Regulation effects of water and nitrogen on yield,water,and nitrogen use efficiency of wolfberry

Wolfberry(Lycium barbarum L.)is important for health care and ecological protection.However,it faces problems of low productivity and resource utilization during planting.Exploring reasonable models for water and nitrogen management is important for solving these problems.Based on field trials in 2021 and 2022,this study analyzed the effects of controlling soil water and nitrogen application levels on wolfberry height,stem diameter,crown width,yield,and water(WUE)and nitrogen use efficiency(NUE).The upper and lower limits of soil water were controlled by the percentage of soil water content to field water capacity(θ_(f)),and four water levels,i.e.,adequate irrigation(W0,75%-85%θ_(f)),mild water deficit(W1,65%-75%θ_(f)),moderate water deficit(W2,55%-65%θ_(f)),and severe water deficit(W3,45%-55%θ_(f))were used,and three nitrogen application levels,i.e.,no nitrogen(N0,0 kg/hm^(2)),low nitrogen(N1,150 kg/hm^(2)),medium nitrogen(N2,300 kg/hm^(2)),and high nitrogen(N3,450 kg/hm^(2))were implied.The results showed that irrigation and nitrogen application significantly affected plant height,stem diameter,and crown width of wolfberry at different growth stages(P<0.01),and their maximum values were observed in W1N2,W0N2,and W1N3 treatments.Dry weight per plant and yield of wolfberry first increased and then decreased with increasing nitrogen application under the same water treatment.Dry weight per hundred grains and dry weight percentage increased with increasing nitrogen application under W0 treatment.However,under other water treatments,the values first increased and then decreased with increasing nitrogen application.Yield and its component of wolfberry first increased and then decreased as water deficit increased under the same nitrogen treatment.Irrigation water use efficiency(IWUE,8.46 kg/(hm^(2)·mm)),WUE(6.83 kg/(hm^(2)·mm)),partial factor productivity of nitrogen(PFPN,2.56 kg/kg),and NUE(14.29 kg/kg)reached their highest values in W2N2,W1N2,W1N2,and W1N1 treatments.Results of principal component analysis(PCA)showed that yield,WUE,and NUE were better in W1N2 treatment,making it a suitable water and nitrogen management mode for the irrigation area of the Yellow River in the Gansu Province,China and similar planting areas.

Water and nitrogen footprint assessment of integrated agronomic practice management in a summer maize cropping system

The footprints of water and nitrogen(WF and NF)provide a comprehensive overview of the type and quantity of water consumption and reactive nitrogen(Nr)loss in crop production.In this study,a field experiment over two years(2019 and 2020)compared three integrated agronomic practice management(IAPM)systems:An improved management system(T2),a high-yield production system(T3),and an integrated soil-crop management system(ISCM)using a local smallholder farmer’s practice system(T1)as control,to investigate the responses of WF,Nr losses,water use efficiency(WUE),and nitrogen use efficiency(NUE)to IAPM.The results showed that IAPM optimized water distribution and promoted water use by summer maize.The evapotranspiration over the whole maize growth period of IAPM increased,but yield increased more,leading to a significant increase in WUE.The WUE of the T2,T3,and ISCM treatments was significantly greater than in the T1 treatment,in 2019 and 2020respectively,by 19.8-21.5,31.8-40.6,and 34.4-44.6%.The lowest WF was found in the ISCM treatment,which was 31.0%lower than that of the T1 treatment.In addition,the ISCM treatment optimized soil total nitrogen(TN)distribution and significantly increased TN in the cultivated layer.Excessive nitrogen fertilizer was applied in treatment T3,producing the highest maize yield,and resulting in the highest Nr losses.In contrast,the ISCM treatment used a reduced nitrogen fertilizer rate,sacrificing grain yield partly,which reduced Nr losses and eventually led to a significant increase in nitrogen use efficiency and nitrogen recovery.The Nr level in the ISCM treatment was34.8%lower than in the T1 treatment while NUE was significantly higher than in the T1 treatment by 56.8-63.1%in2019 and 2020,respectively.Considering yield,WUE,NUE,WF,and NF together,ISCM should be used as a more sustainable and clean system for sustainable production of summer maize.

