Nutrient Management and Optimized Fertilization on Wheat and Maize in Shanxi Province

Nutrient imbalance is a large problem interfering with the improvement of farmer yields and incomes. In Shanxi Province in 2007, work was carried out to monitor yield responses to balanced fertilization in selected crops.

A long-term field experiment initiated in 1993 at Linfen, on a calcic cinnamon soil, showed that annual application of 150 kg K₂O/ha along with return of wheat straw significantly increased wheat yield to 7.6 t/ha. This was 7% higher than the check (CK) treatment with 198 kg N/ha and 86 kg P₂O₅/ha. Application of K and straw alone increased yield by only 4% and 1% over the CK, respectively. When 195 kg N/ha was applied to the following summer corn crop, the K only treatment and K plus wheat straw increased corn yield by 12% and 14% over the NP treatment, respectively. Apparent K recovery efficiency under the K only and K plus wheat straw were 22% and 20% for winter wheat, and 30% and 28% for summer corn, respectively.
A field experiment on rice in Xinzhou examined split N applications including a zero N check (N0), (N1) 100% N basally, (N2) one-third N applied basally and two-thirds top dressed at tillering, (N3) one-third applied basally and two-thirds top dressed at tillering and tasselling stages, (N4) one-half applied basally and one-half top dressed at tillering. Results showed that application of half the N as a basal application and remainder as a top dressing at tillering not only increased rice yield but also N recovery efficiency. This option produced the highest yield of 11.4 t/ha, and yield was reduced by 33%, 12%, 12%, and 11% under the N0, N1, N2, and N3 options. Apparent N recovery efficiencies for N1, N2, N3, and N4 were 28%, 29%, 30%, and 42%, respectively. Shanxi-NMBF