Predicting the Nitrogen Quota Application Rate in a Double Rice Cropping System Based on Rice–Soil Nitrogen Balance and 15 N Labelling Analysis

Xiaochuang Cao (), Birong Qin, Qingxu Ma, Lianfeng Zhu, Chunquan Zhu, Yali Kong, Wenhao Tian, Qianyu Jin, Junhua Zhang () and Yijun Yu
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Xiaochuang Cao: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China
Birong Qin: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China
Qingxu Ma: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Lianfeng Zhu: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China
Chunquan Zhu: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China
Yali Kong: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China
Wenhao Tian: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China
Qianyu Jin: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China
Junhua Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China
Yijun Yu: Zhejiang Cultivated Land Quality and Fertilizer Administration Station, Hangzhou 310020, China

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Excessive nitrogen (N) fertilization, low use efficiency, and heavy pollution are the dominant issues that exist in intensively cultivated double rice cropping systems in China. Two-year field and 15 N microregion experiments were conducted to evaluate the N fate in a soil-rice system under a series of different N rate treatments from 2020 to 2021. The economic N application rate that simultaneously improved rice yield and N use efficiency in the rotation system was also investigated. Results demonstrated that soil residues and mineralized N accounted for more than 58.0% and 53.2% of the total N input in the early and late rice seasons, respectively. Similarly, most of the total N input was absorbed by rice, ranging from 43.7% to 55.6% in early rice and from 36.8% to 54.7% in late rice. Rice N use efficiency significantly decreased with increasing N application, while rice grain yield and its N uptake increased when the N application rate was below 150 kg ha −1 in early rice and 200 kg ha −1 in late rice. Exceeding this point limited rice N uptake and yield formation. The apparent N recovery rate, N residual rate, and N loss rate were 23.5–34.4%, 17.0–47.1%, and 26.0–47.8% for the early rice, and 32.8–37.3%, 74.2–87.0%, and 71.5–92.1% for the late rice. The linear plateau analysis further indicated that the recommended N application rate (118.5–152.8 kg ha −1 for early rice and 169.9–186.2 kg ha −1 for late rice) can not only maintain a relatively higher rice yield and N utilization but also significantly reduce soil N residue. Our results provide theoretical guidance for improving N management in double-cropping rice fields in southern China.

Keywords: early and late rice; N uptake; N use efficiency; rice-soil system; 15 N isotopic labelling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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