OsNPF3.1,a nitrate,abscisic acid and gibberellin transporter gene,is essential for rice tillering and nitrogen utilization efficiency

Low-affinity nitrate transporter genes have been identified in subfamilies 4-8 of the rice nitrate transporter 1(NRT1)/peptide transporter family(NPF),but the OsNPF3 subfamily responsible for nitrate and phytohormone transport and rice growth and development remains unknown.In this study,we described OsNPF3.1 as an essential nitrate and phytohormone transporter gene for rice tillering and nitrogen utilization efficiency(NUtE).OsNPF3.1 possesses four major haplotypes of its promoter sequence in 517 cultivars,and its expression is positively associated with tiller number.Its expression was higher in the basal part,culm,and leaf blade than in other parts of the plant,and was strongly induced by nitrate,abscisic acid(ABA)and gibberellin 3(GA_3)in the root and shoot of rice.Electrophysiological experiments demonstrated that OsNPF3.1 is a pH-dependent low-affinity nitrate transporter,with rice protoplast uptake assays showing it to be an ABA and GA_3 transporter.OsNPF3.1 overexpression significantly promoted ABA accumulation in the roots and GA accumulation in the basal part of the plant which inhibited axillary bud outgrowth and rice tillering,especially at high nitrate concentrations.The NUtE of OsNPF3.1-overexpressing plants was enhanced under low and medium nitrate concentrations,whereas the NUtE of OsNPF3.1 clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)plants was increased under high nitrate concentrations.The results indicate that OsNPF3.1 transports nitrate and phytohormones in different rice tissues under different nitrate concentrations.The altered OsNPF3.1 expression improves NUtE in the OsNPF3.1-overexpressing and CRISPR lines at low and high nitrate concentrations,respectively.

Effect of Rural Sewage Irrigation Regime on Water-Nitrogen Utilization and Crop Growth of Paddy Rice in Southern China

Reclaimed water irrigation has become an effective mean to alleviate the contradiction between water availability and its consumption worldwide.In this study,three types of irrigation water sources(rural sewage’s primary treated water R1 and secondary treated water R2,and river water R3)meeting the requirements of water quality for farmland irrigation were selected,and three types of irrigation water levels(low water levelW1 of 0–80 mm,medium water level W2 of 0–100 mm,and high water level W3 of 0–150 mm)were adopted to carry out research on the influence mechanismS of different irrigation water sources and water levels on water and nitrogen use and crop growth in paddy field.The water quantity indicators(irrigation times and irrigation volume),soil ammonium nitrogen(NH4+-N)and nitrate nitrogen(NO3−-N),rice yield indicators(thousand-grain weight,the number of grains per spike,and the number of effective spikes),and quality indicators(the amount of protein,amylose,vitamin C,nitrate and nitrite content)of rice were measured.The results showed that,the average irrigation volume under W3 was 2.4 and 1.9 times of that under W1 and W2,respectively.Compared with R3,the peak consumption of rice was lagged behind under R1 and R2,and the nitrogen form in 0–40 cm soil layers under rural sewage irrigation was mainly NH4+-N.The changes of NO3−-N and NH4+-N in the 0–40 cm soil layer showed the trend of declining and then increasing.The water level control only had a significant effect on the change of NO3−-N in the 60–80 cm soil layer.Both irrigation water use efficiency and crop water use efficiency were gradually reduced with the increase of field water level control.The nitrogen utilization efficiency under rural sewage irrigation was significantly higher than that under R3.Compared with the R3,rural sewage irrigation could significantly increase the yield of rice,and as the field water level rose,the effect of yield promotion was more obvious.It was noteworthy that the grain of rice under R1 monitored the low nitrate and nitrite content,but no nitrate and nitrite was discovered under R2 and R3.Therefore,reasonable rural sewage irrigation(R2)and medium water level(W2)were beneficial to improve nitrogen utilization efficiency,crop yield and crop quality promotion.

