Phosphorus Changes and Sorption Characteristics in a Calcareous Soil Under Long-Term Fertilization

Knowledge of phosphorus （P） behavior in long-term fertilized soils is essential for programming fertilization practices and for sustaining environmental quality. The long-term （1984-1997） effects of various fertilization treatments on P changes and sorption isotherms as well as the relationship of soil properties to P sorption and P forms were evaluated in an Ustic Isohumisol, a calcareous soil, on the Loess Plateau, China. Compared to 1984, after 13 years of crop production, total soil P in the no-P treatments （control and N treatment） decreased by 5%-7%, but in the phosphorus fertilizer alone （P）, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers in combination （NP）, manure alone （M）, and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers and manure in combination （NPM） treatments, it increased by 22%, 19%, 28%, and 58%, respectively. Residual fertilizer P was found mainly in NH4Ac-soluble P （Cas-P）, followed by NaHCO3-soluble P （NaHCO3-P）, and NH4F-soluble P （Al-P）. Phosphorus sorption in the soils with different fertilization practices fit the Langmuir equations. Phosphorus sorption capacity in the no-P treatments increased, whereas it decreased in the P-included treatments （P, NP, and NPM treatments）. Phosphorus sorption maximum （Qm） was significantly and negatively correlated to inorganic P including NaHCO3-P, Cas-P, NaOH-Na2CO3-soluble P （Fe-P）, and Al-P （P ≤ 0.01）. Moreover, long-term fertilization increased soil organic carbon in the NP, M, and NPM treatments and decreased pH in the NP and NPM treatments. Thus, the ability of the soil to release sorbed P to the environment increased under long-term P fertilization.

Wheat Grain Yield and Yield Stability in a Long-Term Fertilization Experiment on the Loess Plateau

To provide a scientific basis for sustainable land management, a 20-year fertility experiment was conducted in Changwu County, Shaanxi Province, China to investigate the effects of long-term application of chemical fertilizers on wheat grain yield and yield stability on the Loess Plateau using regression and stability analysis. The experiment consisted of 17 fertilizer treatments, containing the combinations of different N and P levels, with three replications arranged in a randomized complete block design. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied as urea, and P was applied as calcium superphosphate. Fertilizer rates had a large effect on the response of wheat yield to fertilization. Phosphorus, combined with N, increased yield significantly （P 〈 0.01）. In the unfertilized control and the N or P sole application treatments, wheat yield had a declining trend although it was not statistically significant. Stability analysis combined with the trend analysis indicated that integrated use of fertilizer N and P was better than their sole application in increasing and sustaining the productivity of rainfed winter wheat.

Effect of Nitrogen Management on Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Rainfed Wheat and Maize in Northwest China

A field experiment with four treatments and four replicates in a randomized complete block design was conducted at the Changwu Experimental Station in Changwu County, Shaanxi Province, of Northwest China from 1998 to 2002. The local cropping sequence of wheat, wheat-beans, maize, and wheat over the 4-year period was adopted. A micro-plot study using ^15N-lahelled fertilizer was carried out to determine the fate of applied N fertilizer in the first year. When N fertilizer was applied wheat （years 1, 2 and 4） and maize （year 3） grain yield increased significantly （P 〈 0.05） （〉 30%）, with no significant yield differences in normal rainfall years （Years 1, 2 and 3） for N application at the commonly application rate and at 2/3 of this rate. Grain yield of wheat varied greatly between years, mainly due to variation in annual rainfall. Results of ^15N studies on wheat showed that plants recovered 36.6%-38.4% of the N applied, the N remained in soll （0-40 cm） ranged from 29.2% to 33.6%, and unaccounted-for N was 29.5%-34.2%. The following crop （wheat） recovered 2.1%- 2.8% of the residual N from N applied to the previous wheat crop with recovery generally decreasing in the subsequent three crops （beans, maize and wheat）.

Inorganic Phosphorus Fractions and Phosphorus Availability in a Calcareous Soil Receiving 21-Year Superphosphate Application

A long-term （21-year） field experiment was performed to study the responses of soil inorganic P fractions and P availability to annual fertilizer P application in a calcareous soil on the Loess Plateau of China. Soil Olsen-P contents increased by 3.7, 5.2, 11.2 and 20.6 mg P kg-1 after 21-year annual fertilizer P application at 20, 39, 59, and 79 kg P ha-1, respectively. Long-term fertilizer P addition also increased soil total P and inorganic P （Pi） contents significantly. The contents of inorganic P fractions were in the order of Ca10-P 〉 Cas-P 〉 Fe-P 〉 A1-P 〉 occluded P 〉 Ca2-P in the soil receiving annual fertilizer P application. Fertilizer P application increased Cas-P, A1-P and Ca2-P contents as well as their percentages relative to Pi. Pi application increased Fe-P and occluded P contents but nor their percentages. Soil Ca10- P content remained unchanged after fertilizer P application while its percentage relative to Pi declined with increasing fertilizer P rate. All Pi fractions but Ca10-P were correlated with Olsen-P significantly. 90% of variations in Olsen-P could be explained by Pi fractions, and the direct contribution of Cas-P was predominant. Long-term annual superphosphate application would facilitate the accumulation of soil Cas-P, and thus improve soil P availability.

