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Nitrogen and phosphorus nutrition and stoichiometry in the response of maize to various N rates under different rotation systems

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Abstract

Better understanding of plant nutrition and nutrient interactions is of critical importance for developing best management practices in crop production. A three-year study was conducted to examine N and P nutrition and their association in maize as affected by rotation system, N application rate and hybrid maize. Rotation by N treatments were composed of maize–alfalfa (MA), maize–soybean (MS) and continuous maize (MM), fertilized in maize year at 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N ha−1, respectively. The two maize varieties were glyphosate-resistant (RR) non-Bt (non-Bt) and stacked RR + Bt near-isoline (Bt) hybrids. Our data showed that grain yield, stover, and total aboveground (or shoot) dry matter, N and P uptake (except for stover P) in amounts followed the order MA > MS > MM and were well responsive to N rates. Grain and shoot N and P contents of Bt maize was greater (P < 0.05) than those of non-Bt hybrid in MM. The N:P ratio was positively correlated with N application rates, and was greater in rotational maize than in MM. Both hybrids attained their maximum yields at approximately 201 kg ha−1 of grain N and 255 kg ha−1 of shoot N, corresponding to 36 and 43 kg P ha−1 in grain and shoot. Nitrogen harvest index, P harvest index and nutrient internal efficiency were responsive to N rates but were not different between the hybrids. This study revealed that the critical grain and shoot N content achieving maximum yield appeared to concomitantly result in high P contents.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported, in part, by the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Growing Forward II target funding project J-000106. We wish to thank Lynne Evenson, Ulrica McKim and Scott Peterson of AAFC for their excellent technical assistance in the experiment. Ulrica McKim also carefully read the latest version of the manuscript. AAFC-ECORC Contribution No. 16-003.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0C6, Canada

    B. L. Ma, Z. M. Zheng, M. J. Morrison & E. G. Gregorich

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  1. B. L. Ma
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  2. Z. M. Zheng
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  3. M. J. Morrison
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  4. E. G. Gregorich
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Correspondence to B. L. Ma.

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Ma, B.L., Zheng, Z.M., Morrison, M.J. et al. Nitrogen and phosphorus nutrition and stoichiometry in the response of maize to various N rates under different rotation systems. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 104, 93–105 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-016-9761-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-016-9761-6

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