Effects of different manure application rates on soil properties, nutrient use, and crop yield during dryland maize farming
Xianqing Hou A B E , Xiaojuan Wang A B E , Rong Li A B , Zhikuan Jia A B D , Lianyou Liang C , Junpeng Wang A B , Junfeng Nie A B , Xin Chen A B and Zhen Wang A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A China Water-Saving Agricultural Academy in Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
B Key Laboratory of Crop Physi-ecology and Tillage Science in Northwestern loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
C College of Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
D Corresponding author. Email: zhikuan@tom.com
E X. J. Wang and X. Q. Hou contributed equally to this work.
Soil Research 50(6) 507-514 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR11339
Submitted: 13 September 2011 Accepted: 21 July 2012 Published: 25 September 2012
Abstract
The combined application of manure and chemical fertiliser has major effects on soil physico-chemical and biological properties, and it increases crop yields. A 4-year study was conducted to study the effects of the application of high (HM 22 500 kg/ha), medium (MM 15 000 kg/ha), and low (LM 7500 kg/ha) rates of manure in combination with conventional chemical fertiliser. We evaluated the effects on soil properties, nutrient use, and crop yield in a continuous-cropping maize system. We also compared the three manure treatments with chemical fertiliser-only (CF-only) and no fertiliser (NF) treatments during 2007–2010 in semi-arid conditions. Compared with CF-only and NF, manure combined with chemical fertiliser produced a lower soil bulk density and significantly increased the >0.25-mm water-stable aggregate content, which was higher with increasing manure application rates. The duration of increased soil enzyme activity after manure application depended on the manure application rate; HM produced a significantly higher increase in soil enzyme activity than CF-only and NF during 2007–2010. Manure combined with chemical fertiliser significantly increased crop yield and nitrogen (N) content of the crop organs, showing that this treatment enhanced the use of N fertiliser. Soil properties may be conserved by the MM treatment, which improved soil properties while increasing crop yield, because there was no significant difference in the residual level of N with the MM and CF-only treatments. Therefore, the MM treatment may be an appropriate soil fertiliser treatment for dryland maize farming.
Additional keywords: maize yield, manure, nutrient use, organic matter, soil bulk density, soil enzyme activity, water-stable aggregate.
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