Effects of integrated agronomic management practices on yield and nitrogen efficiency of summer maize in North China

Jin, Ling; Cui, Haiyan; Li, Bo; Zhang, Jiwang; Dong, Shuting; Liu, Peng

doi:10.1016/j.fcr.2012.04.008

Cited by 132 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Hou et al (2012) and L.B. Jin et al (2012) also found that application of N beyond a threshold level does not further delay leaf senility to promote any further increases in maize grain yields.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Mitigating nitrous oxide emissions from a maize-cropping black soil in northeast China by a combination of reducing chemical N fertilizer application and applying manure in autumn

Guo

Luo

Chen

et al. 2013

Soil Science and Plant Nutrition

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Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions from agricultural soils, mainly caused by chemical nitrogen (N) fertilizer inputs, are major sources of N 2 O in Chinese terrestrial ecosystems. Thus, attempts to reduce N 2 O emissions from agricultural soils by optimizing N applications are receiving increasing attention. Further, organic fertilizers are being increasingly used in China to improve crop production/quality and prevent or reduce soil degradation. However, organic and chemical fertilizers are often both applied in spring in northeast China, which promotes N 2 O emissions and may be sub-optimal. Therefore, we hypothesized that reducing applications of chemical fertilizer N and applying manure in autumn could be an effective strategy for mitigating but not after manure inputs in autumn or during soil-thawing periods in the following spring. Emission factors for the chemical fertilizer N were on average 1.07% (1.00~1.10%) and 1.14% (0.49~1.83%) in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Furthermore, by comparing the nine pairs of fertilization treatments, the relative increase in cumulative nitrous oxide-nitrogen (N 2 O-N) emissions was found to be proportional to the relative increase in urea application, but independent of the amount of autumn-applied manure. These findings imply that N 2 O emissions from fertilized agricultural soils in northeast China could be mitigated by supplying manure in the autumn and reducing the total amount of chemical N fertilizer applied in the following year. Although no significant difference in maize grain yield was found among the fertilization treatments, the grain yield-scaled N 2 O emissions for the treatments with a lower chemical N application (e.g., N 230 M 15 and N 200 M 15 treatments) were significantly lower than those with a higher chemical N application (e.g., N 320 M 18 and N 280 M 18 treatments). Meanwhile, under the condition of the same application amount of chemical fertilizer N, the grain yield-scaled N 2 O emission decreased with the increase of manure application rate. Thus, the results support the hypothesis that combining reductions in chemical N fertilizer and applying manure in autumn could be an effective strategy for mitigating N 2 O emissions from N-fertilized soils in northeast China.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Mitigating nitrous oxide emissions from a maize-cropping black soil in northeast China by a combination of reducing chemical N fertilizer application and applying manure in autumn

Guo

Luo

Chen

et al. 2013

Soil Science and Plant Nutrition

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“…Management factors and research sites were the independent variables, while the years were regarded as a random effect. The interaction between summer maize density and N fertilizer application was considered an independent variable because of its strong influence on yield and nutrient use efficiency [42,43]. Management data was standardized before analysis according to our knowledge of agronomy: e.g., plant density and N application were standardized according to attainable yield and the PFP N targets from the boundary line for each research site, because the two management practices had the most variations among different sites (Table S1); P 2 O 5 and K 2 O applications were standardized according to the PFP target in the NCP; sowing date was standardized according to the attainable yield target in the NCP; and other management factors were standardized as measured.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We found a large variation in N input between different smallholder farmers' fields (102.0 kg ha −1 to 481.5 kg ha −1 ), so if the over-application of N was reduced, PFP N could be increased. The summer maize yield can reach approximately 12.0 t ha −1 with an N input from 180 kg N ha −1 to 210 kg N ha −1 [31,42,67], so the maize yield can be increased, and the N input reduced, on smallholder farmers' fields by optimizing management practices.…”

