Agronomic Responses of Major Fruit Crops to Fertilization in China: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

With increasing application of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizers, especially in China’s fruit crops, the agronomic responses of fruit crops to fertilization may be reduced with time. Thus, the quantification of these responses would be useful for establishing nutrient recommendation and fertilizer management for fruit crops. Here, a meta-analysis including 552 paired data for agronomic response and 1283 sets for amounts of optimal fertilization from 293 field studies in China were performed to systemically quantify these variations of yield response (YR), relative yield (RY), agronomic efficiency (AE), and partial factor productivity (PFP) in response to the application of N, P, or K fertilizer under different groups including fruit crop types, time, and regions. The results showed that the average YRs to N, P or K fertilizer were 7.6, 5.2, or 5.9 t ha−1, indicating related RYs of 78.0%, 82.9%, or 82.4%, respectively. All of the RYs for N, P, or K application in studies after 2000 were higher and less variable than those before 2000. Higher RYs were also shown for deciduous fruit trees when compared with evergreen fruit trees. The average AEs of N, P, and K fertilizer in China’s fruit crops were 29.1, 32.4 and 20.2 kg kg−1, all of them were negatively correlated with fertilizer rate. Due to a higher yield response and less fertilizer rate, annual crops (mainly watermelon and melons) had significantly higher AE than that of perennial crops. The average PFPs of N, P, and K fertilizer in China’s fruit crops were 129, 205, and 113 kg kg−1, all of which showed a declining trend with time. These findings demonstrated that the building-up of soil indigenous nutrient supply (indicated by RY) together with improving fruit varieties, as well as pest management and other forms of management could make external fertilization less important for increasing the yield of fruit crops in China. A rational nutrient management is therefore crucial for balancing yield and environmental concerns in countries like China, India, and other countries where fertilizers are often overused.

Key Agronomic Fertilization Practices That Influence Yield of Naranjilla (Solanum quitoense Lam.) in the Ecuadorian Amazon

“…Similar results were found in studies with Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Vigna radiata, where the yield was reduced by 73 to 313% when lime was not applied to acid soils [42,43]. Therefore, [38] indicated that the application of lime in an acidic soil is necessary to significantly increase the yield of the crops by 13 to 67%.…”

“…The highest yield obtained in Palora is possibly due to the variation of abiotic factors such as climatic conditions such as temperature and solar radiation [37,38]. Palora can reach until 80 light hours monthly and temperatures between 18 and 29 • C and rarely less than 16 • C. In this environment, plants showed early flowering and fruiting, factors influenced by the heliophany.…”

Soil Fertility Management for Better Crop Production

“…Reliable tools able to quantify nutrient demand will significantly enhance nutrient use efficiency by minimizing overapplication errors. Li et al [17] conducted a meta-analysis of nearly 300 nutrient-response studies of fruit crops conducted over four decades. While the results showed increased yields over time, they also showed slightly reduced agronomic efficiency and partial factor productivity for NPK due to increased soil nutrient supply.…”

Integrated Soil Fertility Management in Fruit Crops: An Overview

“…The results showed that 62375.18 MJ/ha energy was consumed by orange orchards and 77501.17 MJ/ha by mandarin orchards. A meta-analysis of agronomic response of major fruit crops (citrus, apple, water melon, banana, grape, kiwi, jujube, mango, papaya, lychee, apple, apricot, pomegranate etc) to fertilization in China by Li et al (2019a) showed that the yield response to N, P, or K fertilizer were 7.6, 5.2, or 5.9 tons/ha, indicating relative yield of 78.08%, 82.9%, or 82.4%, respectively, with higher relative yield for deciduous fruit trees compared to evergreen fruit trees. A rationale nutrient managements, therefore, crucial for balancing yield and environmental concerns in countries like China, India, and other countries where fertilizers are often over-used.…”