Abstract:
Objective Nitrogen application can effectively enhance soil fertility and nutrient availability, and maintain high and stable crop yield. We studied the effects of full and reduced nitrogen application rates on dryland maize yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and soil fertility indicators under continuous straw incorporation in Loess Plateau of Eastern Gansu Province, to provide a basis for optimizing nitrogen fertilizer management in the region.
Methods Localized field experiment was started since 2021 at Zhenyuan Experimental Station of Agricultural Academy of Gansu Province. The tested maize cultivar is Xianyu335, and the full nitrogen application rate is N 225 kg/hm2. Five treatments were set up: full N rate without straw return (N); at a annual straw returning amount of 9000 kg/hm2, applying 100%, 80%, and 60% of full N rate, denoted as NS, 80%NS, and 60%NS; and a control was made without nitrogen application nor straw return. 0−40 cm soil samples were collected for measurement of organic matter, total and available NPK content, microbial biomass nitrogen content (MBN), enzyme activities after harvest of maize. At the same time, maize yield and its components were investigated, and water use efficiency was calculated over four consecutive years.
Results Compared to the CK treatment, the combination of straw returning and nitrogen fertilizer significantly increased maize yield and WUE by 68.0%−91.8% and 68.8%−89.4%, respectively; enhanced kernels per ear and 100-kernel weight by 30.2%−35.5% and 9.2%−48.7%, respectively; elevated the average contents of soil organic matter, total N, available N, and microbial biomass nitrogen in the 0−40 cm soil layer by 17.0%, 24.0%, 32.4%, and 17.6%, respectively; increased nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, and urease activities in the surface 0−5 cm soil layer by 6.1%, 22.2%, and 6.8%, respectively. Compared with the NS treatment, the 80%NS treatment significantly increased yield and WUE by 14.0% and 13.2% in 2021; did not show significant effect on yield but increased WUE by 8.8% in 2022; decreased yield and WUE by 9.9% and 11.2% in 2023; did not change yield and WUE significantly in 2024. The N treatment achieved similar cumulative yield with NS and 80%NS, and demonstrated a clear soil improvement and fertility enhancement effect. Except 2022, 60%NS treatment had significantly lower yield and WUE,relative to NS treatment, in addition, 60%NS treatment recorded significantly lower soil total N, total P, available N, available P, and microbial biomass nitrogen than NS treatment. Compared to the NS treatment, the 80%NS treatment reduced the average contents of total P, available P, and available N in the 0−40 cm soil layer by 8.4%, 9.1%, and 15.9%, respectively, but significantly increased the average microbial biomass nitrogen content by 7.5%. SEM model analysis revealed that microbial biomass nitrogen, total N, and available N are key drivers of maize yield.
Conclusion Under the condition of continuous straw returning in the Longdong dryland region, the application of full-rate nitrogen fertilizer can achieve high and stable maize yield while maintaining and enhancing soil fertility. Reducing nitrogen application by 20% (180 kg/hm2) every two years can significantly increase maize yield and water-fertilizer use efficiency, improve soil organic matter and total nitrogen content, without reducing soil available nitrogen and phosphorus levels, thereby avoiding the risks of yield decline and soil fertility reduction associated with nitrogen reduction. Given the local environmental and soil conditions, it is not recommended to exceed a 20% reduction in nitrogen application.