Abstract
Returning crop straw to soil can potentially improve soil health and crop production, facilitating sustainable agriculture. However, the effects of straw incorporation with various tillage management techniques combined with nitrogen (N) regimes on crop root growth, and water and N utility are not well understood. In this study, rotary tillage (RTS) and plow tillage (PTS) for straw incorporation combined with N regimes (CK, no N applied; LN, 112 kg N ha−1; MN, 187 kg N ha−1; and HN, 262 kg N ha−1) were used to determine their effects on soil water and mineral N availability, root distribution, crop N uptake, grain yield, and water use efficiency (WUE) of maize in northeast China. The results demonstrate that higher levels of pre-sowing soil-water storage and field evapotranspiration (ET), and lower levels of WUE and pre-sowing soil mineral N storage (Nmin-PS) at a depth of 0–60 cm were obtained with the RTS treatments as compared to the PTS treatments. N addition improved Nmin-PS and post-harvest soil mineral N storage (Nmin-PH) at a depth of 60–100 cm in 2016, and increased WUE compared to CK. RTS treatments enhanced root weight density (RWD) at a depth of 0–60 cm in 2016–2017, root length density (RLD), ratio of root length density (RLDR), and ratio of root weight density (RWDR) at a depth of 30–60 cm in 2016, and RLD at a depth of 0–30 cm in 2017. N addition promoted RLD and RWD at a depth of 0–10 cm in 2016–2017. RTS treatments reduced pre-silking shoot N uptake (NPS) and grain yield. Shoot N uptake and grain yield were enhanced in response to increasing levels of N; however, the grain yield did not show further significant improvements when the amount of N applied was over 187 kg N ha−1 (except for RTS in 2016). Overall, tillage with straw incorporation management and N levels markedly affected the soil physicochemical properties (such as ET, Nmin-PS, and Nmin-PH). This influenced grain yield indirectly by further mediating root traits (RLD, RWD, RLDR, and RWDR) with consequences for the NPS and post-silking shoot N uptake (NPOS) of maize, which were found to have greatest direct and positive impact on maize grain yield.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
In maize in northeast China, rotary tillage with straw incorporation (RTS) gave higher pre-sowing soil-water storage and higher field evapotranspiration at 0–60 cm depth than plow tillage with straw incorporation (PTS).
- Treatment
- RTS treatmentse0
- Outcome
- pre-sowing soil-water storage and field evapotranspiration (ET)e0
- Direction
- higher levelse0
- Qualifier
- at a depth of 0–60 cme0
- Comparator
- PTS treatmentse0
- Setting
- northeast Chinae1
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“higher levels of pre-sowing soil-water storage and field evapotranspiration (ET), and lower levels of WUE and pre-sowing soil mineral N storage (Nmin-PS) at a depth of 0–60 cm were obtained with the RTS treatments as compared to the PTS treatments”
e1“water use efficiency (WUE) of maize in northeast China”
Claim · model-written summary
In maize in northeast China, RTS gave lower water use efficiency and lower pre-sowing soil mineral N storage at 0–60 cm depth than PTS.
- Treatment
- RTS treatmentse0
- Outcome
- WUE and pre-sowing soil mineral N storage (Nmin-PS)e0
- Direction
- lower levelse0
- Qualifier
- at a depth of 0–60 cme0
- Comparator
- PTS treatmentse0
- Setting
- northeast Chinae1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“higher levels of pre-sowing soil-water storage and field evapotranspiration (ET), and lower levels of WUE and pre-sowing soil mineral N storage (Nmin-PS) at a depth of 0–60 cm were obtained with the RTS treatments as compared to the PTS treatments”
e1“water use efficiency (WUE) of maize in northeast China”
Claim · model-written summary
N addition improved pre-sowing and post-harvest soil mineral N storage at 60–100 cm depth in 2016.
