Optimized NPK fertilizer recommendations based on topsoil available nutrient criteria for wheat in drylands of China

Abstract

The optimized management of crop fertilization is very important for improving crop yield and reducing the consumption of chemical fertilizers. Critical nutrient values can be used for evaluating the nutritional status of a crop, and they reflect the nutrient concentrations above which the plant is sufficiently supplied for achieving the maximum potential yield. Based on on-farm surveys of 504 farmers and 60 field experimental sites in the drylands of China, we proposed a recommended fertilization method to determine nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizer input rates for wheat production, and then validated the method by a field experiment at 66 different sites in northern China. The results showed that wheat grain yield varied from 1.1 to 9.2 t ha−1, averaging 4.6 t ha−1, and it had a quadratic relationship with the topsoil (0−20 cm) nitrate N and soil available P contents at harvest. However, yield was not correlated with the inputs of N, P, and K fertilizers. Based on the relationship (exponential decay model) between 95–105% of the relative yield and topsoil nitrate N, available P, and available K contents at wheat harvest from 60 field experiments, the topsoil critical nutrient values were determined as 34.6, 15.6, and 150 mg kg−1 for soil nitrate N, available P, and available K, respectively. Then, based on five groups of relative yield (>125%, 115–125%, 105–115%, 95–105%, and <95%) and the model, the five groups of topsoil critical nutrient levels and fertilization coefficients (Fc) were determined. Finally, we proposed a new method for calculating the recommended fertilizer input rate as: Fr=Gy×Nr×Fc, where Fr is the recommended fertilizer (N/P/K) input rate; Gy is the potential grain yield; Nr is the N(NrN), P(NrP), and K(NrK) nutrient requirements for wheat to produce 1,000 kg of grain; and Fc is a coefficient for N(Nc)/P(Pc)/K(Kc) fertilizer. A 2-year validated experiment confirmed that the new method reduced N fertilizer input by 17.5% (38.5 kg N ha−1) and P fertilizer input by 43.5% (57.5 kg P2O5 ha−1) in northern China and did not reduce the wheat yield. This outcome can significantly increase the farmers’ benefits (by 7.58%, or 139 US$ ha−1). Therefore, this new recommended fertilization method can be used as a tool to guide N, P, and K fertilizer application rates for dryland wheat production.