Abstract
Fertilization can significantly affect the quality of crop and soil. To determine the effects of long-term fertilization on crop yield and carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) stoichiometry in soil, a study was conducted on the terraced fields of the Loess Plateau from 2007 to 2019. Nine fertilization treatments were included: no fertilizer; organic fertilizer (O); organic and nitrogen fertilizers (ON); organic, nitrogen, and phosphorus fertilizers (ONP); organic and phosphorus fertilizers (OP); phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers; potash and nitrogen fertilizers; potash, nitrogen, and phosphorus fertilizers; and potash and phosphorus fertilizers. Under these treatments except for CK and PK, crop yields initially decreased but later increased. The nutrient content and C:N:P stoichiometry increased in soil depth of 0–20 cm. The soil available nutrients did not change significantly with the duration of fertilization. The O, ON, ONP, and OP had the most evident effect on the enhancement of soil nutrient content, whereas O and ON had the most evident effect on the increase in soil organic carbon (SOC):total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN):TP. In soil depth of 0–20 cm, crop yield, SOC:TN, SOC:TN, SOC:TP, and TN:TP significantly correlated with soil nutrients. This study indicated that long-term fertilization can effectively improve crop yield, soil fertility, and soil C:N:P stoichiometry. Meanwhile, the single application of an organic fertilizer or the combination of organic and nitrogen fertilizers can improve the condition of nitrogen limitation in arid and semi-arid areas.
Highlights
The type of fertilization treatment and duration of fertilization had a considerable impact on crop yield (Table 3)
Notes: Values are presented as the mean ± SE; Soil samples used for available phosphorus (AP) and available nitrogen (AN)
Notes: Values are presented as the determination of 2009 and 2011 are missing.correlated with soil organic carbon (SOC) and total phosphorus (TP); SOC:total nitrogen (TN) with SOC, TN, AN, AP, pH, and significantly mean ± SE; Soil samples used for AP and AN determination of 2009 and 2011 are missing
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Ecological stoichiometry is the science of studying the energy balance of biological systems and multiple nutrient elements (mainly, carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P)) [1]. Studying the changes in characteristics of soil C, N, and P and their stoichiometric ratios under long-term fertilization conditions can help us understand in detail the status of soil nutrient cycling during plant growth, and the use of resources by plants during fertilization [14,15]. At the same time, studying the changes in soil stoichiometry under long-term fertilization can help us understand nutrient cycling and nutrient limitation in the soil ecosystem [16]. The objective was to study the changes in characteristics of crop yield, soil nutrient content, and C:N:P stoichiometry with various fertilization methods under different fertilization durations. We hypothesized that (1) long-term fertilization may affect the crop yield and soil nutrient content, (2) the changes in soil nutrient content may alleviate the C:N:P stoichiometry of soil, and (3) the single application of an organic fertilizer or an organic fertilizer combined with an inorganic fertilizer may have an advantage in increasing crop yield and soil nutrients supply
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