- Treatment
- N additione0
- Outcome
- Nmin-PS and post-harvest soil mineral N storage (Nmin-PH)e0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Qualifier
- at a depth of 60–100 cm in 2016e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“N addition improved Nmin-PS and post-harvest soil mineral N storage (Nmin-PH) at a depth of 60–100 cm in 2016”
e1“water use efficiency (WUE) of maize in northeast China”
Claim · model-written summary
N addition increased water use efficiency of maize compared with the no-N control (CK).
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“N addition improved Nmin-PS and post-harvest soil mineral N storage (Nmin-PH) at a depth of 60–100 cm in 2016, and increased WUE compared to CK”
e1“water use efficiency (WUE) of maize in northeast China”
Claim · model-written summary
RTS treatments enhanced root weight density at 0–60 cm depth in 2016–2017 in maize.
- Treatment
- RTS treatmentse0
- Outcome
- root weight density (RWD)e0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Qualifier
- at a depth of 0–60 cm in 2016–2017e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“RTS treatments enhanced root weight density (RWD) at a depth of 0–60 cm in 2016–2017”
e1“water use efficiency (WUE) of maize in northeast China”
Claim · model-written summary
RTS treatments enhanced root length density and the ratios of root length density and root weight density at 30–60 cm depth in 2016.
- Treatment
- RTS treatmentse0
- Outcome
- root length density (RLD), ratio of root length density (RLDR), and ratio of root weight density (RWDR)e1
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Qualifier
- at a depth of 30–60 cm in 2016e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“RTS treatments enhanced”
e1“root length density (RLD), ratio of root length density (RLDR), and ratio of root weight density (RWDR) at a depth of 30–60 cm in 2016”
e2“water use efficiency (WUE) of maize in northeast China”
Claim · model-written summary
RTS treatments enhanced root length density at 0–30 cm depth in 2017.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“RTS treatments enhanced”
e1“RLD at a depth of 0–30 cm in 2017”
e2“water use efficiency (WUE) of maize in northeast China”
Claim · model-written summary
N addition promoted root length density and root weight density at 0–10 cm depth in 2016–2017.
- Treatment
- N additione0
- Outcome
- RLD and RWDe0
- Direction
- promotede0
- Qualifier
- at a depth of 0–10 cm in 2016–2017e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“N addition promoted RLD and RWD at a depth of 0–10 cm in 2016–2017”
e1“water use efficiency (WUE) of maize in northeast China”
Claim · model-written summary
RTS treatments reduced pre-silking shoot N uptake and grain yield of maize.
- Treatment
- RTS treatmentse0
- Outcome
- pre-silking shoot N uptake (NPS) and grain yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“RTS treatments reduced pre-silking shoot N uptake (NPS) and grain yield”
e1“water use efficiency (WUE) of maize in northeast China”
Claim · model-written summary
Shoot N uptake and grain yield of maize were enhanced with increasing levels of N.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Shoot N uptake and grain yield were enhanced in response to increasing levels of N”
e1“water use efficiency (WUE) of maize in northeast China”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize grain yield showed no further significant improvement when N applied exceeded 187 kg N ha−1, except for RTS in 2016.
- Treatment
- amount of N applied was over 187 kg N ha−1e0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- did not show further significant improvementse0
- Qualifier
- except for RTS in 2016e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the grain yield did not show further significant improvements when the amount of N applied was over 187 kg N ha−1 (except for RTS in 2016)”
e1“water use efficiency (WUE) of maize in northeast China”
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage with straw incorporation and N levels influenced maize grain yield indirectly by mediating root traits (RLD, RWD, RLDR, RWDR).
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Qualifier
- indirectly by further mediating root traits (RLD, RWD, RLDR, and RWDR)e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“This influenced grain yield indirectly by further mediating root traits (RLD, RWD, RLDR, and RWDR)”
t0“Maize Grain Yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Pre-silking and post-silking shoot N uptake of maize had the greatest direct and positive impact on grain yield.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the NPS and post-silking shoot N uptake (NPOS) of maize, which were found to have greatest direct and positive impact on maize grain yield”
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