Nitrogen scavenging by winter fallow weeds and its availability to rice crops

Abstract

Weedy fallow presents a promising strategy for nitrogen (N) scavenging and reducing N losses from croplands. The study aimed to (1) reassess the N scavenging potential of winter fallow weeds, specifically foxtail grasses, within rice cropping systems and (2) determine the availability of N scavenged by winter fallow weeds in rice paddies to rice crops. A two-year on-farm investigation (2022 and 2023), a one-year 15N-tracing microplot experiment (2021), and a two-year field experiment (2022 and 2023) were conducted in Hunan Province, China. The on-farm investigation revealed that winter fallow weeds scavenged on average 10.6 g N m–2 in 2022 and 10.9 g N m–2 in 2023. In the 15N-tracing microplot experiment, a 24 % average recovery efficiency of N from winter fallow weeds, applied in conjunction with two rice varieties and two urea-N application rates, was observed. The field experiment showed that total N uptake by rice plants and grain yield of rice crops were linearly and quadratically related to the total N application rate (the sum of N in applied winter fallow weeds and urea), respectively, in both 2022 and 2023. These findings highlight the potential of winter fallow weeds in rice paddies to scavenge N effectively and reveal this scavenged N to be highly available to rice crops. This study offers insights into the dual advantages of winter fallow weeds within rice cropping systems, shedding light on their environmental benefits as well as their positive agronomic outcomes.