Find in Library
Search millions of books, articles, and more
Indexed Open Access Databases
Quantifying the Impact of Reduced Nitrogen Rates on Grain Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency in the Wheat and Rice Rotation System of the Yangtze River Region
oleh: Muhammad Yousaf Nadeem, Jianwei Zhang, Yan Zhou, Sajjad Ahmad, Yanfeng Ding, Ganghua Li
Format: | Article |
---|---|
Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2022-04-01 |
Deskripsi
Nitrogen (N) plays a vital role in plant growth; however, the yield response to N fertilizer is regularly declining in the major cropping systems due to overuse and the upper limit of yields. Heavy losses of N are also documented due to its excessive use in the rice-wheat rotation system, resulting in low nitrogen-use efficiencies (NUE) and environmental problems. Therefore, a three-year field experiment was performed with different N managements to investigate the impact of reduced N input rates in this exhaustive cropping system. Reducing the N application rates did not affect the wheat and rice yields significantly, only during the second wheat season was the yield slightly reduced as compared to higher N input treatments. Decreasing the N input rates in the prior crop and present crop, and the interactions of both rice and wheat seasons (R × W) did not influence the yields of either crop. A reduction in N fertilizer had a considerable impact on dry matter production during the wheat seasons but demonstrated no effect during the rice season. The accumulation of N was significantly reduced during both crop seasons by lowering the rate of N application. In addition, the NUE indices were significantly influenced by N fertilizer application rates. In conclusion, N fertilizer input rates for both rice and wheat crops can be lowered as compared to present fertilization rates without any risk of yield decline. Lowering the N input increases the NUE and effectively reduces N losses, and soil N status can also be maintained.