Uptake and nutrient balance of nitrogen, sulfur, and boron for optimal canola production in eastern Canada

Abstract

Balanced plant nutrition is essential to achieve high yields of canola (Brassica napus L.) and get the best economic return from applied fertilizers. A field study was conducted at nine site‐years across eastern Canada to investigate the effects of nitrogen (N), sulfur (S) and boron (B) fertilization on canola nutrient uptake, nutrient balance, and their relationship to canola yields. The factorial experiment consisted of four N rates of 0 (N0), 50 (N50), 100 (N100), and 150 (N150) kg ha−1, two S rates of 0 (S0) and 20 (S20) kg ha−1, and three B treatments of 0 (B0), 2 kg ha−1 at preplant (B2.0P), and 0.5 kg B ha−1 foliar‐applied at early flowering stage (B0.5F). Each site‐year used the same experimental design and assigned treatments in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Fertilizer S application greatly improved seed yields at six out of nine site‐years, and the highest N use efficiency was in the N150+S20 treatment. Sulfur application generally increased seed S concentration, seed S removal, and plant total S uptake, while B fertilization mainly elevated straw B concentration and content, with minimal effect on seed yields. At the early flowering stage, plant tissue S ranged from 2.2 to 6.6 mg S g−1, but the N : S ratio was over or close to the critical value of 12 in the N150+S0 combination at five site‐years. On average across nine site‐years, canola reached a plateau yield of 3580 kg ha−1 when plants contained 197 kg N ha−1, 33 kg S ha−1 and 200 g B ha−1, with a seed B content of 60 g B ha−1. The critical N, S, and B values identified in this work and their potential for a posteriori nutrient diagnosis of canola should be useful to validate fertilizer requirements for canola production in eastern Canada.

A Multi-Criteria Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Nitrogen and Sulfur Fertilization in Different Cultivars of Winter Rapeseed—Productivity, Economic and Energy Balance

“…Energies 2020, 13, 4654 3 of 36 only in combination with a soil-applied S rate of 40 kg S ha −1 . Similar results were reported by Ma et al [42], Jankowski [44], Ahmad et al [45], Lucas et al [46] and Filipek-Mazur et al [47] in open-pollinated and hybrid oilseed rape cultivars. The combined application of N and S produced similar effects in other Brassica crops, including camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) [48][49][50], brown mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.)…”

“…Sulfur fertilization not only exerts direct effects on the seed yield of crops in the family Brassicaceae but also indirectly improves the agronomic effectiveness of N fertilizers [39][40][41][42]. In a study by McGrath and Zhao [43], N rates exceeding 180 kg ha −1 increased rapeseed yields by 42-267% (0.7-1.6 Mg ha −1 )…”

Responses of soil surface greenhouse gas emissions to nitrogen and sulfur fertilizer rates to Brassica carinata grown as a bio‐jet fuel

“…Brassica crops have high sulfur demand for the synthesis of sulfur containing compound, glucosinolate, and amino acids, methionine and cysteine, that determines the oilseed quality (Walker & Booth, 2003). Oilseed crops require balanced plant nutrition for enhanced seed and oil production (Ma et al, 2019). The growth and seed yield of carinata were increased with N and S application in India (Verma et al, 2018).…”

One-Time Foliar Application and Continuous Resupply via Roots Equally Improved the Growth and Physiological Response of B-Deficient Oilseed Rape

“…Improvement in dry matter yield was concomitant with the increase in B concentration in the leaves and roots ( Figure 3 ) in the roots resupply treatment. Some previous studies showed that foliar B application could improve B availability in leaves and increase the B concentration in leaves [ 14 , 17 , 33 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. The fact that foliar B resupply increased the concentration of B in treated leaves as well as young leaves ( Figure 3 B and C) implies that foliar-applied B can be transported from mature leaves to young leaves or the reproductive organs via the phloem [ 14 , 18 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ].…”

“…Jankowski et al [ 16 ] reported that leaf application of B at 150–300 g ha −1 to winter oilseed rape significantly improved the nutritional value of the seeds. Recently, Ma et al [ 17 ] reported that foliar application of 500 mg B ha −1 during the early flowering stage of canola plants in the field trial showed elevated B concentration and accumulation in straw but this effect was not fully translated to seed yield.…”