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High fertilizer nitrogen input increases nitrogen mining in sandy paddy soils

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Abstract

Excessive nitrogen (N) fertilizer application does not increase rice grain yield and N retention in soils but may lead to higher soil N uptake by plants due to added N interaction (ANI). This study hypothesizes that large doses of fertilizer-N increase native soil N uptake by rice plants and reduce soil N balance. We conducted field experiments in two locations in Myanmar for four consecutive rice cropping seasons to determine grain yield, the source of N in plants, and net soil N balance in sandy loam soils to which 0, 30, 77.6, and 160 kg urea-N ha−1 was applied. We used 15N-labeled urea to determine the source of N in plants, ANI and soil N balance. Although rice yield increased with increased N input in the dry seasons, there was minimal yield benefit from N rates above 30 kg ha−1 in wet seasons. Fertilizer-N contributed only 30% of the total plant N, seldom exceeding 40%. Nitrogen rates over 30 kg ha−1 significantly increased soil N uptake in plants (p < 0.05), demonstrating a clear ANI effect of higher N rates. Soil N withdrawal by plants and ANI were the highest in the treatment receiving 160 kg N ha−1, but the fertilizer-N retention in the soil was not enough to compensate for the increased soil N withdrawal, leading to more negative net soil N balance. We demonstrate that excessive N input increases soil N uptake by rice plants, and this combined with low retention of fertilizer-N in sandy paddy soils, leads to more negative soil N balance.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR, Project No. SMCN/2014/044). We would like to thank Professor Soe Soe Thein, Seint San Aye, Swe Swe Mar, Mi Mi Khaing, Ye Min Thant, Ni Ni Myint, Samuel Ling, Zun May Aung, Phyu Phyu Thet Htwe from Yezin Agricultural University in Myanmar, and Grahame Hunter and Myint Aung from the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) for their help during the field experiments. We acknowledge the Melbourne Trace Analysis for Chemical, Earth and Environmental Sciences (TrACEES), The University of Melbourne for analytical support.

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  1. Arjun Pandey and Simon M. Eldridge have contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Agriculture and Food, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Arjun Pandey, Simon M. Eldridge, Anthony Weatherley, Ian R. Willett & Deli Chen

  2. Yezin Agricultural University, Yezin, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

    Aung K. Myint, Aung Naing Oo, Kyaw Ngwe & Zoong T. Mang

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  1. Arjun Pandey
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Pandey, A., Eldridge, S.M., Weatherley, A. et al. High fertilizer nitrogen input increases nitrogen mining in sandy paddy soils. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 125, 77–88 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-022-10257-7

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