Recovery of Residual Fertilizer-Nitrogen by Wheat in a Winter Wheat-Summer Maize Rotation in the North China Plain: A Soil Column Study

• Published in: Agronomy journal Vol. 101; no. 4; pp. 925 - 932
• Main Authors: Wu, Yong-Cheng, Zhou, Shun-Li, Wang, Zhi-Min, Feng, Han-Yu, Lu, Lai-Qing, Wang, Run-Zheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Madison American Society of Agronomy 01.07.2009
• Subjects: Agricultural practices; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; corn; Crop rotation; Cropping systems. Cultivation. Soil tillage; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Generalities. Cropping systems and patterns; leaching; nitrate nitrogen; nutrient management; nutrient uptake; nutrient use efficiency; plant nutrition; residual effects; root systems; Soil columns; soil depth; soil fertility; Triticum aestivum; Winter wheat; Zea mays; China; Asia; Far east; Monocotyledones; C4-Type; Climatic zone; Temperate zone; Recovery; Cereal crop; Gramineae; Semi arid zone; Agronomy; Angiospermae; North; C3-Type; North China Plain; Non metal; Vegetals; Soil column; Zea mays; Arid environment; Cropping system; Nitrogen; Fertilizers; Group VA element; Geographical division; Crop rotation; Alluvial plain; Spermatophyta; Triticum aestivum
• DOI: 10.2134/agronj2008.0171
• ISSN: 0002-1962

Cropping systems is potentially useful practice for mitigating nitrate leaching and increasing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) because deeper rooted crops could capture the leached N from previous shallower rooted crops. The recovery of fertilizer nitrogen (FN) applied to maize (Zea mays L.) by the succeeding wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in a winter wheat-summer maize rotation in North China Plain (NCP) was studied in 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 by creating 15N-labeled soil columns. We found that the in-season maize plant use efficiency of FN was about 46 to 48% and the total residual fertilizer nitrogen (RFN) in a 2-m soil profile at maize harvest was 34% in 2003-2004 and 41% in 2005-2006, the ratios of FN unaccounted for were about 19 and 12%, respectively. The RFN declined significantly down the soil profile. About 13 and 10% of total RFN, or 4.4 and 4.0% of total applied FN were observed below the 1.2 m soil depth. Wheat was able to recover the RFN up to the 2.0-m soil depth, the recovery ratio from upper soil layers was higher than that from lower layers and ranged from 4.4 to 23% in 2003-2004 and 4.6 to 34% in 2005-2006. Corresponding total recovery ratios were 13.7 and 21.4% of total RFN, or 4.9 and 8.7% of total applied FN, respectively. The annual recovery ratios were 51.6% in 2003-2004 and 56.2% in 2005-2006. The deep-rooting characteristics of winter wheat for deep N uptake should be taken as an important index in N fertilizer management in the rotation system.