Long-Term Fertilization and Lime-Induced Soil pH Changes Affect Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Grain Yields in Acidic Soil under Wheat-Maize Rotation
Nano Alemu Daba,
Dongchu Li,
Jing Huang,
Tianfu Han,
Lu Zhang,
Sehrish Ali,
Muhammad Numan Khan,
Jiangxue Du,
Shujun Liu,
Tsegaye Gemechu Legesse,
Lisheng Liu,
Yongmei Xu,
Huimin Zhang,
Boren Wang
Affiliations
Nano Alemu Daba
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Dongchu Li
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Jing Huang
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Tianfu Han
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Lu Zhang
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Sehrish Ali
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Muhammad Numan Khan
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Jiangxue Du
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Shujun Liu
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Tsegaye Gemechu Legesse
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Lisheng Liu
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Yongmei Xu
Institutes of Soil, Fertilizer and Agricultural Water Conservation, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi 830091, China
Huimin Zhang
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Boren Wang
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Liming (L) is a common practice to mitigate soil acidification and enhance soil quality and crop productivity. However, in acidic soil, it is not clear how long-term application of lime and nitrogen (N)-based fertilizer affects soil chemical properties, the wheat and maize grain yields (GY), and N-use efficiency (NUE). Thus, to investigate the effects of N-based fertilizations without L (−L) and with L (+L) on wheat and maize GY and NUE through their effects on soil chemical properties, we analyzed a 28-year field experiment in acidic soil under a wheat-maize system in South China. The analysis was carried out between 1991 and 2010 (before L) and between 2011 and 2018 (after L). We categorized the treatments into (1) no fertilizer (C); nitrogen (N); N and phosphorus (NP); N and potassium (NK); N, P and K (NPK); and NPKCR, NPK and crops residue (CR) applications (NPKCR), before L; and (2) C; N−L; N+L; NP−L; NP+L; NK−L; NK+L; NPK−L; NPK+L; NPKCR−L and NPKCR+L, after L. The effects of long-term fertilization resulted in lower soil pH by 15%, soil available K (AK) by 19%, POlsen by 6%, NO3−-N by 15%, soil organic matter (SOM) by 16%, total N by 16%, and C:N ratio by 13% in −L soil than in +L soil. However, the accumulation of NH4+-N was higher by 40% in −L soil than in +L soil. Wheat and maize GY, N recovery efficiency (REN), and N partial factor productivity (PEPN) were more adversely affected by 8-year fertilizations in −L compared with fertilizations before L and in +L primarily because of the significantly decreased soil pH. Conversely, improvements in wheat and maize yields, REN, and PFPN by 8-year fertilizations in +L were related to increasing soil pH, exchangeable base cations such as Ca2+, Mg2+, and the alleviated toxicity of Al3+. Overall, improvement of GY and NUE from the acidified soil in South China requires the long-term integrated use of fertilizer (NPK), retention of CR, and the +L (i.e., NPKCR+L).
