Optimizing irrigation and nitrogen rates for sustainable wheat production: Balancing yield and nitrate leaching in a 7-year field study

IF 6.8 1区农林科学 Q1 SOIL SCIENCE

Soil & Tillage Research Pub Date : 2025-08-23 DOI:10.1016/j.still.2025.106822

Haoran Li , Bin Jia , Hongguang Wang , Dongxiao Li , Qin Fang , Jianning He , Xiaokang Lv , Ruiqi Li

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Abstract

Integrated irrigation and nitrogen management strategies enhance wheat productivity while mitigating soil nitrate-nitrogen accumulation through optimized water-N synergies. This study conducted a 7-year split-plot experiment to evaluate three irrigation regimes—no irrigation (W0), 60 mm at jointing (W1), and 60 mm at jointing plus anthesis (W2)—under three N rates: 0 (N0), 120 (N1), and 240 kg ha⁻¹ (N2). The results showed that continuous N0 application significantly reduced soil total nitrogen by 18.9–20.3 % and organic matter by 10.4–13.1 % at 0–20 cm depth compared to the baseline levels, whereas N1 and N2 maintained soil fertility over time. Yield gains under the high-input W2N2 treatment exceeded those under W2N0 by 4.8–71.2 % over the seven seasons, primarily driven by nitrogen-induced increases in spike numbers. However, delayed sowing in 2017–2018 nullified the advantages of high irrigation and nitrogen inputs. While W2N2 achieved the highest yield in most seasons, its superiority over W2N1 was statistically significant in only three seasons. Water productivity (WP) increased with irrigation intensity, peaking at 19.00 kg hm⁻² mm⁻¹ under W2N2, with W1 and W2 consistently outperforming W0. Similarly, nitrogen application improved WP, though nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) declined with higher N rates—a decline partially mitigated by irrigation. Environmental assessments revealed that irrigation accelerated nitrate-nitrogen leaching to deeper soil layers (140–200 cm). The N2 rate exceeded crop nitrogen uptake capacity, causing substantial nitrate-nitrogen accumulation throughout the 0–200 cm profile. Crucially, W2N1 achieved yield stability comparable to W2N2 in multiple seasons but reduced deep-layer (140–200 cm) nitrate-nitrogen accumulation by 37 % compared to N2. Therefore, moderate nitrogen application at 120 kg ha⁻¹ (N1) combined with dual-stage irrigation (W2) emerges as the optimal strategy for North China plain wheat systems. This approach sustains high productivity and water-nitrogen use efficiency while significantly curbing environmental risks associated with nitrate leaching and accumulation.

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小麦可持续生产的优化灌溉和施氮量：7年田间研究中平衡产量和硝态氮淋失

综合灌溉和氮肥管理策略可提高小麦产量，同时通过优化水氮协同效应减少土壤硝酸盐氮积累。本研究进行了一项为期7年的分块试验，以评估三种灌溉方案——不灌溉（W0）、拔节时60 mm （W1）和拔节加开花时60 mm （W2）——在三种氮水平下：0 （N0）、120 （N1）和240 kg ha⁻¹ （N2）。结果表明，与基线水平相比，连续施用氮肥显著降低了0 ~ 20 cm深度土壤全氮18.9 ~ 20.3 %，有机质10.4 ~ 13.1 %，而N1和N2能长期维持土壤肥力。高投入W2N2处理7个季节的产量增幅比W2N0处理高出4.8 ~ 71.2 %，主要是氮诱导穗数增加所致。然而，2017-2018年的延迟播种抵消了高灌溉和高氮投入的优势。虽然W2N2在大多数季节产量最高，但其对W2N1的优势仅在3个季节具有统计学意义。水生产力（WP）随着灌溉强度的增加而增加，在W2N2下达到19.00 kg hm⁻²mm⁻¹ 的峰值，W1和W2的表现始终优于W0。同样，施氮可提高WP，但氮素利用效率（NUE）随施氮量的增加而下降，灌溉可部分缓解这种下降。环境评价表明，灌溉加速了硝酸盐氮向更深土层（140-200 cm）的淋滤。N2速率超过了作物对氮的吸收能力，在0-200 cm剖面上造成大量的硝态氮积累。关键是，W2N1在多个季节的产量稳定性与W2N2相当，但与N2相比，深层（140-200 cm）硝态氮积累量减少了37 %。因此，120 kg ha⁻¹ （N1）的适度施氮配合两级灌溉（W2）是华北平原小麦系统的最佳策略。这种方法保持了高生产率和水氮利用效率，同时显著抑制了与硝酸盐浸出和积累相关的环境风险。

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来源期刊

Soil & Tillage Research 农林科学-土壤科学

CiteScore

13.00

自引率

6.20%

发文量

266

审稿时长

5 months

期刊介绍： Soil & Tillage Research examines the physical, chemical and biological changes in the soil caused by tillage and field traffic. Manuscripts will be considered on aspects of soil science, physics, technology, mechanization and applied engineering for a sustainable balance among productivity, environmental quality and profitability. The following are examples of suitable topics within the scope of the journal of Soil and Tillage Research: The agricultural and biosystems engineering associated with tillage (including no-tillage, reduced-tillage and direct drilling), irrigation and drainage, crops and crop rotations, fertilization, rehabilitation of mine spoils and processes used to modify soils. Soil change effects on establishment and yield of crops, growth of plants and roots, structure and erosion of soil, cycling of carbon and nutrients, greenhouse gas emissions, leaching, runoff and other processes that affect environmental quality. Characterization or modeling of tillage and field traffic responses, soil, climate, or topographic effects, soil deformation processes, tillage tools, traction devices, energy requirements, economics, surface and subsurface water quality effects, tillage effects on weed, pest and disease control, and their interactions.