BG Biogeosciences BG Biogeosciences 1726-4189 Copernicus Publications Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/bg-11-3031-2014 Determining the optimal nitrogen rate for summer maize in China by integrating agronomic, economic, and environmental aspects Wang G. L. 1 3 Ye Y. L. 2 3 Chen X. P. 1 Cui Z. L. 1 Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450000, China These authors contributed equally to this work. 11 06 2014 11 11 3031 3041 Copyright: © 2014 G. L. Wang et al. 2014 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ This article is available from https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/11/3031/2014/bg-11-3031-2014.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/11/3031/2014/bg-11-3031-2014.pdf

The concept of high yield with a goal of minimum environmental cost has become widely accepted. However, the trade-offs and complex linkages among agronomic, economic, and environmental factors are not yet well understood. In this study, reactive nitrogen (N<sub>r</sub>) losses were estimated using an empirical model, and an economic indicator and an evaluation model were used to account for the environmental costs of N fertilizer production and use. The minimum N rate to achieve the maximum yield benefit (agronomically optimal N rate), maximum economic benefit (economically optimal N rate: economic benefit was defined as yield benefit minus N fertilizer cost), and maximum net benefit (ecologically optimal N rate: net benefit was defined as yield benefit minus N fertilizer and environmental costs) were estimated based on 91 on-farm experiment sites with five N levels for summer maize production on the North China Plain. Across all experimental sites, the agronomically, economically, and ecologically optimal N rates (N<sub>agr</sub>, N<sub>eco</sub>, and N<sub>ecl</sub>, respectively) averaged 289, 237, and 171 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. N<sub>ecl</sub> management increased net benefit by 53% with a 46% decrease in total environmental costs, and a 51% decrease in N<sub>r</sub> loss intensity from N fertilizer use (47, 65, and 38% for N<sub>2</sub>O emission, N leaching, and NH<sub>3</sub> volatilization, respectively) and maintained grain yield, compared with N<sub>agr</sub> management. Compared with N<sub>eco</sub> management, N<sub>ecl</sub> increased net benefit by 12%, with a 31% decrease in total environmental costs and a 33% decrease in N<sub>r</sub> loss intensity from N fertilizer use, and maintained economic benefit and grain yield. No differences in N<sub>ecl</sub> were observed between soil types or years, but significant variation among counties was revealed. N<sub>ecl</sub> increased with the increase in N-derived yield with an <i>R</i><sup>2</sup> of 0.83. In conclusion, N<sub>ecl</sub> was primarily affected by N-derived yield and could enhance profitability as well as reduce N<sub>r</sub> losses associated with the maize grain yield.

 References Barning, R.: Economic evaluation of nitrogen application in the North China Plain, Ph.D. thesis, Hohenheim University, Stuttgart, Germany, 2008 Brentrup, F., Küsters, J., Lammel, J., Barraclough, P., and Kuhlmann, H.: Environmental impact assessment of agricultural production systems using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology II. The application to N fertilizer use in winter wheat production systems, Eur. J. Agron., 20, 265–279, 2004. Brink, C., van Grinsven, H., Jakobsen, B. H., Rabl, A., Gren, I. M., Holland, M., Klimont, Z., Hicks, K., Brouwer, R., Dickens, R., Willems, J., Termansen, M., Velthof, G., Alkemade, R., van Oorschot, M., and Webb, J.: Costs and benefits of nitrogen in the environment, in: The european nitrogen assessment – sources, effects and policy perspectives, edited by: