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Agronomy
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Managing Nitrogen for Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Quality
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Managing Nitrogen for Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Quality

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Farming Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2020) | Viewed by 18140

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Rodney Venterea

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, St. Paul, MN 55108-6028, USA
Interests: biogeochemistry; reactive nitrogen,nitrous oxide

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Meeting the twin goals of optimizing crop production and minimizing environmental losses of reactive nitrogen (N) will continue to be a critical issue affecting sustainable development at local to global scales. Much has been learned about practices that can increase N use efficiency and thereby address both objectives. However, serious technical, economic and social barriers often prevent their adoption, and there is a need for more economically feasible and efficient solutions. Innovative practices need to be considered across a range of categories including but not limited to development of new microbial inhibitor formulations, use of creative cropping strategies that incorporate perennial and/or legume cover crops, improved germplasm, and application of novel sensing and other technologies. Use of more efficient practices will also be promoted by improved fundamental understanding of N transformation process including mineralization, nitrification, denitrification, and better ability to model and predict those processes.

This Special Issue will focus on "Managing Nitrogen for Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Quality". We welcome novel research, reviews and opinion pieces covering all related topics and disciplines ranging from the biological to chemical, physical and social, and perspectives that integrate across those disciplines.

Dr. Rodney Venterea
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • reactive nitrogen
  • nutrient use efficiency
  • fertilizer management
  • nitrification
  • nitrous oxide
  • nitrate leaching

