Abstract
Efficient nitrogen (N) applications are crucial for sustainable agricultural development. A three-year field study was conducted to evaluate the effects of N fertilization on soil NO3-N contents, N balance, grain yield, and N use efficiency of film-mulched maize (Zea mays L.) in the semiarid northwest China. Six N levels were examined: 0 (N0), 100 (N100), 200 (N200), 250 (N250), 300 (N300), and 400 (N400) kg N ha−1. Results showed that residual soil NO3-N contents after harvest and apparent N losses markedly increased with increased N fertilizer rate. High accumulations of soil NO3-N were detected in the 80–200 cm layers in the N300 and N400 treatments in 2010 and 2011, indicating that excessive N applications resulted in NO3-N leaching in this semiarid region. The N use efficiency decreased with increased N fertilizer rate, but insignificant differences in agronomic efficiency, apparent recovery efficiency, and physiological efficiency were observed between N100, N200, and N250 treatments. Maize grain yields increased with N fertilization, but it did not further increase when N application was higher than plant N requirements. A linear plateau relationship was observed between grain yield and N supply (fertilizer N plus initial soil NO3-N in the 0–100 cm layers). The minimal N supply rate required to obtain the maximum yield (13.9 Mg ha−1) was 279 kg N ha−1, which was similar to plant N uptake and simultaneously reduced apparent N losses. We conclude that N fertilizer recommendations which consider soil NO3-N contents can simultaneously provide sufficient N for high yields and improve N fertilization of film-mulched maize in the semiarid areas.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Residual soil nitrate after harvest and apparent nitrogen losses increased with nitrogen fertilizer rate.
- Treatment
- N fertilizer ratee0
- Outcome
- residual soil NO3-N contents after harvest and apparent N lossese0
- Direction
- markedly increasede0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“residual soil NO3-N contents after harvest and apparent N losses markedly increased with increased N fertilizer rate”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
High soil nitrate accumulated at 80–200 cm under N300 and N400 in 2010 and 2011.
- Treatment
- N300 and N400 treatmentse0
- Outcome
- High accumulations of soil NO3-Ne0
- Direction
- High accumulationse0
- Qualifier
- 80–200 cm layerse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“High accumulations of soil NO3-N were detected in the 80–200 cm layers in the N300 and N400 treatments in 2010 and 2011”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize nitrogen use efficiency declined with rising nitrogen fertilizer rate.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The N use efficiency decreased with increased N fertilizer rate”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Agronomic, apparent recovery, and physiological efficiency did not differ significantly among N100, N200, and N250.
- Treatment
- N100e0
- Outcome
- agronomic efficiency, apparent recovery efficiency, and physiological efficiencye0
- Comparator
- N200, and N250 treatmentse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“insignificant differences in agronomic efficiency, apparent recovery efficiency, and physiological efficiency were observed between N100, N200, and N250 treatments”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize grain yield increased with nitrogen fertilization.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Maize grain yields increased with N fertilization”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize grain yield did not increase further above plant nitrogen requirements.
- Treatment
- N application was higher than plant N requirementse0
- Outcome
- increasee0
- Direction
- did not further increasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“it did not further increase when N application was higher than plant N requirements”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Grain yield followed a linear plateau relationship with nitrogen supply.
- Treatment
- N supplye0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Qualifier
- fertilizer N plus initial soil NO3-N in the 0–100 cm layerse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A linear plateau relationship was observed between grain yield and N supply (fertilizer N plus initial soil NO3-N in the 0–100 cm layers).”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
A minimum nitrogen supply of 279 kg N ha−1 produced a maximum maize yield of 13.9 Mg ha−1.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The minimal N supply rate required to obtain the maximum yield (13.9 Mg ha−1) was 279 kg N ha−1”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The minimum nitrogen supply rate was similar to plant nitrogen uptake and reduced apparent nitrogen losses.
- Outcome
- apparent N lossese0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 279 kg N ha−1e0
- Qualifier
- similar to plant N uptakee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“was 279 kg N ha−1, which was similar to plant N uptake and simultaneously reduced apparent N losses”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend accounting for soil nitrate in maize fertilizer recommendations to support high yield and improve fertilization.
Verbatim
e0“N fertilizer recommendations which consider soil NO3-N contents can simultaneously provide sufficient N for high yields and improve N fertilization of film-mulched maize in the semiarid areas”
The same questions in other papers
fertilization · yield · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
3,484 papers in the same direction as this paper · 338 in the opposite direction · 85 reporting no difference from an alternative
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