Abstract
Long-term chemical fertilizer input causes soil organic matter losses, structural compaction, and changes in soil water and nutrient availability, which have been subdued in the most of dry farmland in China. The concept of “more efficiency with less fertilizer input” has been proposed and is urgently needed in current agriculture. Application of chemical fertilizer combined with organic manure (OM) could be a solution for soil protection and sustainable production of dry-land maize (Zea mays. L). Field research over three consecutive years on the Loess Plateau of China was conducted to evaluate the integrated effects of chemical fertilizer strategies and additional OM input on soil nutrients availability and water use in maize. The results showed that, after harvest, soil bulk density decreased significantly with OM application, concomitant with 11.9, 18.7 and 97.8% increases in topsoil total nitrogen, organic matter, and available phosphorus contents, respectively, compared with those under equal chemical NPK input. Water use in the 1.0–1.5 m soil profile was improved, therefore, the soil conditions were better for maize root growth, leaf area and shoot biomass of individual maize plants increased significantly with OM application. Optimized NPK strategies increased grain yield and water use efficiency by 18.5 and 20.6%, respectively, compared to only chemical NP input. Furthermore, additional OM input promoted yield and water use efficiency by 8.9 and 5.8%, respectively. Addition of OM promotes sustainable soil and maize grain productivity as well as friendly soil environmental management of dry land farming.
Highlights
In the last 30 years, grain production in China has increased by 71%, which was supported by a 271% increase in chemical fertilizer input [1]
50–70% of the precipitation during the growing season occurred from July to September, which indicated that the water requirement of dryland maize well synchronized with the rainy season
The combination of chemical topdressing with basic organic manure benefitted the topsoil structure after three consecutive years, which was supported by the significant soil bulk density (SBD) decrease in local practice (LP)-O, SP-O and EP-O compared to that in LP (Fig 2B)
Summary
In the last 30 years, grain production in China has increased by 71%, which was supported by a 271% increase in chemical fertilizer input [1]. Organic manure promotes resource uses in maize collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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