Applying nitrogen (N) fertilizer at irrational rates and basal topdressing ratios typically leads to high resource wastage and serious environmental pollution and is a global problem. A pot experiment was conducted between 2020 and 2021 to investigate the effects of different N application rates and basal topdressing ratios on the growth, yield, quality, and water- and N- use efficiencies of forage maize. Four N treatments were used, with the following levels: 0 kg/ha (N0), 70 kg/ha (N70), 140 kg/ha (N140), and 210 kg/ha (N210); and two basal topdressing ratios of N fertilizer were tested, namely: 2:8 and 4:6. An increased N application rate, from 0 to 200 kg/ha, increased whole fresh and dry yields. N fertilization increased the crude protein (CP) content of different plant parts (stems, leaves, and ears), as well as at the whole plant level, but decreased neutral and acid detergent fiber content. The dry matter water use efficiency (WUEDM) increased, while the partial-factor productivity of applied N decreased with an increasing N application rate. Compared with N0, the 2-year average dry matter yield under N70, N140, and N210 increased by 21.8%, 27.6%, and 38.2%, respectively, while WUEDM increased by 19.1%, 28.7%, and 45.0%, respectively. At the 2:8 basal topdressing ratio, the dry matter yield, CP content, and N recovery efficiency under all N application rates were higher at harvest compared to the 4:6 ratio during normal rainfall years, while dry matter yield and WUEDM were both lower compared to the 4:6 ratio during dry years. In conclusion, during a normal rainfall year, a N application rate of 210 kg/ha, with a basal topdressing ratio of 2:8 between the sowing and jointing stages, is considered the optimal N fertilizer application strategy to improve forage maize production in the semi-arid areas of the Chinese Loess Plateau.
Investigating the responses of forage crop yield, quality, and nitrogen (N) use efficiency to different N application rates is beneficial for guiding proper N fertilization regimes and for reducing reactive N environmental pollution. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different N application rates on above-ground dry matter yield, forage quality, crop N uptake, N use efficiency (NUE), and ecosystem economic benefits (EEBs) of forage sorghum cultivated on the Longdong Loess Plateau in 2019 and 2020. Five N application rates were tested, namely 0, 80, 160, 240, and 320 kg·ha−1 (referred to as N0, N80, N160, N240, and N320, respectively). The maximum above-ground dry matter yield (22.3 t·ha−1 in 2019 and 18.0 t·ha−1 in 2020) was obtained at an N application of 160 kg·ha−1. Forage sorghum crude protein (CP) content increased significantly with increasing N application rates (the CP content at N320 was 7.4% and 8.6% in 2019 and 2020, respectively). In contrast, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were only affected by high N application rates (NDF and ADF were significantly higher in N320 compared with N0 and N90). The relative feed value (RFV) was significantly higher in N0 compared with N320. Crop N uptake was significantly higher in N160 compared with N0 (25.7% increase to 249.4 kg·ha−1 in 2019 and 40.5% increase to 247.4 kg·ha−1 in 2020, respectively). NUE decreased linearly as N rates increased, but NO3−–N residue (0–200 cm), reactive N loss (Nr loss), and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased. Private profitability and EEB were the largest at N160 (private profitability at N160 was 514.2 USD·ha−1, and EEB at N160 was 392.7 USD·ha−1). Above-ground yield and optimum forage quality must be maximized, while simultaneously safeguarding farmer income and reducing environmental pollution from N fertilizers. Therefore, the optimum N application rate for forage sorghum cultivation in the dry areas of the Loess Plateau is recommended at 160 kg·ha−1.
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