Abstract
In modern agricultural production, straw return (SR) plus nitrogen (N) fertilizer (SR-N) input has been considered a better practical mode to improve soil fertility and crop yield. Here, we investigate the underlying mechanisms of long-term SR-N application on wheat growth, yield, and quality. Wheat seeds were cultivated in 11-year-old plots treated with different N fertilizer levels under corn SR and non-straw return (NSR) conditions. Five levels of N fertilizer were set: N0 (0), N1 (90 kg ha−1), N2 (180 kg ha−1), N3 (270 kg ha−1), and N4 (360 kg ha−1). The wheat plants in SR-N2 exhibited the best growth status, the highest yield, and yield components. Physiological indicators exhibited that wheat plants in SR-N2 also had the maximum chlorophyll, soluble sugars, and protein contents, the highest antioxidant enzyme activities, and the lowest malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Wheat grains in SR-N2 had the highest protein content, which might be attributed to the highest glutamine synthetase activity during filling stage. qRT-PCR analysis showed that six genes related to N uptake and assimilation were significantly upregulated in SR-N2 treatment. Taken together, SR-N2 might be the effective mode that decrease the N fertilizer usage but maintain the maximize crop yield and grain quality by reducing oxidative stress and upregulating the expression of N metabolism-related genes.
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This work was supported by the high-level talent fund from Qingdao Agricultural University (1115012) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFD0301002).
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Table S1
Effects of different N fertilizer levels on grain yield of wheat in 2019. Different lowercase letters indicated significant difference in LSD test between treatments (P<0.05). TGW: thousand grain weight; SR: straw return; NSR: non-straw return; N0 (0), N1 (90 kg ha−1), N2 (180 kg ha−1), N3 (270 kg ha−1) and N4 (360 kg ha−1) refer to five N fertilizer levels designed, respectively (DOCX 17 KB)
Table S2
Primers used for qRT-PCR analysis (DOCX 15 KB)
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Zhu, K., Song, C., Liu, J. et al. Unravelling the Mechanisms of Improving Wheat Growth, Yield, and Grain Quality Under Long-Term Corn Straw Return plus N Fertilizer Mode. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 21, 3428–3436 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-021-00617-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-021-00617-7