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ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #334250
Title: Impact of irrigation, nitrogen fertilization, and spatial management on maize

Author
item HAN, KUN - Collaborator
item HAN, XUE - Henan Normal University
item Dell, Curtis
item Kleinman, Peter
item WANG, DONG - Collaborator
item WANG, LINQUAN - Northwest Agricultural & Forestry University

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2017
Publication Date: 10/1/2017
Citation: Han, K., Han, X., Dell, C.J., Kleinman, P.J., Wang, D., Wang, L. 2017. Impact of irrigation, nitrogen fertilization, and spatial management on maize. Agronomy Journal. 108:1794-1804.

Interpretive Summary: Interaction between irrigation water and applied fertilizers in furrow irrigation systems can increases losses of nitrogen to surface and ground water, decreasing nitrogen availability to the crop or driving the addition of higher fertilizer application rates to compensate for losses. This review article summarizes benefits of management approaches that utilize the spatial separation of fertilizer from irrigation water. Alternating Furrow Irrigation (where water and fertilizer are applied in an alternating furrows) allows crop roots on one side of each row of crop plants to take up water while roots on the other side of the plant have access to the applied fertilizer. Separating the fertilizer from the irrigation water in this way has been shown to reduce nitrogen leaching, reduce nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions, and decrease the amount of nitrogen applied, while maintaining or increasing crop yield.

Technical Abstract: The spatial management of irrigation water and N fertilization can be employed to reduce interactive effects, thus increasing water and N use efficiency and reducing pollution. Partial root-zone irrigation is a modified form of deficit irrigation which involves irrigating only one part of the root zone during each irrigation event and keeping the other side dry. Part of the root system in drying soil can respond by sending root-sourced signals, such as ABA, to the shoots causing some stomata to close, reducing water loss by evapotranspiration. However, there is little effect on photosynthesis. Partial root-zone irrigation has been shown to increase water and N use efficiencies, improving fruit quality and reducing N loss compared to conventional flood irrigation. The separation of nitrogen fertilizer and water with alternating furrow irrigation (SNWAFI) not only saves water but also reduces N leaching. Compared with conventional irrigation and fertilization (CIF), SNWAFI can increase maize yield and water and N use efficiencies, reduce soil N leaching, decrease N2O emission, and reduce soil NH3 loss with appropriate irrigation and N rates. Soil moisture within fertilized furrows, which is correlated with the availability and loss of nutrients, is a major controlling factor with SNWAFI. Therefore, the appropriate spatial management of irrigation and fertilization can maximize the agronomic and environmental benefits.