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Film-mulched maize production: response to controlled-release urea fertilization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 August 2017

J. M. GUO ,
J. Q. XUE ,
A. D. BLAYLOCK ,
Z. L. CUI  and
X. P. CHEN
J. M. GUO
Affiliation:
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
J. Q. XUE
Affiliation:
College of Agronomy, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
A. D. BLAYLOCK
Affiliation:
Agrium Inc., Calgary, AB T2J7E8, Canada
Z. L. CUI
Affiliation:
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
X. P. CHEN*
Affiliation:
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: chenxp@cau.edu.cn
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Summary

Optimal nitrogen (N) management for maize in the film-mulched production systems that are widely used in dryland agriculture is difficult because top-dressing N is impractical. The current research determined how matching N supply and demand was achieved before and after silking stages, when single applications of controlled release urea (CRU) were combined with conventional urea in film-mulched maize production. The CRU: urea mixture was applied in a 1 : 2 or 2 : 1 ratio and all three fertilizer regimes (urea alone and CRU: urea at 1 : 2 or 2 : 1) were applied at N rates of 180 and 240 kg/ha over 2 years. The 1 : 2 CRU: urea mixture, applied once at 180 kg N/ha, was found to synchronize N supply with demand, thereby reducing N losses. The highest grain yields (11·8–12·0 t/ha), N uptake (232–239 kg/ha), N recovery (65·8–67·7%) and high net economic return were achieved with this regime. These results indicate that a single application of a mixture of CRU and urea can synchronize N supply with demand and provide higher yields and profits than conventional N fertilization in film-mulched maize systems.

Type
Crops and Soils Research Papers
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 155 , Issue 8 , October 2017 , pp. 1299 - 1310
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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