Nitrogen Fertilization Effects on Physiology of the Cotton Boll–Leaf System
Jing Chen,
Liantao Liu,
Zhanbiao Wang,
Hongchun Sun,
Yongjiang Zhang,
Zhiying Bai,
Shijia Song,
Zhanyuan Lu,
Cundong Li
Affiliations
Jing Chen
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology (Hebei Base), Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation in College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding 071000, China
Liantao Liu
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology (Hebei Base), Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation in College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding 071000, China
Zhanbiao Wang
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology (Hebei Base), Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation in College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding 071000, China
Hongchun Sun
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology (Hebei Base), Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation in College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding 071000, China
Yongjiang Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology (Hebei Base), Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation in College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding 071000, China
Zhiying Bai
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology (Hebei Base), Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation in College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding 071000, China
Shijia Song
Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Shijiazhuang 05000, China
Zhanyuan Lu
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology (Hebei Base), Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation in College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding 071000, China
Cundong Li
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology (Hebei Base), Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation in College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding 071000, China
The objective of this study was to assess the impacts of nitrogen on the physiological characteristics of the source−sink system of upper fruiting branches under various amounts of nitrogen fertilization. A two-year field experiment was conducted with a Bt cotton cultivar in the Yellow River Basin of China. The growth and yield of cotton of the upper fruiting branches were compared under four nitrogen levels: Control (N0, 0 kg ha−1), low nitrogen (N1, 120 kg ha−1), moderate nitrogen (N2, 240 kg ha−1), and high nitrogen (N3, 480 kg ha−1). The results indicated that in the subtending leaves in upper fruiting branches, chlorophyll content, protein content, and peroxidase (POD) activity dramatically increased with nitrogen application, reaching the highest under the moderate nitrogen treatment. The physiological characters in the seeds had the same trends as in the subtending leaves. Furthermore, the moderate nitrogen rate (240 kg ha−1) had a favorable yield and quality. Our results supported that a moderate nitrogen rate (240 kg ha−1) could coordinate the source−sink growth of cotton in the late stage, enhance the yield and fiber quality, and decrease the cost of fertilizer in the Yellow River Basin of China and other similar ecological areas.