Abstract
Abstract Background : Since recently, the traditional rice–wheat rotation systems in Nepal are subject to drastic changes. Progressing urbanisation and shifting consumer preferences drive a replacement of wheat by high‐value vegetables during the cold dry season, particularly in the peri‐urban fringes, while emerging water shortages prevent permanent soil flooding during the monsoon season, leading to partial substitution of lowland rice by less water‐consuming upland crops. Associated changes in soil aeration status affect soil nutrient availability while particularly vegetables enhance the demand for the critically limiting micronutrients boron (B) and zinc (Zn). Aim : In both rice‐ (anaerobic) and maize‐based (aerobic) systems we assessed the differential response of traditional winter wheat in comparison to cauliflower and tomato to applied B and Zn fertilizers. Methods : Experiments were conducted (1) in a pot trial with two contrasting soil types (Acrisol vs . Fluvisol) and (2) in field validation trials at two contrasting sites (representing lowland vs . mid‐hills) in Nepal. Results : The on‐going shift from flooded rice to aerobic maize during the wet season negatively affected dry matter accumulation and grain yield of the dry season wheat, but not of cauliflower and tomato. While Zn application tended to increase wheat yields under field conditions, B application induced no significant effect, irrespective of the soil or production site. However, low to moderate applications of B (2.0–4.4 kg ha −1 ) and Zn (3.3–4.4 kg ha −1 ) nearly doubled biomass accumulation and nutrient uptake of vegetables and increased the economic yields of cauliflower and tomato between 8 and > 100%. These responses were generally more pronounced in the Fluvisol than the Acrisol. While overall yields of wheat and temperate vegetables were higher in the cool mid‐hills the relative yield responses to applied B were more pronounced in the lowland than the mid‐hill sites. On average, the partial factor productivities of applied fertilizer were low to moderate in wheat, with 1 and 8 € increase in net revenue per € of investment in B and Zn, respectively. In the vegetables, this partial factor productivity increased to about 4 € € −1 investment with Zn, and reached about 43 € € −1 investment in B, irrespective of the production site. Conclusions : While the application of Zn fertilizers can moderately improve the performance of traditional rice–wheat rotations, B and to a lesser extent Zn application become essential and highly profitable when shifting towards vegetable cropping. The demand for B and Zn fertilizers is foreseen to dramatically increase with progressing urbanisation and the associated shifts in production systems of Nepal.
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Claims 16
Claim · model-written summary
The shift from flooded rice to aerobic maize negatively affected dry matter accumulation and grain yield of dry-season wheat.
- Taxon
- wheat
Triticum aestivume0 - Treatment
- shift from flooded rice to aerobic maizee0
- Outcome
- dry matter accumulation and grain yielde0
- Direction
- negatively affectede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“shift from flooded rice to aerobic maize during the wet season negatively affected dry matter accumulation and grain yield of the dry season wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
The shift from flooded rice to aerobic maize did not affect dry matter accumulation or grain yield of cauliflower.
- Taxon
- cauliflower
Brassica oleracea var. botrytise1 - Treatment
- shift from flooded rice to aerobic maizee0
- Outcome
- dry matter accumulation and grain yielde1
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“shift from flooded rice to aerobic maize during the wet season”
e1“dry matter accumulation and grain yield of the dry season wheat, but not of cauliflower and tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The shift from flooded rice to aerobic maize did not affect dry matter accumulation or grain yield of tomato.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume1 - Treatment
- shift from flooded rice to aerobic maizee0
- Outcome
- dry matter accumulation and grain yielde1
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“shift from flooded rice to aerobic maize during the wet season”
e1“dry matter accumulation and grain yield of the dry season wheat, but not of cauliflower and tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Zinc application tended to increase wheat yields under field conditions.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- Zn applicatione0
- Outcome
- wheat yieldse0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Setting
- field conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Zn application tended to increase wheat yields under field conditions, B application induced no significant effect, irrespective of the soil or production site”
Claim · model-written summary
Boron application had no significant effect on wheat yields regardless of soil or production site.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- B applicatione0
- Outcome
- wheat yieldse0
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede0
- Qualifier
- irrespective of the soil or production sitee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Zn application tended to increase wheat yields under field conditions, B application induced no significant effect, irrespective of the soil or production site”
Claim · model-written summary
Low to moderate B and Zn applications nearly doubled biomass accumulation and nutrient uptake of vegetables.
