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Sweet pearl millet and sweet sorghum have high nitrogen uptake efficiency under cool and wet climate

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Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Nitrogen use efficiency is a key factor for the economic and environmental sustainability of farms. It comprises the ability for crops to recover applied fertilizer N in their aboveground biomass, called fertilizer N uptake efficiency (NupE). Sweet pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.BR.] and sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] are C4 annual crops known for their capacity to produce high yield under N-limiting conditions, suggesting high NupE. A field study was conducted for 2 years on sandy loam soils in eastern Canada. The NupE was determined using a 15N-tracing approach. Comparisons were made for both species in regards to their response to (1) increasing mineral N rate (0–160 kg N ha−1), (2) mineral versus organic N (liquid swine and dairy cattle manures), and (3) single versus split N application. For mineral N treatments, NupE ranged from 54 to 82 %, which is greater than values generally reported for conventional crops such as corn. Moreover, NupE increased with N rates. These findings suggest than both species expressed N luxury consumption. The NupE was lower with organic than with mineral N, and a larger proportion of N remained in the soil, suggesting that N immobilization occurred. The presumed losses (unrecovered 15N) were <24 kg N ha−1 in all mineral and most organic N treatments. Splitting N application had little effect on NupE. Our results confirm that sweet pearl millet and sweet sorghum are highly efficient at recovering fertilizer N and, with adequate residue management, may represent a low environmental risk.

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Acknowledgments

The senior author gratefully acknowledges the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for a fellowship. The work was financially supported by the Programme de soutien à l’innovation en agroalimentaire (PSIA) of the Ministère de l’agriculture des pêches et de l’alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ). We thank Annie Brégard for statistical advice, and Valérie Bélanger, Marie-Eve Bernard, Amélie Desilets Roy, Johanne Tremblay, and Gabriel Lévesque for assistance during field and laboratory work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Soils and Crops Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2560 Hochelaga Blvd., Quebec City, QC, G1V 2J3, Canada

    Marie-Noëlle Thivierge & Martin H. Chantigny

  2. McGill University, Macdonald Campus, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada

    Philippe Seguin

  3. Département de Phytologie, Université Laval, 2425 rue de l’Agriculture, Quebec City, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Anne Vanasse

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  1. Marie-Noëlle Thivierge
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  2. Martin H. Chantigny
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  3. Philippe Seguin
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  4. Anne Vanasse
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Correspondence to Anne Vanasse.

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Thivierge, MN., Chantigny, M.H., Seguin, P. et al. Sweet pearl millet and sweet sorghum have high nitrogen uptake efficiency under cool and wet climate. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 102, 195–208 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-015-9689-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-015-9689-2

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