Variation of Nitrogen Uptake and Utilization Efficiency of Mid-Season Hybrid Rice at Different Ecological Sites under Different Nitrogen Application Levels

[Objective] The study aimed at investigating the effects of different geographic sites,soil chemical characteristics and nitrogen application levels on nitrogen accumulation and distribution in different organs and utilization efficiency for mid-season hybrid rice.[Method] By using mid-season rice varieties II-you 7 and Yuxiangyou203 as the experimental materials,field experiment was conducted at seven ecological sites in four provinces or cities in Southwestern China in 2009.A total of four nitrogen application levels were set as follows：by using 75 kg/hm2 of P2O5 and 75 kg/hm2 of K2O as the base fertilizer,extra 0,90,150 and 210 kg/hm2 of nitrogen fertilizer（in which,base fertilizer,base-tillering fertilizer and base-earing fertilizer respectively accounted for 60%,20% and 20%.） was applied,respectively.In the split-plot design,fertilizer was considered as the main factor while rice variety was taken as the secondary factor.A total of eight treatments were set with three replications.[Result] Highly significant differences of grain yield were found among seven locations,two varieties,four nitrogen application levels,interactions of site × variety and site × nitrogen application level,but the interaction of variety ×nitrogen application level had no significant influence on rice yield.There were highly significant effects of site,varieties and nitrogen application level on dry matter production,nitrogen content,nitrogen utilization efficiency.Highly significant negative correlations between uptake efficiency and utilization efficiency for nitrogen were found;and multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that nitrogen uptake-utilization efficiency were significantly influenced by different ecological sites,chemical quality of soil and the levels of nitrogen application.[Conclusion] The research will provide theoretical and practical basis for the highly efficient application of nitrogen in mid-season hybrid rice cultivation.

Effects of Nano-Carbon Water-Retaining Fertilizer on Yield and Nitrogen and Phosphorus Utilization Efficiency of Tuber Mustard

The effects of nano-carbon water-retaining fertilizer on yield,quality of tuber mustard,and fertilizer utilization efficiency were studied with the field experiments compared to the local tuber mustard fertilizer with equal amount of effective composition. The results showed that the yield of tuber mustard was 50 670-56 496 kg/ha in treatments of nano-carbon water-retaining fertilizer decreasing by 10%-40%,and compared with local tuber mustard fertilizer,the average yield was increased by 94. 8%. The yield increasing rate of tuber mustard was 93. 0%in treatment of nano-carbon water-retaining fertilizer decreasing by 30%. The average fertilizer utilization efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus was 54% and 39. 7%,respectively,the average increment of fertilizer utilization efficiency was 36% and 37%,respectively compared with local tuber mustard fertilizer. Especially in treatment of reducing nano-carbon water-retaining fertilizer by 30%,the nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer utilization efficiency was increased by 64% and 56%,respectively. By comprehensive comparison,it was found that nano-carbon waterretaining fertilizer and the treatment of 30% reduction could significantly improve the yield of tuber mustard and fertilizer utilization efficiency,and have popularization and application value in the Three Gorges Reservoir area.

The Relationship between Water Resources Use Efficiency and Scientific and Technological Innovation Level: Case Study of Yangtze River Basin in China

The Yangtze River Basin’s water resource utilization efficiency(WUE)and scientific and technological innovation level(STI)are closely connected,and the comprehension of these relationships will help to improve WUE and promote local economic growth and conservation of water.This study uses 19 provinces and regions along the Yangtze River’s mainstream from 2009 to 2019 as its research objects and uses a Vector Auto Regression(VAR)model to quantitatively evaluate the spatiotemporal evolution of the coupling coordination degree(CCD)between the two subsystems of WUE and STI.The findings show that:(1)Both the WUE and STI in the Yangtze River Basin showed an upward trend during the study period,but the STI effectively lagged behind the WUE;(2)The CCD of the two subsystems generally showed an upward trend,and the CCD of each province was improved to varying degrees,but the majority of regions did not develop a high-quality coordination stage;(3)The CCD of the two systems displayed apparent positive spatial autocorrelation in the spatial correlation pattern,and there were only two types:high-high(H-H)urbanization areas and low-low(L-L)urbanization areas;(4)The STI showed no obvious response to the impact of the WUE,while the WUE responded greatly to the STI,and both of them were highly dependent on themselves.Optimizing their interaction mechanisms should be the primary focus of high-quality development in the basin of the Yangtze River in the future.These results give the government an empirical basis to enhance the WUE and promote regional sustainable development.

