HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Cui, Z. Articles by Bao, D. PubMed Articles by Cui, Z. Articles by Bao, D. Agricola Articles by Cui, Z. Articles by Bao, D. Related Collections Maize Management Nutrient Cycling Nutrient Management Plant Nutrition Nitrogen

FERTILIZER MANAGEMENT

On-Farm Evaluation of the Improved Soil N_min–based Nitrogen Management for Summer Maize in North China Plain

^a Dep. of Plant Nutrition, College of Resource and Environ. Sci., China Agricultural Univ., Beijing 100094, China
^b Dep. of Plant and Soil Sci., Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, OK 74708
^c Dep. of Agron., Qingdao Agric. Univ., Qingdao 266023, China
^d College of Resource and Environ. Sci., Henan Agric. Univ., Zhengzhou 450000, China
^e College of Resource and Environ. Sci., Shandong Agricultural Univ., Taian 271018, China
^f Inst. of Soil Sci. and Fertilizer, Shanxi Acad. of Agric. Sci.. Taiyuan, 030031, China
^g Inst. of Soil Sci. and Fertilizer, Henan Academy of Agric. Sci., Zhengzhou, 450000, China

^* Corresponding author (zfscau{at}cau.edu.cn).

The improved soil N_min–based N management is a promising approach to precision N management, which determines the optimum side-dress N rates based on N target values and measured soil nitrate N content in the root soil layer at different growth stages. A total of 148 on-farm N-response experiments, in seven key summer maize (Zea mays L.) production regions of North China Plain (NCP) from 2003 to 2005, were conducted to evaluate the N_min–based N management compared to traditional farmer's N practices. The recommended N rates based on the improved soil N_min method were not significantly different ( 31 kg N ha^–1) from those determined by yield response curves (n = 13). The average N rate determined with the soil N_min method (157 kg N ha^–1) was significantly lower than farmer's practice (263 kg N ha^–1), while maize grain yield was 0.4 Mg ha^–1 higher than farmer's N practice (8.5 Mg ha^–1) across all sites (n = 148). As a result, the improved soil N_min–based N management significantly increased net economic gains by $202 ha^–1, reduced residual nitrate N content and N losses by 44 kg N ha^–1 and 65 kg N ha^–1, respectively, and improved recovery N efficiency, agronomic N efficiency and N partial factor productivity by 16%, 6 kg kg^–1 and 36 kg kg^–1, respectively, compared with farmer's N practice. We conclude that the improved soil N_min–based N management can be applied for summer maize production in NCP for improved N use efficiency and reduced environmental contamination.

Abbreviations: AEN, agronomic nitrogen efficiency • EONR, economically optimum nitrogen rates • NCP, North China Plain • PFPN, nitrogen partial factor productivity • REN, recovery nitrogen efficiency

All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Received for publication June 4, 2007.