An Integrated Nitrogen Management Strategy Promotes Open-Field Pepper Yield, Crop Nitrogen Uptake, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Southwest China

Xiao Ma, Fen Zhang, Fabo Liu, Guangzheng Guo, Taihong Cheng, Junjie Wang, Yuanpeng Shen, Tao Liang, Xinping Chen and Xiaozhong Wang
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Xiao Ma: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Fen Zhang: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Fabo Liu: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Guangzheng Guo: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Taihong Cheng: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Junjie Wang: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Yuanpeng Shen: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Tao Liang: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Xinping Chen: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Xiaozhong Wang: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: Excessive nitrogen (N) fertilizer application is a serious issue in intensive vegetable production and can negatively affect vegetable productivity and N use efficiency (NUE). The optimization of the N fertilizer rate and application of enhanced efficiency N fertilizers (EENFs), including nitrification inhibitors (Nis) and controlled-release fertilizer (CRF), are widely recognized as feasible N management strategies to resolve the problem of unreasonable N fertilizer input. Therefore, we conducted a 2-year field experiment (2019–2020) in an open-field vegetable system (pepper, Capsicum annuum L.) in southwest China to investigate the effects of an optimized N application rate and EENFs on vegetable yield, NUE, and crop N uptake. The following N management treatments were established: control without N fertilizer input (CK); optimized N fertilizer rate as urea (OPT); farmers’ fertilizer practice (FP); application of a nitrification inhibitor (NI) within the optimized N fertilizer rate; and application of controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) within the optimized N fertilizer rate. The results showed that the OPT treatment based on root zone N management achieved a 37.5% reduction in the N application rate without compromising vegetable yield and increased the recovery efficiency of N (REN) by 31.5% compared to the FP treatment. Furthermore, the combined application of the NI or CRF treatments with the OPT treatment resulted in greater vegetable yields, fruit N uptake, and REN (9.54%, 26.8%, and 27.6%, respectively, for NI; 10.5%, 28.7%, and 28.8%, respectively, for CRF) than the OPT treatment alone. The absorption ratio of fruit N uptake to total crop N uptake was also increased. Our results clearly showed that the combined application of EENFs with the OPT treatment could achieve the win–win benefits of a yield increase and improved REN in Chinese vegetable production.

Keywords: open-field vegetable; yield; nitrogen-use efficiency; optimized N rate nitrification inhibitor; controlled-release fertilizer (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: 2022
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