Drip irrigation incorporating water conservation measures:Effects on soil water-nitrogen utilization,root traits and grain production of spring maize in semi-arid areas

The Northeast Plain is the largest maize production area in China,and drip irrigation has recently been proposed to cope with the effects of frequent droughts and to improve water use efficiency(WUE).In order to develop an efficient and environmentally friendly irrigation system,drip irrigation experiments were conducted in 2016-2018 incorporating different soil water conservation measures as follows:(1)drip irrigation under plastic film mulch(PI),(2)drip irrigation under biodegradable film mulch(BI),(3)drip irrigation incorporating straw returning(SI),and(4)drip irrigation with the tape buried at a shallow soil depth(OI);with furrow irrigation(FI)used as the control.The results showed that PI and Bl gave the highest maize yield,as well as the highest WUE and nitrogen use efficiency(NUE)because of the higher root length density(RLD)and better heat conditions during the vegetative stage.But compared with BI,PI consumed more soil water in the 20-60 and 60-100 cm soil layers,and accelerated the progress of root and leaf senescence due to a larger root system in the top 0-20 cm soil layer and a higher soil temperature during the reproductive stage.SI was effective in improving soil water and nitrate contents,and promoted RLD in deeper soil layers,thereby maintaining higher physiological activity during the reproductive stage.FI resulted in higher nitrate levels in the deep 60-100 cm soil layer,which increased the risk of nitrogen losses by leaching compared with the drip irrigation treatments.RLD in the 0-20 cm soil layer was highly positively correlated with yield,WUE and NUE(P<0.001),but it was negatively correlated with root nitrogen use efficiency(NRE)(P<0.05),and the correlation was weaker in deeper soil layers.We concluded that Bl had advantages in water-nitrogen utilization and yield stability response to drought stress,and thus is recommended for environmentally friendly and sustainable maize production in Northeast China.

Effects of water application uniformity using a center pivot on winter wheat yield, water and nitrogen use efficiency in the North China Plain

In recent years, the use of fertigation technology with center pivot irrigation systems has increased rapidly in the North China Plain (NCP). The combined effects of water and nitrogen application uniformity on the grain yield, water use efficiency (WUE) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) have become a research hotspot. In this study, a two-year field experiment was conducted during the winter wheat growing season in 2016–2018 to evaluate the water application uniformity of a center pivot with two low pressure sprinklers (the R3000 sprinklers were installed in the first span, the corresponding treatment was RS;the D3000 sprinklers were installed in the second span, the corresponding treatment was DS) and a P85A impact sprinkler as the end gun (the corresponding treatment was EG), and to analyze its effects on grain yield, WUE and NUE. The results showed that the water application uniformity coefficients of R3000, D3000 and P85A along the radial direction of the pivot (CUH) were 87.5, 79.5 and 65%, respectively. While the uniformity coefficients along the traveling direction of the pivot (CUC) were all higher than 85%. The effects of water application uniformity of the R3000 and D3000 sprinklers on grain yield were not significant (P>0.05);however, the average grain yield of EG was significantly lower (P<0.05) than those of RS and DS, by 9.4 and 11.1% during two growing seasons, respectively. The coefficients of variation (CV) of the grain yield had a negative correlation with the uniformity coefficient. The CV of WUE was more strongly affected by the water application uniformity, compared with the WUE value, among the three treatments. The NUE of RS was higher than those of DS and EG by about 6.1 and 4.8%, respectively, but there were no significant differences in NUE among the three treatments during the two growing seasons. Although the CUH of the D3000 sprinklers was lower than that of the R3000, it had only limited effects on the grain yield, WUE and NUE. However, the cost of D3000 sprinklers is lower than that of R3000 sprinklers. Therefore, the D3000 sprinklers are recommended for winter wheat irrigation and fertigation in the NCP.

