was higher and responded more to applied N in the June sowing than in the other sowings.The different responses of grain yield to N application rate among the 3 sowing dates were not due to differences in N uptake but to the efficiency of N use; with favourable temperatures throughout crop growth, the crop sown in June utilised N most eciently to develop a large number of grainsand to produce sufficient as similates to fill these grains. When yield had a positive response to low N application rates, then there was generally no response of GPC, whereas when there was no response of grain yield to further rate of N application then GPC increased. The results of the second experiment show that N uptake depended on plant N demand at early stages of growth when N was still available in the soil, but total N content of tops at maturity was similar among canopy manipulation treatments. Canopy opening at any stage of growth tended to increase tiller number, leaf area index, and above-ground dry matter, but the effect was greater attillering stage which produced the highest yield because of the greatest number of heads. Shading reduced yield at all stages, but particularly at pre-anthesis. Shading and canopy closure during grain filling reduced grain yield, but with similar N uptake these treatments significantly increased GPC .These results indicate that GPC depends on both assimilate and N availability to grain, and GPC can increase sharply when grain yield is reduced with low assimilate availability as a result of adverse growing conditions. Responses of grain yield to applied N depended on environmental conditions, particularly the patterns of air temperature during growth, and the crop utilised N more efficiently to produce higher yield when it was not exposed to extreme temperatures during the latter stages of growth.


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.


1980 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-251
Author(s):  
L. Sibma ◽  
T. Alberda

In 3 trials with perennial ryegrass given N in the range 0-1000 kg/ha and from 3 to 28 times/yr, DM production, N uptake and NO3 content in relation to N application rates and cutting frequencies of herbage were compared. Higher N application rates increased the herbage yield more at longer growing periods than at higher cutting frequencies. N uptake was positively affected by the application rate and not or only slightly by the cutting frequency. Consistent with this, appreciably high N conc. (max. 5.4%) were found on av. in the herbage at high fertilizer N rates and frequent cutting than at lower rates and less frequent cutting (1.6%). NO3 content increased during the growing season, especially as the N application rate was higher and the growing periods longer. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)


1974 ◽  
Vol 14 (66) ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
DL Lloyd

Makarikari grass (Panicum coloratum var. makarikariense) cvs, 04634 and Bambatsi were fertilized with eight rates of urea (0-900 kg N ha-1 yr-1) under irrigation on a red earth at Toowoomba, and cut either 8-weekly or at full flower. Dry matter (D.M.) production increased linearly with N applications up to 450 kg ha-1 for both cultivars. Due to differences in growth rhythm between cultivars, 04634 produced higher total yields cut at full flower (29500 kg ha-1 yr-1) than at 8-weekly intervals (23100 kg ha-1 yr-1), whereas Bambatsi yielded similarly (23000 kg ha-1 yr-1) for the two cutting frequencies. Lower tissue N concentrations occurred at full flower than in 8-week growth for both cultivars (Q4634 -0.85 per cent to 1.08 per cent; Bambatsi-1.39 per cent to 1.55 per cent at 450 kg N ha-1). The N uptake by 04634 was the same for both cutting frequencies, but lower in Bambatsi cut at full flower. The association between N application rate, tissue N concentration and N uptake is outlined. The maximum efficiencies of both N use for D.M. production and per cent N recovery for 04634 and Bambatsi (55 and 35 kg D.M. per kg N applied; 40 and 60 per cent N recovery, respectively) were comparable with published values for other species. Increasing N application rates decreased the efficiency of D.M. production of both cultivars, decreased the per cent N recovery of Bambatsi, but had no effect on the per cent N recovery of 04634. In an extension of the Bambatsi study, the intrusion of spring ephemerals, mainly Bromus unioloides, did not reduce total D.M. production greatly and distributed it better through the growing season. Productivity of Bambatsi during mid-summer was not affected by prior weed competition in the spring.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 740
Author(s):  
Ken Okamoto ◽  
Shinkichi Goto ◽  
Toshihiko Anzai ◽  
Shotaro Ando

Fertilizer application during sugarcane cultivation is a main source of nitrogen (N) loads to groundwater on small islands in southwestern Japan. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of reducing the N fertilizer application rate on sugarcane yield, N leaching, and N balance. We conducted a sugarcane cultivation experiment with drainage lysimeters and different N application rates in three cropping seasons (three years). N loads were reduced by reducing the first N application rate in all cropping seasons. The sugarcane yields of the treatment to which the first N application was halved (T2 = 195 kg ha−1 N) were slightly lower than those of the conventional application (T1 = 230 kg ha−1 N) in the first and third seasons (T1 = 91 or 93 tons ha−1, T2 = 89 or 87 tons ha−1). N uptake in T1 and T2 was almost the same in seasons 1 (186–188 kg ha−1) and 3 (147–151 kg ha−1). Based on the responses of sugarcane yield and N uptake to fertilizer reduction in two of the three years, T2 is considered to represent a feasible fertilization practice for farmers. The reduction of the first N fertilizer application reduced the underground amounts of N loads (0–19 kg ha−1). However, application of 0 N in the first fertilization would lead to a substantial reduction in yield in all seasons. Reducing the amount of N in the first application (i.e., replacing T1 with T2) improved N recovery by 9.7–11.9% and reduced N leaching by 13 kg ha−1. These results suggest that halving the amount of N used in the first application can improve N fertilizer use efficiency and reduce N loss to groundwater.


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