Economic Optimal Nitrogen Rate Variability of Maize in Response to Soil and Weather Conditions: Implications for Site-Specific Nitrogen Management

Abstract

The dynamic interactions between soil, weather and crop management have considerable influences on crop yield within a region, and should be considered in optimizing nitrogen (N) management. The objectives of this study were to determine the influence of soil type, weather conditions and planting density on economic optimal N rate (EONR), and to evaluate the potential benefits of site-specific N management strategies for maize production. The experiments were conducted in two soil types (black and aeolian sandy soils) from 2015 to 2017, involving different N rates (0 to 300 kg ha−1) with three planting densities (55,000, 70,000, and 85,000 plant ha−1) in Northeast China. The results showed that the average EONR was higher in black soil (265 kg ha−1) than in aeolian sandy soil (186 kg ha−1). Conversely, EONR showed higher variability in aeolian sandy soil (coefficient of variation (CV) = 30%) than in black soil (CV = 10%) across different weather conditions and planting densities. Compared with farmer N rate (FNR), applying soil-specific EONR (SS-EONR), soil- and year-specific EONR (SYS-EONR) and soil-, year-, and planting density-specific EONR (SYDS-EONR) would significantly reduce N rate by 25%, 30% and 38%, increase net return (NR) by 155 $ ha−1, 176 $ ha−1, and 163 $ ha−1, and improve N use efficiency (NUE) by 37–42%, 52%, and 67–71% across site-years, respectively. Compared with regional optimal N rate (RONR), applying SS-EONR, SYS-EONR and SYDS-EONR would significantly reduce N application rate by 6%, 12%, and 22%, while increasing NUE by 7–8%, 16–19% and 28–34% without significantly affecting yield or NR, respectively. It is concluded that soil-specific N management has the potential to improve maize NUE compared with both farmer practice and regional optimal N management in Northeast China, especially when each year’s weather condition and planting density information is also considered. More studies are needed to develop practical in-season soil (site)-specific N management strategies using crop sensing and modeling technologies to better account for soil, weather and planting density variation under diverse on-farm conditions.

Nitrogen Fertilization for Maize Based on Attainable Yield and Soil Organic Matter Content

“…The EOY and EONR were higher in irrigated than in rainfed conditions, and EONR increased with higher yield and decreased with higher soil OM. This result is congruent with these considerations: (1) the higher the grain yield and therefore biomass, the higher the N demand (Wortmann et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2020); and (2) the higher the soil OM content, the higher the N supply to the crop (Morris et al, 2018). Therefore, EONR will increase and decrease, respectively.…”

A Research Road Map for Responsible Use of Agricultural Nitrogen

“…Precision agriculture is not exclusively focused upon N management, but improving NUE is a common goal given the potential variance of crop N demand across the landscape and with time. Site-specific management can help tailor N applications, improve NUE, increase profits, and/or minimize risk of N loss (Balafoutis et al, 2017;Cao et al, 2017;Muschietti-Piana et al, 2018;McNunn et al, 2019;Wang et al, 2020). NUE, as a performance outcome, can also be used to evaluate management decisions in fields characterized by high spatial and temporal variability in biophysical conditions (Li et al, 2019).…”

Dissecting the interaction of nitrogen, density, and genetics in maize

“…Our EONR results (Fig 3) are at the high end of what producers typically apply in a corn soybean system in Iowa (Sawyer et al, 2006;Puntel et al, 2016). The variability in EONR across hybrids and environments is consistent with many other literature studies (Wang et al, 2020, Raun et al 2010Dhital and Raun, 2016). In one combination of density by nitrogen the EONR was above the maximum rate applied (290 kg nitrogen ha -1 ).…”