Effects of Combined Organic-inorganic Fertilization on Quality and Water Use Efficiency of Spring Maize under Equal Nitrogen Fertilization

The experiment was conducted in the abandoned land of Liangjia Village,Huayin City,Shaanxi Province from April to September 2019.The experimental crop was spring maize.A total of six treatments were set up in a randomized block design.The moisture content of the top 0-60 cm soil was determined regularly,and the yield and quality indices of maize at maturity were checked.The results show that:(i)combined organic-inorganic fertilization increased the yield of spring maize by 3%-8%.(ii)Compared with CK,fertilization treatments significantly improved the water use efficiency of spring maize,with an increase of 59.2%.The average water use efficiency of three combined organic-inorganic fertilization treatments was 27.81 kg/(ha·mm).Compared with CON,combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers significantly improved the water use efficiency of spring maize,with an increase of 12.5%.(iii)The combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers increased the moisture,total starch,crude protein and crude fat contents,and reduced crude fiber content of maize kernels.However,with the increase of the proportion of organic fertilizer,the crude protein content of maize kernels decreased.(iv)Yield of spring maize showed a significant parabolic relationship with soil water consumption.In summary,70%inorganic fertilizer+30%organic fertilizer is a scientific and reasonable way of fertilization.

Effects of Different Rainwater Diversion Patterns on Rainwater Collection Efficiency and Water Utilization Efficiency in Cornfield

Four rainwater diversion patterns including undisturbed soil ditch （T1）, slope compaction （T2）, asbestos sheet covering after compac- tion （T3） and plastic film covering after compaction （T4） were set in cornfield in arid areas of Yunnan Province, and effects of various patterns on rainwater collection efficiency, water utilization efficiency and corn yield were studied. The results shows that rainwater collection efficiency, water utilization efficiency and corn yield of the four diversion patterns presented the same trend, namely T4 〉T3 〉T2 〉T1. Overall, rainwater collection efficiencies of the four diversion patterns ranged from 41.7% to 58.7% ; compared with T1, water utilization efficiencies of T2 ,T3 and T4 increased by 34.9%, 53.5% and 92.5%, and maize yields of them improved by 1 767.0, 1 981.5 and 2 385.0 kg/hm2.

Photosynthetic Light Utilization Efficiency, Water Relations and Leaf Growth of C3 and CAM Tropical Orchids under Natural Conditions

Native orchid species of Singapore in their natural conditions experience stress from high irradiance, high temperatures and periods of extended low rainfall, which impact orchid plant physiology and lead to reduced growth and productivity. In this study, it was found that there was a reduction in photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) in 6 native orchid species under high light (HL) and Bulbophyllum membranaceum under low light (LL). There was chronic photoinhibition in these 6 orchid species over a period of 3 months after transplanting onto the tree trunks without watering and fertilization, especially in Coelogynes mayeriana and Bulbophyllum membranaceum under both HL and LL. This chronic photoinhibition caused by sustained period of water deficit in their natural conditions was later reversed by natural re-watering conditions from higher rainfall. These results indicate that water deficit has a greater impact on photosynthetic light utilization efficiency than excess light. The present study also showed that after natural rewatering, relative water content (RWC) of leaves and pseudobulbs generally increased. During the natural re-watering, total leaf area also gradually increased and reached maximum expansion after 7 weeks under both HL and LL, with some exceptions due to leaf abscission or decline in total leaf area, possibly a strategy for water conservation.

Effects of Different Irrigation Amounts on Water Consumption and Water Use Efficiency of Greenhouse Cucumber

[Objective] This study was to investigate the effects of different irrigation amount on water consumption and water use efficiency of greenhouse cucumber.[Method]Under the condition of drip irrigation with different water amounts in sunlight greenhouse of the arid areas in Ningxia,the soil water was measured and the water consumption of crop was calculated.[Result]When irrigation amount was 563 mm,the water consumption as a whole gradually increased with the delay of growth period,reached peak during the thriving stage of fruit setting,and then gradually declined;in each treatment,the daily water consumption increased with the increasing of irrigation amount during each growth period.However,the consumption of soil moisture reduced with the significant increase of irrigation.563 mm of irrigation amount could meet the water requirements of cucumber and began to add water to soil,and water utilization efficiency could reach 33.4 kg/m3.[Conclusion]The research had provided theoretical basis for water management in the production process of greenhouse cucumber.

