Blending of Slow-Release N Fertilizer and Urea Improve Rainfed Maize Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency While Reducing Apparent N Losses
Effective nitrogen (N) management practices are essential for achieving efficient and sustainable agricultural production. The purpose of this study was to improve N use efficiency (NUE) and minimize N loss by optimizing the rate and type of N fertilizer application while maintaining a high yield of...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/11 |
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| Summary: | Effective nitrogen (N) management practices are essential for achieving efficient and sustainable agricultural production. The purpose of this study was to improve N use efficiency (NUE) and minimize N loss by optimizing the rate and type of N fertilizer application while maintaining a high yield of maize. A two-year field experiment with U (urea), S (slow-release N fertilizer), and SU (blending of S and U) under four N application levels (N1: 90 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>, N2: 120 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>, N3: 180 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>, N4: 240 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>) was conducted to investigate their effects on ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>) volatilization, residual soil nitrate N (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msubsup><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">N</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">O</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo></mrow></msubsup><mo>-</mo><mi mathvariant="normal">N</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>), yield, NUE, apparent N losses of rainfed maize. NH<sub>3</sub> volatilization in SU and S were 38.46% and 16.57% lower than that in U, respectively. SU and S were found to reduce the apparent N losses by 42.98% and 62.23%. SU decreased <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msubsup><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">N</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">O</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo></mrow></msubsup><mo>-</mo><mi mathvariant="normal">N</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> leaching in deep soils and increased <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msubsup><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">N</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">O</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo></mrow></msubsup><mo>-</mo><mi mathvariant="normal">N</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> content in topsoil. Compared with U and S, SU significantly increased yield, plant N accumulation, and NUE. SUN4 achieved the maximum maize yield and plant N accumulation, averaging 7968.36 kg ha<sup>−1</sup> and 166.45 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>. In addition, the high yield and NUE were obtained when the mixing ratio of S and U was 53–58% and the N application rate was 150–220 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>. The findings highlight that SU effectively reduces N losses while ensuring high yield, which could be used as one of the optimal N fertilization strategies for rainfed maize in Northwest China. |
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| ISSN: | 2073-4395 |