In‐Season Optical Sensing Improves Nitrogen‐Use Efficiency for Winter Wheat

Optical sensor‐based N management strategies are promising approaches to improve N‐use efficiency (NUE) and reduce environmental pollution risk. The objective of this study was to evaluate an active optical sensor‐based in‐season N management strategy for winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L ) in the North China Plain (NCP). Initially, 10 field experiments were conducted at four villages in NCP in the 2004/05, 2005/06, and 2006/07 growing seasons to evaluate the in‐season N requirement prediction developed by Oklahoma State University. Then the N application rates, winter wheat grain yield, NUE, economic returns, residual N content after harvest and apparent N loss were compared among three different management systems on a total of 16 farmer fields in 2005/2006 and 14 farmer fields in 2006/2007. The systems included a sensor‐based system, a soil test‐based approach crediting soil residual mineral N (N min ) to different depth at different growth stages, and common farmer practices. Averaged across site‐years, the sensor‐based, soil N min –based N management strategies, and farmer practices produced similar grain yields but used 67, 88, and 372 kg N ha −1 , respectively. Nitrogen‐use efficiencies were 61.3, 51.0, and 13.1% for the three methods of N recommendations, correspondingly. Their residual N content in the soil and apparent N loss were 115, 122, and 208 kg N ha −1 , and 4, 15, and 205 kg N ha −1 , respectively. The optical sensor‐based N management strategy is relatively easy to use, has better potential to improve NUE and economic returns, and reduces residual soil N content and apparent N loss than other methods currently used in the NCP.