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Biomass Yield and Nutrient Uptake of Energy Sorghum in Response to Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate on Marginal Land in a Semi-Arid Region

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Abstract

Energy sorghum tolerates adverse climatic and edaphic conditions and has great potential as biofuel feedstock in marginal land. This study investigates the potential energy sorghum biomass production and uptake of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) on a sandy loam marginal land in a semi-arid region, in order to define optimum N fertilizer rate to produce the highest biomass yield with minimal nutrient elimination. Five N rate treatments (0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 kg ha−1) and two sorghum varieties (sweet type Guotian-8 (GT-8) and biomass type Guoneng-11 (GN-11)) were used. Yield increment was observed as N level increased, but the standout treatment appeared to be N rate of 60 kg ha−1 which significantly increased biomass yield vs. controls by 68.8% in 2014 and 64.1% in 2015. Biomass yield exhibited non-significant differences between N rate treatments from 60 to 240 kg ha−1, although the highest biomass yield (9.2–11.9 t ha−1) was observed in the 120 kg N ha−1 treatment. Nutrient analysis showed that N, P, and K accumulation in aboveground plants increased with N rate increase, ranging between 32.2 and 119.1, 7.9 and 19.2, and 22.1 and 94.0 kg ha−1, respectively, for the highest N rate of 240 kg ha−1. Substantial amounts of N were extracted from the soil in control and 60 kg N ha−1 treatments, despite the low fertility and organic matter content of the soil. Moreover, nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) was maximized at lower N rates. A decline in physiological N use efficiency (PNUE) resulted in decreased agronomic N use efficiency (ANUE) at higher N rates. Hence, it is concluded that N fertilizer rate between 60 and 120 kg ha−1 would be the optimal N requirement to facilitate sustainable production of energy sorghum on a sandy wasteland.

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Abbreviations

N:

Nitrogen

P:

Phosphorus

K:

Potassium

GT-8:

Guotian-8

GN-11:

Guoneng-11

NUE:

Nitrogen use efficiency

AGDW:

Aboveground dry weight

PFP:

Partial factor productivity

ANUE:

Agronomic nitrogen use efficiency

ANRE:

Apparent nitrogen recovery efficiency

PNUE:

Physiological nitrogen use efficiency

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31470555).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, No. 2, Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100193, China

    Asif Ameen, Xiaolin Yang, Feng Chen, Chaochen Tang, Fu Du & Guang Hui Xie

  2. National Energy R&D Center for Biomass, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China

    Asif Ameen, Xiaolin Yang, Feng Chen, Chaochen Tang, Fu Du & Guang Hui Xie

  3. College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China

    Shah Fahad

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  1. Asif Ameen
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Ameen, A., Yang, X., Chen, F. et al. Biomass Yield and Nutrient Uptake of Energy Sorghum in Response to Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate on Marginal Land in a Semi-Arid Region. Bioenerg. Res. 10, 363–376 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-016-9804-5

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