Optimum Application Rate of Nitrogen in Summer Peanut in Southern Shandong Area

[Objectives]To study the effect of nitrogen(N)on the growth demand of summer peanuts under a certain level of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers,and to carry out experiments on nitrogen fertilizer control of summer peanuts.[Methods]Four treatments were set up in the experiment:no-nitrogen plot(N 0P_(4)K_(4)),optimized nitrogen plot(N_(7)P_(4)K_(4)),70%optimized nitrogen plot(N_(5)P_(4)K_(4)),130%optimized nitrogen plot(N 9P 4K 4),repeated 3 times,and arranged in random blocks.The area of the plot was 42 m^(2),ridges were set between the plots,and protective rows of more than 1 m were set around the experimental site.The types of fertilizers were urea,superphosphate,and imported potassium chloride,and the variety of peanuts was Linhua 5.Except for the level of fertilization,other agricultural operations were the same,and soil sampling tests,field records,and yield testing were carried out according to the requirements of the plan.[Results]On the basis of 60 kg/ha of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer application,the optimum economical fertilizer application rate and the highest application rate of pure nitrogen were about 115.20 and 131.25 kg/ha,respectively.[Conclusions]This study is expected to provide a certain basis for the high-quality and high-yield summer peanuts in southern Shandong area.

Determination of optimum nitrogen application rates in Zhejiang Province, China, based on rice yields and ecological security

Excessive nitrogen（N） fertilization in intensive agricultural areas such as the plain region of South China has resulted in low nitrogen use efficiency and serious environmental problems. To determine the optimum N application rate, grain yield, apparent nitrogen recovery efficiency（ANRE）, apparent N loss, and ammonium（NH_3） volatilization under different N application rates in the three years from 2012 to 2014 were studied. The results showed that the relationship between grain yields and N application rate in the three years were well fitted by quadratic equations. When N application rate reached 197 kg ha^（–1） in 2012, 199 kg ha^（–1） in 2013 and 196 kg ha^（–1） in 2014, the plateau of the grain yields appeared. With the increase of N application rate, the ANRE for rice decreased which could be expressed with sigmoidal equation; when N application rate was 305 kg ha^（–1） in 2012, 275 kg ha^（–1） in 2013 and 312 kg ha^（–1） in 2014, the curves of ANRE appeared turing points. Besides, the relationship between soil Nresidual and N application rate was fitted by the quadratic equation and the maximums of soil Nresidual were reached in the three years with the N application rate of 206, 244 and 170 kg ha^（–1）, respectively. Statistical analysis indicated that NH3 volatilization and apparent N loss in three years all increased with the increasing N application rate. When the amount of NH3 volatilization increased to 11.6 kg N ha^（–1） in 2012, 40.5 kg N ha^（–1） in 2013 and 57.0 kg N ha^（–1）in 2014, the apparent N loss in the three years had obvious increase. To determine the optimum N application rate, the average N application on the plateau of the grain yield was considered as the lower limit while the average N application rate at the turning points of ANRE, the residual N in soil and apparent N loss was taken as the upper limit. According to the results in three years, the optimum N application rate for rice in Zhejiang was 197–255 kg ha^（–1）.

Impacts of Salinity and Nitrogen on the Photosynthetic Rate and Growth of Sunflowers(Helianthus annuus L.)

Understanding the interactions between salinity and fertilizers is of significant importance for enhancing crop yield and fertilizeruse efficiency. In this study a complete block design experiment was performed in the Hetao Irrigation District of Inner Mongolia,China, to evaluate the effects of interactions between soil salinity and nitrogen(N) application rate on sunflower photosynthesis and growth and to determine the optimum N application rate for sunflower growth in the district. Four levels of soil salinity expressed as electrical conductivity(0.33–0.60, 0.60–1.22, 1.2–2.44, and 2.44–3.95 dS m-1) and three application rates of N fertilization(90, 135,and 180 kg ha-1) were applied to 36 micro-plots. Soil salinity inhibited the photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, plant height, leaf area, and aboveground dry matter of sunflowers. The intercellular CO2 concentration first decreased and then increased with increasing soil salinity in the seedling stage, and the instantaneous leaf water-use efficiency fluctuated with soil salinity. The stomatal and non-stomatal limitations of sunflowers alternated in the seedling stage; however, in the bud, blooming,and mature stages, the stomatal limitation was prevalent when the salinity level was lower than 2.44 dS m-1, whereas the nonstomatal limitation was predominant above the salinity level. The application of N fertilizer alleviated the adverse effects of salinity on sunflower photosynthesis and growth to some extent. During some key growth periods, such as the seedling and bud stages, a moderate N application rate(135 kg ha-1) resulted in the maximum photosynthetic rate and yielded the maximum dry matter. We suggest a moderate N application rate(135 kg ha-1) for the Hetao Irrigation District and other sunflower-growing areas with similar ecological conditions.