Optimizing the impact of film mulching pattern and nitrogen application rate on maize production, gaseous N emissions, and utilization of water and nitrogen in northwest China

Heng Fang, Yuannong Li, Xiaobo Gu, Meng Yu, Pengpeng Chen, Yupeng Li and Fulai Liu

Agricultural Water Management, 2022, vol. 261, issue C

Abstract: Film mulching and nitrogen fertilization are two effective practices to promote maize production in northwest China, but their impacts on environment in terms of greenhouse gas emission remain unclear. Two-year field trials were conducted to 1) explore the effect of the film mulching pattern and N fertilization rate on maize production, gaseous N emission, and utilization of N and water; 2) find an optimal mulching pattern and N-fertilization rate to achieve green development. Trial Ⅰ included flat planting with non-mulching (NM), ridge-furrow with plastic film mulch (PM), ridge-furrow with biodegradable film mulch (BM), and flat planting with full plastic film mulching (FM). Trial Ⅱ involved BM with N-fertilization rates (0, 90, 180, and 270 kg N ha−1), denoted as BMN0, BMN1, BMN2, and BMN3, respectively. The results showed that film mulching significantly decreased the daily flux and cumulative flux of gaseous N by an average of 32.02%, 35.17% (NH3), 78.70%, 75.83% (N2O), respectively, as compared with NM. Film mulching also significantly increased the amount of soil residual mineral N after harvest, plant N uptake, and soil water storage but decreased evapotranspiration by an average of 8.31%, 9.42%, 17.45%, and 25.34%, respectively, as compared with NM. In addition, grain yield, water use efficiency (WUE), N uptake efficiency (UPE) (except for BM), N harvest index (NHI), N use efficiency (NUE), and partial productivity of N (PNP) were significantly higher in the mulching treatments, and yield–scaled NH3 emission (YSN) was significantly lower in PM and BM, as compared with NM. Compared with FM, soil residual mineral N after harvest, plant N uptake, grain yield, WUE, NUE, and PNP were significantly lower but NHI was significantly higher in PM and BM. The daily flux and cumulative flux of N2O emission and the amount of soil residual NO3− -N after harvest were significantly lower but plant N uptake was significantly higher in PM than in BM. Collectively, BM was the best mulching treatment in this study. With increase of N-fertilization rate, the daily flux and cumulative flux of NH3 volatilization, the peak period, and the cumulative flux of N2O emission, the grain yield, WUE, NUE (except for N3), and YSN were significantly increased but NHI, PNP, and UPE were significantly decreased. The optimum N-fertilization rate under BM was found at 173 kg ha−1, which could achieve the goal of high yield, efficient utilization of water and nitrogen, and environmental friendliness.

Keywords: Nitrous oxide emission; Ammonia volatilization; Soil mineral N; Biodegradable film; Loess plateau (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:261:y:2022:i:c:s0378377421006272

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107350

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