Comparison of Efficiency-Enhanced Management and Conventional Management of Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertilization in Cotton Fields of Northwestern China

Ping Wang, Zhenyong Zhao, Lei Wang and Changyan Tian
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Ping Wang: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Zhenyong Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Lei Wang: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Changyan Tian: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-11

Abstract: Excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers and improper methods of irrigation under conventional management are common problems in the cotton fields of northwestern China. Efficiency-enhanced management, based on the water and nitrogen dynamics and crop requirements, has been used as a valuable strategy in different crops. The present study aimed to compare efficiency-enhanced management and conventional management of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization in the cotton fields at the Junggar Basin (Shihezi) and Tarim Basin (Cele) of northwestern China. Compared with conventional management, efficiency-enhanced management reduced the amount of N fertilizer by 41% in Cele and 44% in Shihezi, and the irrigation quantity by 35% in Cele and 24% in Shihezi. However, the cotton yield under efficiency-enhanced management was similar to that found under conventional management at both the experimental sites. The efficiency-enhanced management increased the water-use efficiency (WUE) and reduced the residual soil mineralizable N (N min ) and apparent N losses. This study indicated that efficiency-enhanced management can significantly enhance the utilization efficiency of irrigation water and N fertilizers for cotton production in the fields of northwestern China.

Keywords: cotton; efficiency-enhanced management; nitrogen; irrigation; nitrogen balance; WUE (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: 2021
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