Crop Productivity and Nitrogen Balance as Influenced by Nitrogen Deposition and Fertilizer Application in North China

Jie Liu, Jumei Li, Yibing Ma, Enli Wang, Qiong Liang, Yuehui Jia, Tingshu Li and Guocheng Wang
Additional contact information
Jie Liu: College of Plant Science and Technology, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing 102206, China
Jumei Li: Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Nutrient Cycling, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Yibing Ma: Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Nutrient Cycling, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Enli Wang: CSIRO Land and Water/APSRU, GPO Box 1666, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
Qiong Liang: College of Plant Science and Technology, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing 102206, China
Yuehui Jia: College of Plant Science and Technology, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing 102206, China
Tingshu Li: College of Plant Science and Technology, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing 102206, China
Guocheng Wang: CSIRO Land and Water/APSRU, GPO Box 1666, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: In spite of the importance of N management in agricultural production, closing the full nitrogen balance remains a challenge, mainly due to the uncertainties in both fluxes of nitrogen input and output. We analyzed N deposition and its influence on crop productivity and field nitrogen balance based on data from three of 15 years (1990–2005) of experiments in North China. The results showed that the average annual nitrogen deposition was 76, 80, and 94 kg N/ha at Changping, Zhengzhou, and Yangling in a wheat-maize rotation system, respectively. The deposited N could support a corresponding total biomass production (wheat plus maize) of 9.6, 10.6, and 8.8 Mg/ha with a total grain yield of 3.8, 4.8, and 3.7 Mg/ha, however, that did not cause a further decline in soil organic matter. N fertilizer application could increase total biomass (grain) by 244% (259%) and 74% (119%) for wheat and maize, respectively. Under optimal N management, N deposition accounted for 17–21% of the total N inputs, which affected significantly the recovery efficiency of applied N. N deposition showed a significant spatial variation in terms of the fraction of dry and wet depositions. On an annual average, N deposition roughly balanced out N losses due to NH 3 volatilization and N 2 O loss from nitrification and denitrification. NH 3 volatilization and NO 3 − -N leaching each accounted for 16–20% of the total N outputs. A system modeling approach is recommended to investigate the spatial variation of N leaching as affected by climatic conditions, and to fully account for the nitrogen fluxes. The N deposition derived from this study can be used as the background N input into the wheat-maize double cropping system for N balance.

Keywords: seasonal N deposition; wheat; maize; nitrogen uptake; nitrogen losses (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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