The Effect of N Fertilizer Placement on the Fate of Urea-15N and Yield of Winter Wheat in Southeast China

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 11; no. 4; p. e0153701
• Main Authors: Chen, Zhaoming, Wang, Huoyan, Liu, Xiaowei, Liu, Yongzhe, Gao, Shuaishuai, Zhou, Jianmin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 2016; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Agriculture - methods; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomass; China; Corn; Crop yield; Crops, Agricultural - drug effects; Earth Sciences; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Experiments; Fertilizer application; Fertilizers; Grain; Irrigation; Laboratories; Nitrogen; Nitrogen - chemistry; Nitrogen isotopes; Nitrogen Isotopes - chemistry; Oryza; People and Places; Physical Sciences; Placement; Plant growth; Rain; Rice; Science; Soil erosion; Soil layers; Soil loss; Soil sciences; Soils; Straw; Sustainable agriculture; Temperature; Triticum - drug effects; Triticum aestivum; Urea; Urea - chemistry; Ureas; Wheat; Winter; Winter wheat; China; Beijing China
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153701
• ISSN: 1932-6203

A field micro-plot experiment using nitrogen isotope (15N) labeling was conducted to determine the effects of placement methods (broadcast and band) and N rates (60, 150 and 240 kg ha-1) on the fate of urea-15N in the wheat-soil system in Guangde County of Anhui Province, China. N fertilizer applied in bands increased grain yield by 15% compared with broadcast application. The N fertilizer application rate had a significant effect on grain yield, straw yield and aboveground biomass, as well as on N uptake and N concentration of wheat. The recovery of urea-15N was a little higher for broadcast (34.0-39.0%) than for band treatment (31.2-38.2%). Most of the soil residual N was retained in the 0-20 cm soil layer. At the N rates of 60 and 240 kg ha-1, the residual 15N was higher for band (34.4 and 108.7 kg ha-1, respectively) than for broadcast application (29.6 and 88.4 kg ha-1, respectively). Compared with broadcast treatment, banded placement of N fertilizer decreased the N loss in the wheat-soil system. Band application one time is an alternative N management practice for winter wheat in this region.