Blending controlled-release urea and urea under ridge-furrow with plastic film mulching improves yield while mitigating carbon footprint in rainfed potato

Abstract

Ridge-furrow with plastic film mulching and various urea types have been applied in rainfed agriculture, but their interactive effects on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) yield and especially environments remain poorly understood. A three-year experiment was conducted to explore the responses of tuber yield, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, net global warming potential (NGWP), carbon footprint (CF), and net ecosystem economic budget (NEEB) of rainfed potato to two mulching practices [plastic film mulching (RM) and no plastic film mulching (NM)] and three urea types [conventional urea (U), controlled-release urea (C), and a mixture of equal amounts of conventional urea and controlled-release urea at a ratio of 1:1 (CU)] and their interactions. The results showed that RM significantly decreased cumulative N2O emissions and CH4 uptake by 4.9% and 28.4%, but significantly increased NGWP by 8.9% relative to NM. Compared with U, the C and CU produced much lower cumulative N2O emissions and NGWP and higher CH4 uptake. The interaction of mulching methods and urea type had significant influence on tuber yield and NEEB. Considering both environment and production, RMCU could not only achieve a high tuber yield and NEEB (by up to 26.5% and 42.9%, respectively), but also reduce the CF (by up to 13.7%), and therefore should be considered an effective strategy for dryland potato.

Mulching Practices Improve Soil Moisture and Enzyme Activity in Drylands, Increasing Potato Yield

“…This is mainly due to the fact that mulching provided better moisture and temperature for crop growth in dry conditions, but soil enzyme activity was higher under straw mulch, which encourages the decomposition and cycling of soil nutrients and provides rich nutrients for crop growth [16]. The tuber yield in the wet year was greater than in the normal year, which was mainly attributed to the higher precipitation in the wet year [48]. The increase in tuber number per plant mainly accounted for the improved yield due to mulching compared to CK under the identical planting density.…”

Optimizing Sustainability in Malting Barley: A Practical Approach to Nitrogen Management for Enhanced Environmental, Agronomic, and Economic Benefits

“…Therefore, to meet crop N requirements over the entire growth period while reducing fertiliser costs in comparison to 100% CRF, recent research has focused on blending controlled-release urea with common urea. This strategy has been found to enhance NUE, reduce fertiliser costs, and improve the environmental performance of various crops such as wheat [14,41,42], potato [43], rice [44], maize [45], and tomato [46].…”