Effect of Varied Irrigation Scheduling with Levels and Times of Nitrogen Application on Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Aerobic Rice

More rice needs to be produced with lesser water to feed the increasing human population. Judicious water management practices and appropriate water saving technologies in rice cultivation are in need in the coming decades. Aerobic rice is one of water saving method of rice cultivation. The field experiment was conducted during Summer season of February 2018 to May 2018 at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai, to find out the effect of irrigation schedules with varied doses and time of nitrogen application on yield of aerobic rice. Irrigation scheduling of IW/CPE (Irrigation Water/Cumulative Pan Evaporation) 1.0 up to panicle initiation stage and thereafter IW/CPE 1.2 up to dough stage recorded higher yield attributes viz., number of panicles hill-1 (9.1), number of filled grains panicle-1 (87.9), test weight (15.3 g), grain yield (4462 kg·ha-1), straw yield (5977 kg·ha-1). However, the highest water use efficiency (6.8 kg·ha-1·mm-1) was recorded in the treatment of IW/CPE 1.0 throughout the crop growth period. Lower yield attributes, yield and water use efficiency were recorded with irrigation scheduling of IW/CPE 0.8 throughout the growth stage. Application of nitrogen at 150 kg·ha-1 in 5 equal splits at 20, 35, 50, 65 and 80 DAS (Days after sowing) recorded higher yield attributes viz., number of panicles hill-1 (9.3), number of filled grains panicle-1 (90.5), test weight (15.4 g), grain yield (4746 kg·ha-1), straw yield (6258 kg·ha-1) and WUE (7.5 kg·ha-1·mm-1). Application of nitrogen 100 kg·ha-1 in 4 equal splits at 20, 40, 60 and 80 DAS recorded lower yield attributes, yield and water use efficiency. The interaction effect between irrigation scheduling and nitrogen management on yield was significant. The combination of IW/CPE 1.0 up to panicle initiation stage and thereafter IW/CPE 1.2 up to dough stage along with application of nitrogen at 150 kg·ha-1 in 5 equal splits at 20, 35, 50, 65 and 80 DAS significantly produced higher number of panicles hill-1 (10.7), grain yield of 5419 kg·ha-1 and straw yield of 6906 kg·ha-1. However, IW/CPE 1.0 throughout the growth period along with application of nitrogen at 150 kg·ha-1 in 5 equal splits at 20, 35, 50, 65 and 80 DAS registered the highest water use efficiency (8.4 kg·ha-1·mm-1) in aerobic rice.

Determination of Leafy Vegetables Need in Water andNitrogen Use Efficiency by Using the Diviner 2000 andthe Isotopes Techniques: Case of Amaranth(Amaranthus cruentus)

A study was conducted to determine how the nitrogen(N)in the fertilisers can be quantified and what amounts of fertilizers should be given to leafy vegetables to achieve their requirements.This study also aimed to determine the efficient use of water by the plant.The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block with three replicates and three levels of urea(T0=0 kg/ha,T1=43.5 kg/ha,T2=65 kg/ha).Estimation of growth parameters and biomass yield revealed that the treatments produced statistically identical values.But numerically,T1(43.5 kg of urea/ha)gave the highest yields and T2(65 kg of urea/ha)produced the lowest.It was the same for the determination of the water use efficiency(WUE)by the plant where T1 produced the highest values compared to T2.The yield curve as a function of the applied urea dose allowed the identification of the urea dose that corresponds to optimal yield in amaranth.From the dose of 65 kg of urea/ha,any increase becomes harmful to the plant.This results in a decrease in yield in the amaranth plant.

Growth and nitrogen productivity of drip-irrigated winter wheat under different nitrogen fertigation strategies in the North China Plain

Excessive application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer is the main cause of N loss and poor use efficiency in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in the North China Plain (NCP).Drip fertigation is considered to be an effective method for improving N use efficiency and reducing losses,while the performance of drip fertigation in winter wheat is limited by poor N scheduling.A two-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth,development and yield of drip-fertigated winter wheat under different split urea (46%N,240 kg ha^(-1)) applications.The six treatments consisted of five fertigation N application scheduling programs and one slow-release fertilizer (SRF) application.The five N scheduling treatments were N0–100 (0%at sowing and 100%at jointing/booting),N25–75 (25%at sowing and 75%at jointing and booting),N50–50(50%at sowing and 50%at jointing/booting),N75–25 (75%at sowing and 25 at jointing/booting),and N100–0 (100%at sowing and 0%at jointing/booting).The SRF (43%N,240 kg ha^(-1)) was only used as fertilizer at sowing.Split N application significantly (P<0.05) affected wheat grain yield,yield components,aboveground biomass (ABM),water use efficiency(WUE) and nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPFP).The N50–50 and SRF treatments respectively had the highest yield(8.84 and 8.85 t ha^(-1)),ABM (20.67 and 20.83 t ha^(-1)),WUE (2.28 and 2.17 kg m^(-3)) and NPFP (36.82 and 36.88 kg kg^(-1)).This work provided substantial evidence that urea-N applied in equal splits between basal and topdressing doses compete economically with the highly expensive SRF for fertilization of winter wheat crops.Although the single-dose SRF could reduce labor costs involved with the traditional method of manual spreading,the drip fertigation system used in this study with the N50–50 treatment provides an option for farmers to maintain wheat production in the NCP.