Divergent responses of tiller and grain yield to fertilization and fallow precipitation:Insights from a 28-year long-term experiment in a semiarid winter wheat system

Tillering is an important phenological stage,which is strongly related to the yield in spike components and final grain yield during winter wheat growth.Precipitation during the fallow season(fallow precipitation)influences tillering in winter wheat on the semi-arid Chinese Loess Plateau.However,little work has been done regarding tiller number changes under various types of fertilization and amounts of fallow precipitation on a long-term scale.Effects of fallow precipitation and fertilization on tiller were investigated in a winter wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)system in a 28-year field study(1990 to 2017)in a semiarid agro-ecosystem.Tiller number,spike number and grain yield were measured in four fertilization conditions:control without fertilizer(CK);mineral nitrogen fertilizer alone(N);mineral phosphorus fertilizer alone(P);mineral nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer together(NP).Based on the long-term annual fallow precipitation,dry years(mean annual fallow precipitation)were distinguished.Phosphorus fertilization alone significantly increased the mean annual tiller number(23%),and the increase in tiller number was higher in wet years(29%)than in the dry years(17%).However,nitrogen fertilization alone had little effect on mean tiller number,while nitrogen and phosphorus together significantly increased mean annual tiller number(30%),mean tiller number in wet years(45%)and mean tiller number in dry years(17%).Tiller number was significantly and positively correlated with fallow precipitation in dry years for all fertilizer treatments,whereas it was weakly and either positively or negatively correlated with fallow precipitation in wet years depending on the treatment.This study found positive correlations between tiller number and fallow precipitation in the CK and NP treatments,and it found negative correlations between tiller number and fallow precipitation in the treatments with nitrogen fertilization alone or phosphorous fertilization alone in wet years.Understanding the impacts of fallow precipitation and fertilization on tiller development shed light on ways to improve crop production in rain-fed agricultural regions.

长期施肥对黄土旱塬农田土壤氮素生理菌群和解磷菌的影响

土壤功能微生物能促进农田生态系统养分转化和维持土壤生态环境系统稳定性。本研究基于国家黄土高原长武农业生态试验站长期定位施肥试验区,研究不施肥(CK)、施用中量氮肥(N12)、施用高量氮肥(N24)、施用中量磷肥(P12)、施用高量磷肥(P24)、施用中量氮磷肥(N12P12) 6种处理下土壤可培养功能微生物氮素生理菌群和解磷菌丰度,探讨长期施肥对黄土旱塬农田土壤功能微生物活性影响及其对环境指标的响应。结果表明:长期施肥对各氮素生理菌群数量影响较大,其丰度好氧自生固氮菌>氨化细菌>亚硝化细菌>反硝化细菌;单施肥处理的氨化细菌和亚硝化细菌的变化规律相同,均随氮、磷肥施用量的增加而减少,而好氧自生固氮菌变化与之相反;无机磷细菌对氮肥的响应程度较高,磷肥对无机磷细菌丰度影响不明显;施加磷肥可降低土壤中有机磷细菌丰度,促进有机磷矿化;相关性分析表明,土壤氮素生理菌群、解磷菌丰度与各土壤理化指标存在一定程度的相关性,氨化细菌与硝态氮呈显著负相关,而与pH、田间持水量呈显著正相关;好氧自生固氮菌与全磷、速效磷、田间持水量呈极显著正相关;亚硝化细菌与全氮呈显著正相关;反硝化细菌与含水率呈显著正相关;无机磷细菌与全氮呈显著正相关,与含水率呈极显著负相关;有机磷细菌与总有机碳呈显著正相关;冗余分析显示,土壤全磷含量对土壤氮磷转化细菌作用最明显,解释了相关土壤细菌数量变化的33.2%(F=13.9,P=0.002),长期施肥对黄土区农田土壤氮素生理群和解磷菌群落丰度产生了显著影响,且氮素生理群和解磷菌在农田生态系统协同作用密切。