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 13621 KiB  
Article
Greenhouse Gas Emissions as Affected by Fertilization Type (Pig Slurry vs. Mineral) and Soil Management in Mediterranean Rice Systems
by Beatriz Moreno-García, Mónica Guillén and Dolores Quílez
Agronomy 2020, 10(4), 493; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10040493 - 1 Apr 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3403
Abstract
The great increase in livestock production in some European areas makes it necessary to recycle organic slurries and manures and to integrate them in crop production. In Northeast Spain, the application of pig slurry (PS) is being extended to alternative crops such as [...] Read more.
The great increase in livestock production in some European areas makes it necessary to recycle organic slurries and manures and to integrate them in crop production. In Northeast Spain, the application of pig slurry (PS) is being extended to alternative crops such as rice due to the great increase in pig production. However, there is a lack of information of the effect of substitution of synthetic fertilizers with pig slurry on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in rice crop, and this information is key for the sustainability of these agricultural systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the substitution of mineral fertilizers by PS on GHG emissions in Mediterranean flooded rice cultivation conditions under optimal nitrogen (N) fertilization. Two field experiments were carried out in two different (contrasting) soil types with different land management. Site 1 had been cultivated for rice in the previous three years with no puddling practices. Site 2 had been cultivated for rice for more than 15 years with puddling tillage practices and had higher organic matter content than site 1. The cumulative nitrous oxide emissions during the crop season were negative at both sites, corroborating that under flooded conditions, methane is the main contributor to global warming potential rather than nitrous oxide. The substitution of mineral fertilizer with PS before seeding at the same N rate did not increase emissions in both sites. However, at site 1 (soil with lower organic matter content), the higher PS rate applied before seeding (170 kg N ha−1) increased methane emissions compared to the treatments with lower PS rate and mineral fertilizer before seeding (120 kg N ha−1) and complemented with topdressing mineral N. Thus, a sustainable strategy for inclusion of PS in rice fertilization is the application of moderate PS rates before seeding (≈120 kg N ha−1) complemented with mineral N topdressing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Nitrogen for Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Quality)
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17 pages, 1927 KiB  
Article
Nitrogen Rate Increase Not Required for No-Till Wheat in Cool and Humid Conditions
by Juan Manuel Herrera, Christos Noulas, Peter Stamp, Lilia Levy-Häner, Didier Pellet and Ruijun Qin
Agronomy 2020, 10(3), 430; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10030430 - 21 Mar 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2849
Abstract
An increased nitrogen (N) supply was proposed to avoid grain yield (GY) reductions and successfully implement conservation agriculture (CA). We investigated interactions effects of tillage system and N supply on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at two sites in the Swiss midlands [...] Read more.
An increased nitrogen (N) supply was proposed to avoid grain yield (GY) reductions and successfully implement conservation agriculture (CA). We investigated interactions effects of tillage system and N supply on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at two sites in the Swiss midlands with no (0 kg N ha−1) and high (150–160 kg N ha−1) N supply using 15N-labelled ammonium nitrate in selected treatments. Wheat’s GY, yield components, N related traits and soil mineral N content (Nmin) under conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT), and no-tillage (NT) were studied following two preceding crops: oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) and maize (Zea mays L.). Wheat after oilseed rape had significantly higher GY and biomass than after maize while a yield decrease under NT compared with CT and MT was observed regardless of N supply level. Differences in soil Nmin among tillage systems were seldom found and were inconsistent. No differences in 15N fertilizer recovery were found between NT and CT while residual Nmin after harvest was lower under NT than CT or MT. In conclusion, we did not found consistent reductions in soil N availability and N uptake under NT that would justify an increased N supply for wheat under CA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Nitrogen for Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Quality)
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23 pages, 1565 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Effects of Different Nitrogen Levels on Growth, Yield, and Quality in Sugarcane
by Xu-Peng Zeng, Kai Zhu, Jian-Ming Lu, Yuan Jiang, Li-Tao Yang, Yong-Xiu Xing and Yang-Rui Li
Agronomy 2020, 10(3), 353; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10030353 - 4 Mar 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5905
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) plays an important role in sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) growth and development; however, long-term effects of N application levels on cane and sugar production in different sugarcane cultivars under field conditions remain unclear. In this study, we investigate the agronomic, [...] Read more.
