Effects of Nitrogen Conservation Measures on the Nitrogen Uptake by Cotton Plants and Nitrogen Residual in Soil Profile in Extremely Arid Areas of Xinjiang, China

Abstract

This study researched the effects of using various nitrogen (N) conservation measures on the residual characteristics of nitrate and ammonium N in soil and the associated N uptake by cotton plants. A field experiment with six treatments was conducted, as follows, no N application (DT1), conventional N application (DT2), 60% conventional N application combined with DCD (DT3), 60% conventional N application combined with NBPT (DT4), 60% conventional N application combined with cotton straw returning (DT5), and 60% conventional N application combined with DCD, NBPT, and cotton straw returning (DT6). The results showed that the cotton straws in the DT5 treatment were beneficial for the vegetative growth of cotton seedlings. However, it was observed that the later performance of the plants in this sample was poor in terms of height, biomass, and yield of cotton. The plant height in the DT6 sample increased by 15 cm compared with those in DT1, and the soil and plant analyzer development (SPAD) values of the fourth leaf from the top of the DT6 plants were higher than those in the DT1 and DT4 samples. The DT6 plants (60% Urea + DCD + NBPT + cotton straw) increased N use efficiency by up to 47%, and no significant decrease in biomass and cotton yield was observed compared to the DT2 sample. The residual content of nitrate N in the tillage layer increased gradually over time between two rounds of drip irrigation treatment applications. Compared with the DT2 treatment, the other treatments resulted in lower residual nitrate N contents. In summary, the application of N fertilizers at a reduced rate combined with N conservation measures may increase N use efficiency and decrease the risk of non-point source N fertilizer pollution, while maintaining the cotton yield.

Impact of Plant Spacing and Nitrogen Rates on Growth Characteristics and Yield Attributes of Egyptian Cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.)

“…Heavier bolls in wider spacing may be because of less competition amongst crop plants, resulting in efficient consumption of all resources ( Table 3 ). These findings are found to be similar to Alfaqeih et al (2002) , Ali et al (2007) , Rafi et al (2015) , Alsalem et al (2022) , and Zhi et al (2022) . They reported that wider space increased the number of branches per plant and boll weight which was due to less competition between plants.…”

“…Several investigations have been performed to investigate the impacts of plant spaces ( Bednarz et al, 2007 ; Hafeez et al, 2018 ; Fahad et al, 2021b ) and N fertilization rate ( Boquet and Breitenbeck, 2000 ; Bondada and Oosterhuis, 2001 ) in terms of cotton yield and its yield components. Others have observed interactions between plant space and N fertilization ( Ali et al, 2007 ; Zaman et al, 2021 ; Van Der Sluijs, 2022 ; Zhi et al, 2022 ). The impacts of plant space and N rates were explored in the current study, with an emphasis on their interaction.…”

“…High nitrogen requirements are a common limiting factor in crop growth based on their role in cotton photosynthesis and canopy development ( Devkota et al, 2013 ; Muhammad et al, 2019 ; Gross, 2022 ; Rivero et al, 2022 ; Van Der Sluijs, 2022 ; Zhi et al, 2022 ). Because of this, it is the most crucial component in cotton fertilization to get a desirable yield ( Bondada and Oosterhuis, 2001 ).…”

Effects of Different Nitrogen Allocation Ratios and Period on Cotton Yield and Nitrogen Utilization

“…The model of high yield under high fertilizer application will result in a low fertilizer-utilization rate, and to some extent, it will bring about farmland pollution [38]. Therefore, with the premise of maintaining cotton yield, reducing nitrogen application and adopting protective measures can improve cotton NUE and reduce the risk of nitrogen point source pollution [42,43].…”