Reducing Nitrogen Fertilizer Input While Maintaining Maize Yield and Mitigating Pollution

Strategic Insights -

Investigators at Shanxi Agricultural University have conducted a field experiment in North China to explore the effects of a mixture of slow/controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer (SCRNF) and urea on grain yield, yield components, main agronomic traits, nitrogen partial factor productivity, and content of nitrate/ammonium nitrogen in soil in maize under decreasing amounts of nitrogen fertilization. The researchers discovered that the mixture of SCRNF and urea can improve spring maize yield under reduced nitrogen input, with its yield and yield component factors generally performing better than those of the control.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that reducing nitrogen input by 20% with 50% N from urea and 50% N from biodegradable film-coated urea was an appropriate nitrogen fertilizer management measure for mitigating environmental risks without compromising maize yield in North China.
  • The mixture of SCRNF and urea improved spring maize yield under reduced nitrogen input, with its yield and yield component factors generally performing better than those of the control.
  • The study conducted a field experiment consisting of four treatments: 240 kg·N·hm[superscript]-2, 100% urea (CK); 240 kg·N·hm[superscript]-2, 50% N from urea and 50% N from SCRNF (N100%); 192 kg·N·hm[superscript]-2, 50% N from urea and 50% N from SCRNF under 20% N reduction (NR20%); and 144 kg·N·hm[superscript]-2, 50% N from urea and 50% N from SCRNF under 40% N reduction (NR40%).
  • The study explored the effects of a mixture of SCRNF and urea on grain yield, yield components, main agronomic traits, nitrogen partial factor productivity, and content of nitrate/ammonium nitrogen in soil in maize under decreasing amounts of nitrogen fertilization.
  • The NR20% treatment had the highest yield in 2020 and 2021, increasing by 8.8% and 11.7% over CK, respectively.

Statistics:

  • Yield of the NR20% treatment increased by 8.8% and 11.7% over the CK treatment in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
  • The NR20% and NR40% treatments had no significant impact on the main agronomic traits of spring maize, such as plant height, leaf area, shoot biomass, and SPAD value of the ear leaf, compared with CK.
  • The NR20% and NR40% treatments significantly (* * p* *) reduced nitrate/ammonium nitrogen leaching in soil compared to the CK treatment.

Sources:

  • Can Reduced Nitrogen Application of Slow/Controlled-Release Urea Enhance Maize Yield Stability and Mitigate Nitrate/Ammonium Nitrogen Leaching in Soil in North China?. Agriculture, 2025,15(19):2045. (Agriculture - http://www.mdpi.com/journal/agriculture)
  • NewsRx. Studies from Shanxi Agricultural University Further Understanding of Agriculture (Can Reduced Nitrogen Application of Slow/Controlled-Release Urea Enhance Maize Yield Stability and Mitigate Nitrate/Ammonium Nitrogen Leaching in Soil in North ...). Agriculture Week. October 30, 2025; p 505.