- Taxon
- vegetablese1
- Treatment
- low to moderate applications of B (2.0–4.4 kg ha −1) and Zn (3.3–4.4 kg ha −1)e0
- Outcome
- biomass accumulation and nutrient uptakee1
- Direction
- nearly doublede1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“low to moderate applications of B (2.0–4.4 kg ha −1) and Zn (3.3–4.4 kg ha −1)”
e1“nearly doubled biomass accumulation and nutrient uptake of vegetables”
Claim · model-written summary
Low to moderate B and Zn applications increased economic yields of cauliflower and tomato by 8 to more than 100%.
- Taxon
- cauliflower and tomatoBrassica oleracea var. botrytisSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- low to moderate applications of B (2.0–4.4 kg ha −1) and Zn (3.3–4.4 kg ha −1)e0
- Outcome
- economic yieldse1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- between 8 and > 100%e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“low to moderate applications of B (2.0–4.4 kg ha −1) and Zn (3.3–4.4 kg ha −1)”
e1“increased the economic yields of cauliflower and tomato between 8 and > 100%”
Claim · model-written summary
The vegetable and wheat responses to B and Zn were generally more pronounced in the Fluvisol than the Acrisol.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“These responses were generally more pronounced in the Fluvisol than the Acrisol”
Claim · model-written summary
Overall yields of wheat and temperate vegetables were higher in the cool mid-hills.
Verbatim
e0“overall yields of wheat and temperate vegetables were higher in the cool mid‐hills”
Claim · model-written summary
Relative yield responses to applied B were more pronounced in the lowland than the mid-hill sites.
Verbatim
e0“overall yields of wheat and temperate vegetables were higher in the cool mid‐hills”
e1“the relative yield responses to applied B were more pronounced in the lowland than the mid‐hill sites”
Claim · model-written summary
In wheat, each euro invested in B gave about 1 euro increase in net revenue.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- investment in Be0
- Outcome
- increase in net revenue per € of investmente0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 1e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the partial factor productivities of applied fertilizer were low to moderate in wheat, with 1 and 8 € increase in net revenue per € of investment in B and Zn, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
In wheat, each euro invested in Zn gave about 8 euro increase in net revenue.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- Zne0
- Outcome
- increase in net revenue per € of investmente0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 8 €e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the partial factor productivities of applied fertilizer were low to moderate in wheat, with 1 and 8 € increase in net revenue per € of investment in B and Zn, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
In vegetables, partial factor productivity of Zn increased to about 4 euro per euro invested.
- Taxon
- vegetablese0
- Treatment
- investment with Zne0
- Outcome
- partial factor productivitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 4 € € −1e0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“the vegetables, this partial factor productivity increased to about 4 € € −1 investment with Zn, and reached about 43 € € −1 investment in B”
Claim · model-written summary
In vegetables, partial factor productivity of B reached about 43 euro per euro invested.
- Taxon
- vegetablese0
- Treatment
- investment in Be0
- Outcome
- partial factor productivitye0
- Direction
- reachede0
- Value
- 43 € € −1e0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“the vegetables, this partial factor productivity increased to about 4 € € −1 investment with Zn, and reached about 43 € € −1 investment in B”
Claim · model-written summary
Zn fertilizer can moderately improve the performance of traditional rice-wheat rotations.
- Taxon
- rice–wheat rotationse0
- Treatment
- application of Zn fertilizerse0
- Outcome
- performancee0
- Direction
- improvee0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“While the application of Zn fertilizers can moderately improve the performance of traditional rice–wheat rotations”
Claim · model-written summary
B, and to a lesser extent Zn, application becomes essential and highly profitable when shifting to vegetable cropping.
Verbatim
e0“B and to a lesser extent Zn application become essential and highly profitable when shifting towards vegetable cropping”
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See all 61 papers →8 of 13 groups shown: named compounds and organisms first, then groups whose results differ (checked claim by claim), then those with positive and negative results, then the smaller groups.
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.