Nitrogen and phosphorus effects on water use efficiency of spring wheat grown in a semi-arid region of the Canadian prairies

Food security is an increasingly serious problem worldwide, and especially in sub-Saharan Africa. As land and resources are limited and environmental problems caused by agriculture are worsening, more efficient ways to use the resources available must be found. The objective of this study was to display the spatial variability in crop yield and resource use efficiencies across Nigeria and to give recommendations for improvement. Based on simulations from the crop model LINTUL5 we analyzed the influence of fertilizer application on the parameters Water Use Efficiency (WUE), Fertilizer Use Efficiency (FUE), and Radiation Use Efficiency (RUE) in maize. High spatial variability was observed, especially between the north and the south of the country. The highest potential for yield improvement was found in the south. While WUE and RUE increased with higher rates of fertilizer application, FUE decreased with higher rates. In order to improve these resource use efficiencies, we suggest optimizing management strategies, demand-oriented fertilizer application, and breeding for efficient traits.

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“…Other studies have also shown increased WUE with increased fertilizer levels [16]. The same outcomes were found in experiments with wheat [50].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

A Model-Based Estimation of Resource Use Efficiencies in Maize Production in Nigeria

et al. 2019

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“…In our study, using a stable r value from 1967 to 2009 might have contributed to overestimation of SOC after 1991 in some treatments; because the higher growing season precipitation and N fertilizer rates after 1991 (Fig. 1) could have influenced decomposition rates and the sequestration/loss of SOC (Kröbel et al, 2012). Therefore, in the future, researchers should consider employing more dynamic r values, sensitive to changes in climate and nutrient inputs, to better estimate SOC over long‐term periods using the ICBM model.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…One experiment of importance is the “Old Rotation” study initiated in 1967 on the semiarid prairies at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada, where wheat‐based cropping systems with differing fertility regimes and fallow rotations have been studied (Campbell et al, 1983, 2000, 2007). Using the valuable long‐term data from Swift Current, researchers have found water use efficiency, CO 2 emissions, and SOC levels were significantly influenced by different cropping systems and climate variability (Campbell et al, 2002, 2007; Kröbel et al, 2012; Gan et al, 2014). Thus, the Old Rotation study presents an important opportunity for soil science, and by coupling the long‐term data with biogeochemical models, we can further our ability to understand and quantify the interaction of management and climate on SOC.…”

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confidence: 99%

Measuring and Modeling the Long‐Term Impact of Crop Management on Soil Carbon Sequestration in the Semiarid Canadian Prairies

et al. 2015

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Agricultural management practices which promote soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration can contribute to the long-term productivity of soils, thus research must quantify and predict SOC dynamics in response to crop management. Using long-term data from 10 cropping systems on a Brown Chernozem (Aridic Haploboroll) in the Canadian semiarid prairies at Swi Current, Saskatchewan, we assessed the e ect of fertilizer, cropping frequency, and crop type on SOC dynamics in the 0-to 15-cm depth. ree models: Campbell, introductory carbon balance model (ICBM), and DayCent were evaluated, all of which produced fairly accurate predictions of SOC content and sequestration rates (R 2 of 0.64-0.82); however, DayCent had the highest correlation and lowest errors of prediction and was deemed superior. Residue inputs of 0.87 to 1.13 Mg C ha -1 yr -1 maintained the SOC level, and SOC content was directly related to factors which increased C inputs. e SOC content and sequestration rates were lowest for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-based rotations which were frequently fallowed and included ax (Linum usitatissimum L.), but highest for systems which were frequently cropped, well-fertilized, and included rye (Secale cereale L.) or pulse crops in rotation. For systems with high C input, DayCent projected SOC gains of 12 Mg C ha -1 from 2009 to 2100, indicating that the soil at Swi Current had not reached maximum C capacity. is study was the rst to rigorously test and demonstrate the strength of the DayCent for simulating SOC under di erent cropping systems on the Canadian prairies.

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“…intensity; for example, yield response to fertilization ÂÀ yield N 45 P 20 − yield N 0 P 0 Á =yield N 0 P 0 × 100 ÁÃ was 20% for FW, 45% for FWW, and 71% for W. These findings corroborate earlier observations that long-term productivity was constrained in these systems by nutrient limitations, not by moisture stress as often presumed. Evidently, alleviation of nutrient stress improves water use efficiency for continuous cropping, resulting in greater yield compared with rotations with a fallow phase (Janzen et al 1997a;Kröbel et al 2012).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen balance in century-old wheat experiments

et al. 2017

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Managing nitrogen (N) inputs to sustain high yields while minimizing losses to adjacent environments remains among the foremost aims in agroecosystems. We studied the N balance in a study established in 1911 at Lethbridge, AB, Canada. The experiment includes three cropping systemscontinuous wheat (W), fallowwheat-wheat (FWW), and fallow-wheat (FW)with a factorial of two N rates (0 and 45 kg N ha −1) and two phosphorus (P) rates (0 and 20 kg P ha −1) superimposed beginning in 1967. In unfertilized subplots, grain yields generally increased for the first eight decades, but then declined, perhaps partly because of growing N deficiency. Yield response to N increased over time, especially under continuous cropping and when co-applied with P. Soil N concentration in the surface 15 cm declined in the first few decades, and then approached an apparent steady state. Application of N increased soil N, roughly in proportion to the amount of residue returned. For the first half-century (1911-1967), N removal was approximately equivalent to the loss of soil N in the surface 15 cm. Since then, however, when the soil organic N was near steady state, removals of N in grain exceeded N inputs by approximately 20-30 kg N ha −1 yr −1 , suggesting an input from outside sources, perhaps partly from atmospheric NH 3. This study demonstrated the importance of long-term experiments in evaluating the N balance of cropping systems, and indicated the potential significance of non-fertilizer N inputs from outside sources in such ecosystems.

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Nitrogen and phosphorus effects on water use efficiency of spring wheat grown in a semi-arid region of the Canadian prairies

Cited by 25 publications

References 35 publications

A Model-Based Estimation of Resource Use Efficiencies in Maize Production in Nigeria

A Model-Based Estimation of Resource Use Efficiencies in Maize Production in Nigeria

Measuring and Modeling the Long‐Term Impact of Crop Management on Soil Carbon Sequestration in the Semiarid Canadian Prairies

Nitrogen balance in century-old wheat experiments

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