Core Ideas Nutrient Expert is a new nutrient management approach and is confirmed for use in north‐central China.The continual feasibility of Nutrient Expert was evaluated through multiple‐point field experiments.This is the first report of Nutrient Expert on improving environmental benefits of winter wheat. Over application of N and P and poor nutrient management have become a common practice on the North China Plain, and lead to low nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and serious environmental problems. Thus, nutrient management for crops must be improved. In this study, 315 field experiments were conducted from 2011 to 2014 in major winter wheat domains in north‐central China to validate the continual feasibility of the Nutrient Expert (NE) system for improving NUE and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. The NE system significantly increased grain yield, profitability, and NUE, and decreased GHG emission. Compared with farmers’ practice (FP), the NE treatment reduced N and P inputs by 41.4 and 30.1% (115 kg N ha−1 and 36 kg P2O5 ha−1), respectively, and increased K input by 51.5% (25 kg K2O ha−1). Compared with the FP and soil testing (ST) treatments, the NE treatment increased agronomic efficiency of nitrogen (AEN) by 70.0 and 13.3%, recovery efficiency of nitrogen (REN) by 73.8 and 13.3%, and partial factor productivity of nitrogen (PFPN) by 58.5 and 22.2%, respectively. Compared with the FP and ST treatments, the NE treatment reduced total N2O emissions by 54.8 and 26.3%, total GHG emissions by 44.8 and 22.9%, and GHG emission intensity by 45.8 and 22.0%, respectively. These results confirmed that NE is an effective method to make fertilizer recommendations for wheat in north‐central China and has the potential to improve yield, NUE, and profitability, with low environmental pollution.
Core Ideas Nutrient expert is a nutrient decision support tool and this study confirmed that it could be used in north‐central China. The continual performance of nutrient expert was evaluated through multiple‐point field experiments. This is the first report of nutrient expert on improving environmental benefits of summer maize. Modern agriculture needs environmentally friendly approaches to increase production, improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and promote ecologically sustainable agriculture. This study was conducted from 2010 to 2014 in 389 farmers’ fields across major summer maize growing regions in north‐central China to evaluate the continual performance of the nutrient expert (NE) system for improving NUE and environmental benefits. Results indicated that NE significantly increased grain yield and profitability by reducing N fertilizer rate by 35.1% (84.6 kg N ha−1), increasing the K rate by 68.1% (25.8 kg K2O ha−1), and keeping the P rate the same as the farmers’ practice (FP). On average, NUE achieved in the NE treatment was significantly higher than for FP and fertilizer recommendation based on soil testing (OPTS). The NE increased agronomic efficiency of nitrogen (AEN) by 50.8 and 17.3%, recovery efficiency of nitrogen (REN) by 67.7 and 15.9%, and partial factor productivity of nitrogen (PFPN) by 43.8 and 21.2% compared with FP and OPTS, respectively. Furthermore, the calculated total N2O emission, total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, and GHG emission intensity were 35.1 and 17.5%, 35.2 and 18.4%, and 37.3 and 17.4% lower in the NE treatment when compared with FP and OPTS, respectively. The differences in yield, economic benefits, NUE, and GHG emission among NE, FP, and OPTS treatments confirmed that NE is a promising nutrient decision support tool and has the potential to improve NUE and environmental benefits for summer maize (Zea mays L.) in north‐central China.
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