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Analysis of water and nitrogen use efficiency for maize ( Zea mays L.) grown on soft rock and sand compound soil
Author(s) -
Wang Huanyuan,
Han Jichang,
Tong Wei,
Cheng Jie,
Zhang Haiou
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.8075
Subject(s) - leaching (pedology) , nitrogen , soil water , water use efficiency , agronomy , drainage , irrigation , environmental science , fertilizer , evapotranspiration , chemistry , soil science , biology , ecology , organic chemistry
Abstract BACKGROUND Maize was grown on compound soils constituted from mixtures of soft rock and sand at different ratios, and water use efficiency ( WUE ), nitrogen use efficiency ( NUE ) and fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency ( FNUE ) were quantified. The data were used to assist in designing strategies for optimizing water and nitrogen management practices for maize on the substrates used. Maize was sown in composite soil prepared at three ratios of soft rock and sand (1:1, 1:2 and 1:5 v/v) in Mu Us Sandy Land, Yuyang district, Yulin city, China. Yields, amount of drainage, nitrogen (N) leaching, WUE and NUE were calculated. Then a water and nitrogen management model ( WNMM ) was calibrated and validated. RESULTS No significant difference in evapotranspiration of maize was found among compound soils with soft rock/sand ratios of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:5, while water drainage increased significantly with increasing soft rock/sand ratio. WUE increased to 1.30 kg m −3 in compound soil with 1:2 soft rock/sand ratio. Nitrogen leaching and ammonia volatilization were the main reason for nitrogen loss, and N reduction mainly relied on crop uptake. NUE and FNUE could reach 33.1 and 24.9 kg kg −1 N respectively. Water drainage and nitrogen leaching occurred mostly during heavy rainfall or irrigation. Through a scenario analysis of different rainfall types, water and fertilizer management systems were formulated each year. CONCLUSION This study shows that soft rock plays a key role in improving the WUE , NUE and FNUE of maize. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry