Evaluation of current fertilizer practice and soil fertility in vegetable production in the Beijing region

Abstract

A survey on current fertilizer practices and their effects on soil fertility and soil salinity was conducted from 1996 to 2000 in Beijing Province, a major vegetable production area in the North China Plain. Inputs of the major nutrients ͑NPK͒ and fertilizer application methods and sources for different vegetable species and field conditions were evaluated. Excessive N and P fertilizer application, often up to about 5 times the crop requirement in the case of N, was very common, especially for high-value crops. Potassium supply may have been inadequate for some crops such as leafy vegetables. Urea, diammonium orthophosphate ͑͑NH 4 ͒ 2 HPO 4 ͒ and chicken manure were the major nutrient sources for vegetable production in the region. Over 50% of N, 60% of P and nearly 90% of K applied originated from organic manure. Total N application rate for open-field Chinese cabbage from organic manure and inorganic fertilizers ranged from 300 to 900 kg N ha -1 on 78% of the farms surveyed. More than 35% of the surveyed greenhouse-grown tomato crops received Ͼ 1000 kg N ha -1 from organic and inorganic sources. A negative K balance ͑applied K minus K removed by the crop͒ was found in two-thirds of the surveyed fields of open-field Chinese cabbage and half of the surveyed fields of greenhousegrown tomato. Plant-available N, P and K increased with increasing length of the period the greenhouse soils had been used for vegetable production. Similarly, soil salinity increased more in greenhouse soils than in open-field soils. The results indicate that balanced NPK fertilizer use and maintenance of soil quality are important for the development of sustainable vegetable production systems in this region.

Seasonal temperatures have more influence than nitrogen fertilizer rates on cucumber yield and nitrogen uptake in a double cropping system

“…Recent investigations on common fertilizer practices in the North China Plain have revealed excessive N fertilizer applications in intensive vegetable production systems, with fertilizer N application rates ranging from 500 to 1900 kg N ha À1 per season in greenhouse cropping systems (Chen et al, 2004;Zhang et al, 1996). It was comparable with N fertilization in Valencian Community region areas with intensive agricultural production in Spain, in which nitrogen fertilization in pepper and tomato cropping system could reach to 1030 and 940 kg N ha À1 , respectively (Ramos et al, 2002).…”

Long-term reduction of nitrogen fertilizer use through knowledge training in rice production in China

“…In 2006, China consumed 31 million tons of chemical nitrogen (N) fertilizer, accounting for about 32 percent of global N consumption (Heffer, 2009). Several studies have shown that in China, N-fertilizer use has been excessively used in grain production (Cai et al, 2002;Chen et al, 2006;Cui et al, 2008;Fan et al, 2007;Ma et al, 2008;Peng et al, 2002;Yan et al, 2012) and vegetable farming (Chen et al, 2004;He et al, 2009).…”

Influence of root zone nitrogen management and a summer catch crop on cucumber yield and soil mineral nitrogen dynamics in intensive production systems

“…Recent investigations have revealed that excessive N fertilizer applications with fertilizer N recovery rates of less than 10% are commonly practiced in intensive greenhouse vegetable production systems in northern China (Chen et al 2004;Zhang et al 1996;Zhu et al 2005). Consequently, very high proportions of unused nutrients accumulate in the soil, and N is released into the environment through nitrate leaching, denitrification and NH 3 volatilization (Cabrera and Chiang 1994;Fox et al 1996;Gollany et al 2004;He et al 2007;Ramos et al 2002).…”