Nitrogen (N) plays an important role in sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) growth and development; however, long-term effects of N application levels on cane and sugar production in different sugarcane cultivars under field conditions remain unclear. In this study, we investigate the agronomic, yield, and quality traits in three sugarcane cultivars (GT11, B9, and ROC22) under different N levels (0, 150, and 300 kg/ha urea) from 2015 to 2019. Continuous four-year field experiments of plant and ratoon crops were carried out by using two-factor split-plot design. The results showed that N fertilizer application improved the tillering rate, stalk diameter, plant height, stalk weight, millable stalks/ha, cane yield, sugar yield and juice rate of cane, and the difference between N application and non-N application was significant. The cane yield, millable stalks/ha, juice rate, and juice gravity purity increased with the increase of N application, but the milled juice brix and sucrose % cane decreased with the increase of N application. The sugar yield was the highest at 150 kg/ha urea application, while the cane yield was the highest at 300 kg/ha urea application. Different N fertilizer application levels significantly regulated the activities of glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and the contents of chlorophyll and nitrate N in plant leaves, which reflected the regulation in nitrogen metabolism and alteration in dry matter production and distribution, cane yield and sugar accumulation in different sugarcane cultivars. During the four-year experiment duration, the cane yield and sugar yield generally showed ROC22 > B9 > GT11. These data suggested that 300 kg/ha urea application was suitable for the plant and first ratoon crops, and 150 kg/ha urea application was suitable for the second and third ratoon crops. Both cane and sugar yields could be the highest in a four-year production cycle under this circumstance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Nitrogen for Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Quality)
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15 pages, 853 KiB  
Article
Rootstock x Environment Interactions on Nitrogen-Use Efficiency in Grafted Tomato Plants at Different Phenological Stages
by Francisco Albornoz, Adriana Nario, Macarena Saavedra and Ximena Videla
Agronomy 2020, 10(3), 350; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10030350 - 3 Mar 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3010
Abstract
The use of grafting techniques for horticultural crops increases plant tolerance to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Tomato production under greenhouse conditions relies on plants grafted onto vigorous rootstocks because they sustain crops for longer periods. Growers under Mediterranean conditions usually grow crops [...] Read more.
The use of grafting techniques for horticultural crops increases plant tolerance to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Tomato production under greenhouse conditions relies on plants grafted onto vigorous rootstocks because they sustain crops for longer periods. Growers under Mediterranean conditions usually grow crops in passive greenhouses during the summer and winter season, to provide fresh products throughout the year. No information is available with regard to the effect of the environment on nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) in tomato plants grafted onto rootstocks with different vigor. In the present study, NUE, along with its components—uptake (NUpE) and utilization (NUtE) efficiencies—were evaluated in tomato plants grafted onto two interspecific rootstocks, conferring medium (“King Kong”) or high (“Kaiser”) vigor to the plants. The evaluations were carried out during the vegetative and reproductive stage in plants subjected to different environmental conditions resulting in different plant growth rates. The grafting treatments did not affect NUE, NUpE or NUtE in young plants, but at the reproductive stage, differences were found during the summer season (high N demand) where the vigorous rootstock increased NUpE from 55%, in non-grafted plants, to 94%, with the consequent differences in NUE. During the winter crop, no differences in NUE were found between the vigorous rootstock and non-grafted plants, but the less vigorous (cold-tolerant) rootstock enhanced NUpE. Significant positive relationships were found between plant growth rate and both NUE and NUpE, while NUtE decreased with increasing growth rate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Nitrogen for Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Quality)
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15 pages, 287 KiB  
Article
Nitrogen Management Strategies of Tillage and No-Tillage Wheat Following Rice in the Yangtze River Basin, China: Grain Yield, Grain Protein, Nitrogen Efficiency, and Economics
by Jinfeng Ding, Fujian Li, Tao Le, Peng Wu, Min Zhu, Chunyan Li, Xinkai Zhu and Wenshan Guo
Agronomy 2020, 10(2), 155; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10020155 - 22 Jan 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2565
Abstract
In the rice-wheat rotation system, conventional culturing of high yield rice results in poor soil conditions and excessive residues, which negatively affect wheat growth. Tillage and nitrogen (N) use are being sought to address this problem. In order to propose a suitable tillage [...] Read more.
In the rice-wheat rotation system, conventional culturing of high yield rice results in poor soil conditions and excessive residues, which negatively affect wheat growth. Tillage and nitrogen (N) use are being sought to address this problem. In order to propose a suitable tillage method and corresponding N management strategy, the influence of three tillage methods (i.e., plow tillage followed by rotary tillage (PR), rotary tillage twice (RR), and no-tillage (NT)) and nine forms of N management strategies (i.e., three total N rates × three N-splitting schemes) were investigated in a field experiment from 2016 to 2017 (2017) and 2017 to 2018 (2018), using grain yield, grain protein content (GPC), N uptake efficiency (NUpE), and net returns as evaluation indexes. Grain yield, GPC, and net returns were lower in 2017 than 2018, likely as a result of weak seedling growth caused by high soil moisture before and after seeding. In 2017, NT achieved higher grain yield, NUpE, and net returns compared to PR or RR, while grain yield and net returns were higher under tillage in 2018, especially PR. Increased total N rates (210–270 kg ha−1) promoted all evaluation indexes, but suitable timing and corresponding rates of N application are dependent on the environment. These results indicate that the combination of NT and applying N at lower rates and only a few times (i.e., 168 and 72 kg ha−1 applied at pre-sowing and when flag leaves are visible) when the soil is not suitable for tillage is the best method for cutting costs and improving benefits. Under suitable conditions for tillage, PR and intensive management strategies (i.e., 135, 27, 54, and 54 kg ha−1 applied at pre-sowing, four-leaf, jointing, and booting, respectively) could be adopted to increase overall yield, quality, and benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Nitrogen for Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Quality)
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