Nitrogen Recoveries and Nitrogen Use Efficiencies of Organic Fertilizers with Different C/N Ratios in Maize Cultivation with Low-Fertile Soil by 15 N Method

Rosalina Armando Tamele, Hideto Ueno, Yo Toma and Nobuki Morita
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Rosalina Armando Tamele: Department of Bioresource Production Science, United Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University, 3-5-7 Tarumi, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8566, Japan
Hideto Ueno: Department of Agro-Biological Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University, 3-5-7 Tarumi, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8566, Japan
Yo Toma: Department of Agro-Biological Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University, 3-5-7 Tarumi, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8566, Japan
Nobuki Morita: Department of Agro-Biological Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University, 3-5-7 Tarumi, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8566, Japan

Agriculture, 2020, vol. 10, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: The rising cost of inorganic fertilizers, coupled with their adverse effects on soil conditions, has resulted in increasing interest in organic amendments. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of organic amendments (OAs) with different C/N ratios on nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and recovery rate, as well as on the growth and yield of Zea mays and soil properties. A precise pot experiment was conducted on a low-fertile, sandy-loam soil, and the dynamics of nitrogen (N) were also analyzed by the A -value method, using 15 N tracer. The plant height of the treatment groups decreased in the following order: inorganic fertilizer (IF) = rapeseed waste (RW) > chicken manure (CnM) > bamboo tealeaf (BTL) > cow manure (CwM) > bamboo compost (BC). Furthermore, the maize fertilized with RW only took up half of the N in IF, despite producing the same yield, which indicates that the physiological nitrogen efficiency (PUE) of RW was twice as high as that of IF. RW and CnM were regarded as valuable fertilizers that could be used to replace inorganic fertilizers. A linear relationship between the N mineralization of the OAs was obtained by an incubation test and the pot experiments, estimating the effect of OA application on the maize. Maize plants mainly absorbed N derived from fertilizers; however, for the both sources of N (fertilizer and soil), N was mainly accumulated in grains followed by the leaves, stem, and root, suggesting that studies should be conducted to improve soil N use efficiency.

Keywords: 15 N tracer; maize; nitrogen mineralization; organic amendment (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: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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