Abstract
Biostimulants sprayed exogenously boost crop yield and quality. However, the effects of the co-application of biostimulants and fertilizers as base fertilizers in soil are still uncertain. The objective of this study was to investigate the overall effects of reducing N levels in conjunction with the application of biostimulants on the yield formation and N utilization of wheat and maize. Therefore, based on the winter wheat–summer maize rotation system in the modern R&D base of Sichuan Agricultural University, soil enzyme activities, soil inorganic nitrogen dynamic content, crop nitrogen accumulation and transportation, crop yields, and composition were determined. To achieve this, a total of nine treatments were established based on the winter wheat–summer maize rotation system. The experiment included the following treatments: no fertilization (CK0); one-time application of common compound fertilizer (CK1, applied at a rate of 225 kg ha−1); common compound fertilizer as base fertilizer + urea as topdressing fertilizer (CK2, applied at a rate of 225 kg ha−1, base/topdressing, 6/4); biostimulant + common compound fertilizer with 20% or 30% N reduction (jf-20%, jf-30%); biostimulant chelated urea-formaldehyde fertilizer reducing N by 20%, 30%, or 40% (jn-20%, jn-30%, or jn-40%); and biostimulant chelated urea-formaldehyde fertilizer reducing N by 40% and combined with organic fertilizer, thereby totally reducing N by 27% (jny-27%). The results demonstrated that the application of a biostimulant increased the activities of urease, nitrate reductase, and nitrite reductase in the soil of wheat and maize during the flowering stage. At the same time, the amount of residual nitrate and ammonium N in the soil at maturity was reduced. Furthermore, when N application was appropriately reduced, wheat and maize plants treated with jf, jn, and jny showed a significant increase in N assimilation after the flowering stage, resulting in higher N accumulation in the grains at maturity and ultimately improving the yield compared to CK1 and CK2. The combined use of biostimulants also had a significant positive impact on N use efficiency (NUE). During the two-year period, the NUE in the wheat season showed an increase ranging from 6.70% to 24.00% compared to CK1 and from 5.30% to 22.60% compared to CK2. Similarly, in the maize season, the NUE increased by a range of 11.60% to 22.57% compared to CK1 and from 11.78% to 22.75% compared to CK2. Overall, biostimulants enhanced N absorption and transportation by matching crop N requirements in the mid-to-late stages and improved NUE and yield under appropriate N reduction. This study contributes to the design of improved measures for N reduction and yield stabilization in order to promote sustainable agricultural development.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Biostimulants increased soil urease, nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase activity during flowering.
- Taxon
- wheat and maize
Triticum aestivum
Zea mayse0 - Treatment
- application of a biostimulante0
- Outcome
- activities of urease, nitrate reductase, and nitrite reductase in the soile0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the application of a biostimulant increased the activities of urease, nitrate reductase, and nitrite reductase in the soil of wheat and maize during the flowering stage”
Claim · model-written summary
Biostimulants reduced soil nitrate and ammonium nitrogen remaining at maturity.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- jf, jn, and jnyt0
- Outcome
- residual nitrate and ammonium N in the soile0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the amount of residual nitrate and ammonium N in the soil at maturity was reduced”
t0“wheat and maize plants treated with jf, jn, and jny”
Claim · model-written summary
Reduced N treatments significantly increased post-flowering N assimilation in wheat and maize.
- Taxon
- wheat and maizeTriticum aestivumZea mayse0
- Treatment
- jf, jn, and jnye0
- Outcome
- N assimilatione0
- Direction
- increasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“when N application was appropriately reduced, wheat and maize plants treated with jf, jn, and jny showed a significant increase in N assimilation after the flowering stage”
Claim · model-written summary
Reduced-N biostimulant treatments increased grain N accumulation at maturity.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- jf, jn, and jnyt0
- Outcome
- N accumulation in the grainse0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“resulting in higher N accumulation in the grains at maturity”
t0“wheat and maize plants treated with jf, jn, and jny”
Claim · model-written summary
Reduced-N biostimulant treatments improved yield versus CK1 and CK2.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- jf, jn, and jnyt0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- improvinge0
- Comparator
- CK1 and CK2e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ultimately improving the yield compared to CK1 and CK2”
t0“wheat and maize plants treated with jf, jn, and jny”
Claim · model-written summary
Biostimulants significantly increased nitrogen use efficiency.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- biostimulantse0
- Outcome
- N use efficiency (NUE)e0
- Direction
- positive impacte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The combined use of biostimulants also had a significant positive impact on N use efficiency (NUE)”
t0“wheat and maize plants treated with jf, jn, and jny”
Claim · model-written summary
Wheat-season NUE rose by 6.70% to 24.00% versus CK1.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- biostimulantst0
- Outcome
- NUEe0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 6.70% to 24.00%e0
- Comparator
- CK1e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“NUE in the wheat season showed an increase ranging from 6.70% to 24.00% compared to CK1”
t0“Biostimulants”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize-season NUE rose by 11.60% to 22.57% versus CK1.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the maize season, the NUE increased by a range of 11.60% to 22.57% compared to CK1”
t0“Biostimulants”
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