Effects of water salinity and N application rate on water- and N-use efficiency of cotton under drip irrigation

In arid and semi-arid regions, freshwater scarcity and high water salinity are serious and chronic problems for crop production and sustainable agriculture development. We conducted a field experiment to evaluate the effect of irrigation water salinity and nitrogen（N） application rate on soil salinity and cotton yield under drip irrigation during the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons. The experimental design was a 3×4 factorial with three irrigation water salinity levels（0.35, 4.61 and 8.04 dS/m） and four N application rates（0, 240, 360 and 480 kg N/hm2）. Results showed that soil water content increased as the salinity of the irrigation water increased, but decreased as the N application rate increased. Soil salinity increased as the salinity of the irrigation water increased. Specifically, soil salinity measured in 1：5 soil：water extracts was 218% higher in the 4.61 dS/m treatment and 347% higher in the 8.04 dS/m treatment than in the 0.35 dS/m treatment. Nitrogen fertilizer application had relatively little effect on soil salinity, increasing salinity by only 3%–9% compared with the unfertilized treatment. Cotton biomass, cotton yield and evapotranspiration（ET） decreased significantly in both years as the salinity of irrigation water increased, and increased as the N application rate increased regardless of irrigation water salinity; however, the positive effects of N application were reduced when the salinity of the irrigation water was 8.04 dS/m. Water use efficiency（WUE） was significantly higher by 11% in the 0.35 dS/m treatment than in the 8.04 dS/m treatment. There was no significant difference in WUE between the 0.35 dS/m treatment and the 4.61 dS/m treatment. The WUE was also significantly affected by the N application rate. The WUE was highest in the 480 kg N/hm2 treatment, being 31% higher than that in the 0 kg N/hm2 treatment and 12% higher than that in the 240 kg N/hm2 treatment. There was no significant difference between the 360 and 480 kg N/hm2 treatments. The N use efficiency（NUE） was significantly lower in the 8.04 dS/m treatment than in either the 4.61 dS/m or the 0.35 dS/m treatment. There was no significant difference in NUE between the latter two treatments. These results suggest that irrigation water with salinity 〈4.61 dS/m does not have an obvious negative effect on cotton production, WUE or NUE under the experimental conditions. Application of N fertilizer（0–360 kg N/hm2） could alleviate salt damage, promote cotton growth, and increase both cotton yield and water use efficiency.

Methods on Identification and Screening of Rice Genotypes with High Nitrogen Efficiency

In order to establish methods for indentification and screening of rice genotypes with high nitrogen （N） efficiency, N absorption efficiency （NAE）, N utilization efficiency （NUE） and N harvest index （NHI） in ten rice genotypes were investgated at the elongation, booting, heading and maturity stages under six N levels in a pot experiment with soil-sand mixtures at various ratios. NAE in various rice genotypes firstly increased, peaked under a medium nitrogen rate of 0.177 g/kg and then decreased, but NUE and NHI always decreased with increasing nitrogen levels. NAE in various rice genotypes ever increased with growing process and NUE indicated a descending tendency of elongation stage〉heading stage〉maturity stage〉booting stage. N level influenced rice NAE, NUE and NHI most, followed by genotype, and the both effects were significant at 0.01 level. In addition, the interaction effects of genotype and nitrogen level on rice NAE and NUE were significant at 0.01 level, but not significant on rice NHI. Because the maximum differences of NAE and NUE were found at the elongation stage, it was thought to be the most suitable stage for identification and screening these two paremeters. Therefore, the optimum conditions for identification and screening of rice NAE, NUE and NHI in a pot experiment were the nitrogen rate of 0.157 g/kg at the elongation stage, low nitrogen at the elongation stage, and the nitrogen rate of 0.277 g/kg at the maturity stage, respectively.

