Abstract
The European Union (EU) actively promotes the adoption of organic farming, in which crop N requirements are satisfied via organic fertilizers, such as slurry. Maize ( Zea mays L.) is a key crop for both feed and food production with high N uptake. In this short-term study, we tested fertigation with microfiltered slurry liquid faction for maize fertilization as viable strategy to enhance nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) under organic farming while reducing N losses, via ammonia (NH 3 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), and nitrate leaching (NO 3 - ). We compared three strategies (i) slurry application through surface broadcast of the liquid fraction before sowing as reference fertilization (“Ante” treatment, or “A”), (ii) slurry application through both pre-sowing broadcast of the liquid fraction and fertigation as side-dressing with the microfiltered liquid fraction (“Ante + Post” treatment, or “A + P”), and (iii) slurry microfiltered liquid fraction application as side dressing via fertigation (“Post” treatment, or “P”). Compared to “A”, cumulative N losses were reduced by 38% under “A + P” and 58% under “P”. Furthermore, NH 3 volatilization decreased by 43% and 71% under “A + P” and “P”, respectively. These treatments also reduced N 2 O emissions by 30% and 37%. Nitrate leaching was reduced by 56% in the “P” treatment. Overall, the “P” strategy was the most effective in reducing N losses, while “A + P” tended to increase grain production (12.6 Mg ha -1 ) and NUE (38.1 kg grain kg -1 N supply) compared to “P” (11.0 Mg ha -1 and 35.5 kg grain kg -1 N supply). These results were primarily attributed to the improved synchronization between N supply and maize N requirements, emphasizing the risk associated with slurry application before sowing. Although conducted over a short experimental period, our study suggests that drip fertigation with slurries can overcome the potential yield losses of organic systems for crops with high N demand such as maize, while reducing N losses, fulfilling the environmental principles of organic farming and current requirements from EU policies.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Ante + Post reduced cumulative nitrogen losses by 38% relative to Ante.
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared to “A”, cumulative N losses were reduced by 38% under “A + P””
e1“Maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Post reduced cumulative nitrogen losses by 58% relative to Ante.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared to “A”, cumulative N losses were reduced by 38% under “A + P” and 58% under “P””
e1“Maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Ante + Post decreased ammonia volatilization by 43%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“NH 3 volatilization decreased by 43% and 71% under “A + P” and “P”, respectively”
e1“Maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Post decreased ammonia volatilization by 71%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“NH 3 volatilization decreased by 43% and 71% under “A + P” and “P”, respectively”
e1“Maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Ante + Post reduced nitrous oxide emissions by 30%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“These treatments also reduced N 2 O emissions by 30% and 37%”
e1“Maize ( Zea mays L.)”
e2““Ante + Post” treatment, or “A + P””
Claim · model-written summary
Post reduced nitrous oxide emissions by 37%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“These treatments also reduced N 2 O emissions by 30% and 37%”
e1“Maize ( Zea mays L.)”
e2““Post” treatment, or “P””
Claim · model-written summary
Post reduced nitrate leaching by 56%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nitrate leaching was reduced by 56% in the “P” treatment”
e1“Maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Ante + Post tended to increase grain production to 12.6 Mg ha -1 versus 11.0 Mg ha -1 for Post.
- Treatment
- “A + P”e0
- Outcome
- grain productione0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 12.6 Mg ha -1e0
- Qualifier
- 11.0 Mg ha -1e0
- Comparator
- “P”e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0““A + P” tended to increase grain production (12.6 Mg ha -1 ) and NUE (38.1 kg grain kg -1 N supply) compared to “P” (11.0 Mg ha -1 and 35.5 kg grain kg -1 N supply)”
e1“Maize ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Ante + Post tended to increase nitrogen use efficiency to 38.1 kg grain kg -1 N supply versus 35.5 for Post.
- Treatment
- “A + P”e0
- Outcome
- NUEe0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 38.1 kg grain kg -1 N supplye0
- Qualifier
- 35.5 kg grain kg -1 N supplye0
- Comparator
- “P”e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0““A + P” tended to increase grain production (12.6 Mg ha -1 ) and NUE (38.1 kg grain kg -1 N supply) compared to “P” (11.0 Mg ha -1 and 35.5 kg grain kg -1 N supply)”
e1“Maize ( Zea mays L.)”
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