Opposite effects of nitrogen fertilization and plastic film mulching on crop N and P stoichiometry in a temperate agroecosystem

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtz006

J Plant Ecol ›› 2019, Vol. 12 ›› Issue (4): 682-692 .DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtz006

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Opposite effects of nitrogen fertilization and plastic film mulching on crop N and P stoichiometry in a temperate agroecosystem

Fan Ding^1,*,†, Shuangyi Li^1,†, Xiao-Tao Lü², Feike A. Dijkstra³, Sean Schaeffer⁴, Tingting An¹, Jiubo Pei¹, Liangjie Sun¹ and Jingkuan Wang^1,*

¹ College of Land and Environment, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110086, China
² Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
³ Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Eveleigh, NSW 2015,
Australia
⁴ Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
*Correspondence address. Fan Ding, College of Land and Environment, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110086, China. Tel: +86-24-8848-7155; Fax: +86-24-8849-0886; E-mail: dingfan1985@syau.edu.cn; Jingkuan Wang, College of Land and Environment, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110086, China. Tel: +86-24-8848-7241; Fax: +86-24-8849-0886; E-mail: j-kwang@163.com †These authors contributed equally to this article.

Received:2018-08-08 Revised:2018-12-31 Accepted:2019-01-22 Online:2019-01-24 Published:2019-08-01

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims

Crop nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry can influence food nutritive quality and many ecosystem processes. However, how and why N and P stoichiometry respond to long-term agricultural management practices (e.g. N fertilization and film mulching) are not clearly understood.

Methods

We collected maize tissues (leaf, stem, root and seed) and soil samples from a temperate cropland under 30-year continuous N fertilization and plastic film mulching treatments, measured their C, N and P concentrations (the proportion (%) relative to the sample mass), and used structural equation models to uncover the responding mechanisms for crop N and P contents (the total amount (g/m2) in crop biomass).

Important Findings

Long-term N fertilization increased N concentrations in all crop tissues but sharply decreased P concentrations in vegetative tissues (leaf, stem and root), thereby reducing their C/N ratio and increasing C/P and N/P ratios. The drop in P concentration in vegetative tissues was due to the dilution effect by biomass increment and the priority of P supply for seed production. In contrast, film mulching decreased N concentration but increased P concentrations in most crop tissues, thereby increasing C/N ratio and reducing C/P and N/P ratios. Film mulching increased crop P content by increasing soil temperature and moisture; whereas, mulching showed little effect on crop N content, because a positive effects of soil temperature may have canceled out a negative effect by soil moisture. This indicated a decoupling of P and N uptake by crops under film mulching. In conclusion, N fertilization and plastic film mulching showed opposite effects of on crop N and P stoichiometry.

Key words: long-term, soil stoichiometry, soil moisture, dilution effect, maize tissues

Fan Ding, Shuangyi Li, Xiao-Tao Lü, Feike A. Dijkstra, Sean Schaeffer, Tingting An, Jiubo Pei, Liangjie Sun and Jingkuan Wang. Opposite effects of nitrogen fertilization and plastic film mulching on crop N and P stoichiometry in a temperate agroecosystem[J]. J Plant Ecol, 2019, 12(4): 682-692.

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Opposite effects of nitrogen fertilization and plastic film mulching on crop N and P stoichiometry in a temperate agroecosystem

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