Interactions of water and nitrogen addition on soil microbial community composition and functional diversity depending on the inter-annual precipitation in a Chinese steppe

Water and nitrogen are primary limiting factors in semiarid grassland ecosystems. Our knowledge is still poor regarding the interactive effects of water and N addition on soil microbial communities, although this information is crucial to reveal the mechanisms of the terrestrial ecosystem response to global changes. We addressed this problem by conducting a field experiment with a 15% surplus of the average rainfall under three levels of N addition（50, 100, and 200 kg N ha–1 yr–1） in two consecutive years in Inner Mongolia, China. Microbial community composition and functional diversity were analyzed based on phospholipid fatty acids（PLFA） and BIOLOG techniques, respectively. The results showed that water addition did not affect the soil microbial community composition, but much more yearly precipitation generally decreased the PLFA concentration, which implied a fast response of soil microbes to changes of water condition. Soil fungi was depressed only by N addition at the high level（200 kg N ha–1 yr–1） and without hydrologic leaching, while Gram-negative bacteria was suppressed probably by plant competition at high level N addition but with hydrologic leaching. The study found unilateral positive/negative interactions between water and N addition in affecting soil microbial community, however, climate condition（precipitation） could be a significant factor in disturbing the interactions. This study highlighted that：（1） The sustained effect of pulsed water addition was minimal on the soil microbial community composition but significant on the microbial community functional diversity and（2） the complex interaction between water and N addition on soil microbial community related to the inter-annual variation of the climate and plant response.

Improving winter wheat grain yield and water-/nitrogen-use efficiency by optimizing the micro-sprinkling irrigation amount and nitrogen application rate

Available irrigation resources are becoming increasingly scarce in the North China Plain (NCP),and nitrogen-use efficiency of crop production is also relatively low.Thus,it is imperative to improve the water-use efficiency (WUE) and nitrogen fertilizer productivity on the NCP.Here,we conducted a two-year field experiment to explore the effects of different irrigation amounts (S60,60 mm;S90,90 mm;S120,120 mm;S150,150 mm) and nitrogen application rates (150,195 and 240 kg ha^(–1);denoted as N1,N2 and N3,respectively) under micro-sprinkling with water and nitrogen combined on the grain yield(GY),yield components,leaf area index (LAI),flag leaf chlorophyll content,dry matter accumulation (DM),WUE,and nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPFP).The results indicated that the GY and NPFP increased significantly with increasing irrigation amount,but there was no significant difference between S120 and S150;WUE significantly increased first but then decreased with increasing irrigation and S120 achieved the highest WUE.The increase in nitrogen was beneficial to improving the GY and WUE in S60 and S90,while the excessive nitrogen application (N3) significantly reduced the GY and WUE in S120 and S150 compared with those in the N2 treatment.The NPFP significantly decreased with increasing nitrogen rate under the same irrigation treatments.The synchronous increase in spike number (SN) and 1 000-grain weight (TWG)was the main reason for the large increase in GY by micro-sprinkling with increasing irrigation,and the differences in SN and TGW between S120 and S150 were small.Under S60 and S90,the TGW increased with increasing nitrogen application,which enhanced the GY,while N2 achieved the highest TWG in S120 and S150.At the filling stage,the LAI increased with increasing irrigation,and greater amounts of irrigation significantly increased the chlorophyll content in the flag leaf,which was instrumental in increasing DM after anthesis and increasing the TGW.Micro-sprinkling with increased amounts of irrigation or excessive nitrogen application decreased the WUE mainly due to the increase in total water consumption (ET)and the small increase or decrease in GY.Moreover,the increase in irrigation increased the total nitrogen accumulation or contents (TNC) of plants at maturity and reduced the residual nitrate-nitrogen in the soil (SNC),which was conducive to the increase in NPFP,but there was no significant difference in TNC between S120 and S150.Under the same irrigation treatments,an increase in nitrogen application significantly increased the residual SNC and decreased the NPFP.Overall,micro-sprinkling with 120 mm of irrigation and a total nitrogen application of 195 kg ha^(–1) can lead to increases in GY,WUE and NPFP on the NCP.