TY - JOUR
T1 - Measuring the Influence of Key Management Decisions on the Nitrogen Nutritional Status of Annual Ryegrass-Based Forage Crops
AU - Silva, Luís
AU - Barbosa, Sofia
AU - Lidon, Fernando Cebola
AU - Santos-Silva, José
AU - Conceição, Luís Alcino
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.
The APC was funded by national funds through the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) by the project UIDB/05064/2020 (VALORIZA—Research Centre for Endogenous Resource Valorization) and by national funds from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, through the research unit UIDP/04035/2020 (GeoBioTec).
PY - 2024/8/17
Y1 - 2024/8/17
N2 - Increasing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by improving agricultural practices and soil knowledge, and implementing precision agriculture, is essential to reduce the overuse of fertilizers and increase nutrient retention. This study aimed to optimize N management in agriculture by establishing a critical N dilution curve (CNDC) and analyzing variations in NUE and the N nutrition index (NNI) among different crops under various treatments. Using a Bayesian model, the CNDC was determined as %Nc = 3.63 × PDM−0.71. The results showed that plant dry matter (PDM) and plant N content (PNC) varied significantly with crop type and sampling moments. Strong positive correlations are presented by PDM with N uptake (NUp) (0.89) and NNI (0.88), along with an inverse correlation with critical N concentration (−0.95). The study found that crops under irrigation conditions had higher NUp and higher NNI. This study provides valuable insights into the influence of key management decisions on the N nutritional status of annual ryegrass-based forage crops. The results highlight the critical role of accurate and conscious decision-making in improving NUE and crop yields, emphasizing the complex interactions between biomass production and N dynamics in crops. The conclusions allow significant benefits to be realized, contributing to the sustainability of agricultural systems.
AB - Increasing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by improving agricultural practices and soil knowledge, and implementing precision agriculture, is essential to reduce the overuse of fertilizers and increase nutrient retention. This study aimed to optimize N management in agriculture by establishing a critical N dilution curve (CNDC) and analyzing variations in NUE and the N nutrition index (NNI) among different crops under various treatments. Using a Bayesian model, the CNDC was determined as %Nc = 3.63 × PDM−0.71. The results showed that plant dry matter (PDM) and plant N content (PNC) varied significantly with crop type and sampling moments. Strong positive correlations are presented by PDM with N uptake (NUp) (0.89) and NNI (0.88), along with an inverse correlation with critical N concentration (−0.95). The study found that crops under irrigation conditions had higher NUp and higher NNI. This study provides valuable insights into the influence of key management decisions on the N nutritional status of annual ryegrass-based forage crops. The results highlight the critical role of accurate and conscious decision-making in improving NUE and crop yields, emphasizing the complex interactions between biomass production and N dynamics in crops. The conclusions allow significant benefits to be realized, contributing to the sustainability of agricultural systems.
KW - critical nitrogen concentration
KW - crop yield
KW - data-driven approach
KW - site-specific analysis
KW - sustainability
KW - variable rate fertilization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85202648521&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/agronomy14081817
DO - 10.3390/agronomy14081817
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85202648521
SN - 2073-4395
VL - 14
JO - Agronomy
JF - Agronomy
IS - 8
M1 - 1817
ER -