Sutton, M. A., Howard, C. M., Erisman, J. W., Billen, G., Bleeker, A., Grennfelt, P., van Grinsven, H., and Grizzetti, B., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 513–540, 2011. Bullock, D. G. and Bullock, D. S.: Quadratic and quadratic-plus-plateau models for predicting optimal nitrogen rate of corn: A comparison, Agron. J., 86, 191–195, 1994. Bundy, L. and Andraski, T.: Soil yield potential effects on performance of soil nitrate tests, J. Prod. Agric., 8, 561–568, 1995. Cassman, K. and Plant, R.: A model to predict crop response to applied fertilizer nutrients in heterogeneous fields, Fert. Res., 31, 151–163, 1992. Cassman, K. G. and Pingali, P. L.: Extrapolating trends from long term experiments to farmers' field: The case of irrigated rice sytems in Asia, in: Agricultural sustainability: economic, environmental and sustainable considerations, edited by: Burnett, V., Payne, R., and Steiner, R., John Wiley and Sons, London, 63–84, 1995. Cassman, K. G., Dobermann, A., and Walters, D. T.: Agroecosystems, nitrogen-use efficiency, and nitrogen management, Ambio, 31, 132–140, 2002. Cassman, K. G., Dobermann, A., Walters, D. T., and Yang, H.: Meeting cerea ldemand while protecting natural resources and improving environmental quality, Annu. Rev. Env. Resour., 28, 315–358, 2003. Chen, J., Huang, Y., Tang, Y.: Quantifying economically and ecologically optimum nitrogen rates for rice production in south-eastern China, Agri. Ecosys. Envir., 142, 195–204, 2011. Chen, X., Zhang, F., Cui, Z., Li, J., Ye, Y., and Yang, Z.: Critical grain and stover nitrogen concentrations at harvest for summer maize production in China, Agron. J., 102, 289–295, 2010. Cui, Z., Chen, X., Miao, Y., Zhang, F., Sun, Q., Schroder, J., Zhang, H., Li, J., Shi, L., and Xu, J.: On-Farm Evaluation of the Improved Soil N–based Nitrogen Management for Summer Maize in North China Plain, Agron. J., 100, 517–525, 2008. Cui, Z., Chen, X., and Zhang, F.: Current nitrogen management status and measures to improve the intensive wheat–maize system in China, Ambio, 39, 376–384, 2010. Cui, Z., Yue, S., Wang, G., Meng, Q., Wu, L., Yang, Z., Zhang, Q., Li, S., Zhang, F., and Chen, X.: Closing the yield gap could reduce projected greenhouse gas emissions: a case study of maize production in China, Glob. Change Biol., 19, 2467–2477, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12213">https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12213</a>, 2013a. Cui, Z., Yue, S., Wang, G., Zhang, F., and Chen, X.: In-season root-zone N management for mitigating greenhouse gas emission and reactive N losses in intensive wheat production, Environ. Sci. Technol., 47, 6015–6022, 2013b. Cui, Z. L., Xu, J. F., Shi, L. W., Chen, X. P., Zhang, F. S., and Li, J. L.: Field quick testing method of soil nitrate, J. China Agr. Univ., 10, 10–12, 2005. Davidson, E. A.: The contribution of manure and fertilizer nitrogen to atmospheric nitrous oxide since 1860, Nat. Geosci., 2, 659–662, 2009. Dobermann, A., Dawe, D., Roetter, R. P., and Cassman, K. G.: Reversal of rice yield decline in a long-term continuous cropping experiment, Agron. J., 92, 633–643, 2000. Drinkwater, L. E. and Snapp, S.: Nutrients in agroecosystems: rethinking the management paradigm, Adv. Agron., 92, 163–186, 2007. Fan, M. S., Shen, J. B., Yuan, L. X., Jiang, R. F., Chen, X. P., Davies, W., and Zhang, F. S.: Improving crop productivity and resource use efficiency to ensure food security and environmental quality in China, J. Exp. Bot., 63, 13–24, 2012. Forster, P., Ramaswamy, V., Artaxo, P., Berntsen, T., Betts, R., Fahey, D. W., Haywood, J., Lean, J., Lowe, D. C., Myhre, G., Nganga, J., Prinn, R., Raga, G., Schulz, M., and Dorland, R. V.: Changes in atmospheric constituents and in radiative forcing, in: Climate Change 2007: The physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental panel on climate change, edited by: Solomon, S., Qin, D., Manning, M., Chen, Z., Marquis, M., Averyt, K. B., Tignor, M., and Miller, H. L., Cambridge University Press, 129–234, 2007 Galloway, J. N., Dentener, F. J., Capone, D. G., Boyer, E. W., Howarth, R. W., Seitzinger, S. P., Asner, G. P., Cleveland, C., Green, P., and Holland, E.: Nitrogen cycles: past, present, and future, Biogeochemistry, 70, 153–226, 2004. Gao, Q., Li, C., Feng, G., Wang, J., Cui, Z., Chen, X., and Zhang, F.: Understanding yield response to nitrogen to achieve high yield and high nitrogen use efficiency in rainfed corn, Agron. J., 104, 165–168, 2012. Goedkoop, M.: The eco-indicator 95: weighting method for environmental impact analysis for clean design, Comput. Chem. Eng., 20, 1377–1382, 1995. Grassini, P. and Cassman, K. G.: High-yield maize with large net energy yield and small global warming intensity, P. Natl. Acad. Sci., 109, 1074–1079, 2012. Gregorich, E., Rochette, P., VandenBygaart, A., and Angers, D.: Greenhouse gas contributions of agricultural soils and potential mitigation practices in Eastern Canada, Soil Till. Res., 83, 53–72, 2005. Guarda, G., Padovan, S., and Delogu, G.: Grain yield, nitrogen-use efficiency and baking quality of old and modern Italian bread-wheat cultivars grown at different nitrogen levels, Eur. J. Agron., 21, 181–192, 2004. Guo, J., Liu, X., Zhang, Y., Shen, J., Han, W., Zhang, W., Christie, P., Goulding, K., Vitousek, P., and Zhang, F.: Significant acidification in major Chinese croplands, Science, 327, 1008–1010, 2010. Huang, J., Hu, R., Cao, J., and Rozelle, S.: Training programs and in-the-field guidance to reduce China's overuse of fertilizer without hurting profitability, J. Soil Water Conserv., 63, 165–167, 2008. Huang, Y and Sun, W. J.: The changes of soil organic carbon content of farmland surfance in China in the last 20 years, Chin. Sci. Bull., 51, 750–763, 2006. Ju, X. and Christie, P.: Calculation of theoretical nitrogen rate for simple nitrogen recommendations in intensive cropping systems: A case study on the North China Plain, Field Crop. Res., 124, 450–458, 2011. Ju, X. T., Xing, G. X., Chen, X. P., Zhang, S. L., Zhang, L. J., Liu, X. J., Cui, Z. L., Yin, B., Christie, P., and Zhu, Z. L.: Reducing environmental risk by improving N management in intensive Chinese agricultural systems, P. Natl. Acad. Sci., 106, 3041–3046, 2009. Kim, D. G., Hernandez-Ramirez, G., and Giltrap, D.: Linear and nonlinear dependency of direct nitrous oxide emissions on fertilizer nitrogen input: A meta-analysis, Agr. Ecosyst. Environ., 168, 53–65, 2013. Liang, X., Li, H., He, M., Chen, Y., Tian, G., and Xu, S.: The ecologically optimum application of nitrogen in wheat season of rice–wheat cropping system, Agron. J., 100, 67–72, 2008. Liu, C. A., Zhou, L. M., Jia, J. J., Wang, L. J., Si, J. T., Li, X., Pan, C. C., Siddique, K. H. M., and Li, F.-M.: Maize yield and water balance is affected by nitrogen application in a film-mulching ridge–furrow system in a semiarid region of China, Eur. J. Agron., 52, 103–111, 2014. Liu, M., Du, L., and Zhang, X.: Farmers' willingness on organic fertilizer application based on logit model and influencing factors, J. Anhui Agr. Sci., 38, 4827–4829, 2010. Liu, Z. P.: Enhancing technology diffusion of soil testing and fertilizer recommendation in Henan province in the fall of 2009, Agriculture of Henan, 8, p. 31, 2009. Mamo, M., Malzer, G., Mulla, D., Huggins, D., and Strock, J.: Spatial and temporal variation in economically optimum nitrogen rate for corn, Agron. J., 95, 958–964, 2003. McSwiney, C. P. and Robertson, G. P.: Nonlinear response of N<sub>2</sub>O flux to incremental fertilizer addition in a continuous maize (Zea mays L.) cropping system, Glob. Change Biol., 11, 1712–1719, 2005. Meng, