Global Maize Project in China: Dahe, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province
Project was initiated in 2009 from summer maize rotated with winter wheat to test how the performance of ecological intensification (EI) compares to that of current farmer practice (FP).
IPNI-2009-CHN-GM21
10 Mar 2010
2009 Annual Interpretive Summary
Global Maize Project in China: Dahe, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, 2009
A long-term field experiment was initiated at Dahe Experimental Station in Hebei Province to investigate the ability of ecological intensification (EI) practices to improve yields over time, compared to farmer practices (FP), while minimizing adverse environmental impacts. In this first year, a split-plot design with four replicates was used. Main plots consisted of EI (240-60-90 kg N-P2O5-K2O/ha) and FP (140-138-0 kg N-P2O5-K2O/ha). Subplots were: 1) N applied in all 3 years; 2) N applied in 2 of every 3 years; and 3) no N applied. The site represents the typical rotation system of summer maize and winter wheat. Summer maize was planted on June 15 and harvested on September 30, while winter wheat was planted in the same plot after the summer maize harvest.
A grain yield of 8.1 t/ha was obtained by the EI treatment, which was 6.4% more than FP. Agronomic efficiency (kg grain yield increase per kg N applied) was 4.0 kg grain/kg N in the EI treatment and 4.9 kg grain/kg N in the FP treatment. Partial factor productivity (kg grain yield per kg N applied) was 33.7 kg grain/kg N with EI and 54.3 kg grain/kg N with FP. The apparent recovery efficiency of N (increase in kg N uptake per kg N applied) was 19.1% for EI and 15.8% for FP, respectively. Compared with FP, the EI treatment increased N and K uptake, but not P uptake. IPNI-21