Section: Yield and Pfp N On Farmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Affecting Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Grain Yield of Summer Maize on Smallholder Farms in the North China Plain

et al. 2018

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Abstract:The summer maize yields and partial factor productivity of nitrogen (N) fertilizer (PFP N , grain yield per unit N fertilizer) on smallholder farms in China are low, and differ between farms due to complex, sub-optimal management practices. We collected data on management practices and yields from smallholder farms in three major summer maize-producing sites-Laoling, Quzhou and Xushui-in the North China Plain (NCP) for two growing seasons, during 2015-2016. Boundary line analysis and a Proc Mixed Model were used to evaluate the contribution of individual factors and their interactions. Summer maize grain yields and PFP N ranged from 6.6 t ha −1 to 14.2 t ha −1 and 15.4 kg kg −1 to 96.1 kg kg −1 , respectively, and averaged 10.5 t ha −1 and 49.1 kg kg −1 , respectively. The mean total yield gap and PFP N gap were 3.6 t ha −1 and 43.3 kg kg −1 in Laoling, 2.2 t ha −1 and 24.5 kg kg −1 in Xushui, and 2.8 t ha −1 and 41.1 kg kg −1 in Quzhou. A positive correlation was observed between the yield gap and PFP N gap; the PFP N gap could be reduced by 6.0 kg kg −1 (3.6-6.6 kg kg −1 ) by reducing the yield gap by 1 t ha −1 . The high yield and high PFP N (HH) fields had a higher plant density and lower N fertilization rate than the low yield and low PFP N (LL) fields. Our results show that multiple management factors caused the yield gap, but the relative contribution of plant density is slightly higher than that of other management practices, such as N input, the sowing date, and potassium fertilizer input. The low PFP N was mainly attributed to an over-application of N fertilizer. To enhance the sustainable production of summer maize, the production gaps should be tackled through programs that guide smallholder farmers on the adoption of optimal management practices.

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“…The discrepancy in the results of the contemporary studies could be due to the use of different data sources or crop cultivars. Favorable agronomic management practices include shifts in sowing date, improved irrigation, fertilization management, and tillage conversion (Jin et al 2012;Wang et al 2012). Based on the field data, traditional agronomic management practices such as tillage and irrigation changed little in the investigated stations.…”

Section: Discussion Agro-climatic Effects On Maize Yield In 1981-2009mentioning

confidence: 99%

Contributions of cultivar shift, management practice and climate change to maize yield in North China Plain in 1981–2009

Xiao

Tao

2015

Int J Biometeorol

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The impact of climate change on crop yield is compounded by cultivar shifts and agronomic management practices. To determine the relative contributions of climate change, cultivar shift, and management practice to changes in maize (Zea mays L.) yield in the past three decades, detailed field data for 1981-2009 from four representative experimental stations in North China Plain (NCP) were analyzed via model simulation. The four representative experimental stations are geographically and climatologically different, represent the typical cropping system in the study area, and have more complete weather/crop records for the period of 1981-2009. The results showed that while the shift from traditional to modern cultivar increased yield by 23.9-40.3 %, new fertilizer management increased yield by 3.3-8.6 %. However, the trends in climate variables for 1981-2009 reduced maize yield by 15-30 % in the study area. Among the main climate variables, solar radiation had the largest effect on maize yield, followed by temperature and then precipitation. While a significant decline in solar radiation in 1981-2009 (maybe due to air pollution) reduced yield by 12-24 %, a significant increase in temperature reduced yield by 3-9 %. In contrast, a non-significant increase in precipitation during the maize growth period increased yield by 0.9-3 % at three of the four investigated stations. However, a decline in precipitation reduced yield by 3 % in the remaining station. The study revealed that although the shift from traditional to modern cultivars and agronomic management practices contributed most to the increase in maize yield, the negative impact of climate change was large enough to offset 46-67 % of the trend in the observed yields in the past three decades in NCP. The reduction in solar radiation, especially in the most critical period of maize growth, limited the process of photosynthesis and thereby further reduced maize yield.

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Effects of integrated agronomic management practices on yield and nitrogen efficiency of summer maize in North China

Cited by 132 publications

References 23 publications

Mitigating nitrous oxide emissions from a maize-cropping black soil in northeast China by a combination of reducing chemical N fertilizer application and applying manure in autumn

Mitigating nitrous oxide emissions from a maize-cropping black soil in northeast China by a combination of reducing chemical N fertilizer application and applying manure in autumn

Factors Affecting Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Grain Yield of Summer Maize on Smallholder Farms in the North China Plain

Contributions of cultivar shift, management practice and climate change to maize yield in North China Plain in 1981–2009

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