Nitrogen Fertilizer Efficiency Determined by the 15 N Dilution Technique in Maize Followed or Not by a Cover Crop in Mediterranean Chile

Osvaldo Salazar, Renato Diaz, Adriana Nario, Ximena Videla, María Alonso-Ayuso and Miguel Quemada
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Osvaldo Salazar: Departamento de Ingeniería y Suelos, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile
Renato Diaz: Programa de Magíster en Manejo de Suelos y Aguas, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile
Adriana Nario: Comisión Chilena de Energía Nuclear, La Reina, Santiago 7600713, Chile
Ximena Videla: Comisión Chilena de Energía Nuclear, La Reina, Santiago 7600713, Chile
María Alonso-Ayuso: Departamento de Suelo y Agua, Estación Experimental de Aula Dei, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (EEAD-CSIC), P.O. Box 13034, 50080 Zaragoza, Spain
Miguel Quemada: Departamento Producción Agraria, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid & CEIGRAM, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-21

Abstract: Nitrogen (N) in a maize crop is a determining yield factor, but its negative impact on the environment is also known. Therefore, it is necessary to propose mitigation strategies that allow an improvement in the N fertilizer efficiency (NFE), such as the use of cover crops (CC) and the adjustment of the fertilizer dose. The objective of the study was to determine NFE using 15 N isotopic techniques and nitrate (NO 3 − ) leaching in a maize–fallow versus a maize–CC rotation with optimal and excessive doses of N in the Mediterranean area of Chile. The treatments were a combination of crop rotation (maize–fallow versus maize–CC of Lolium multiflorum ) with the optimal dose of N (250 kg ha −1 ) or excessive dose (400 kg ha −1 ). We found that the optimal dose of maize–CC rotation contributed to reducing the losses of N by leaching and improving the NFE. Using the optimal dose decreased the dissolved inorganic N (DIN) emission intensity by 50% compared to the excessive doses. Even if grain yield was higher (19 t ha −1 ) when applying the excessive N dose, the NFE (28%) was lower than when applying the optimal dose (40%). In the maize–CC rotation with optimal dose, yield was 17 Mg ha −1 . The excessive N dose generated higher DIN content at the end of the maize season (177 kg N ha −1 ). In conclusion, replacing the traditional autumn–winter fallow in the maize monoculture with a CC with optimal N dose contributed to improving NFE and reducing N leaching in a Mediterranean agricultural system. Consequently, it is a strategy to consider as it has positive advantages in soil and N management, helping to reduce diffuse pollution of surface and groundwater bodies.

Keywords: cover crop; dissolved inorganic nitrogen; nitrogen leaching; nitrogen efficiency (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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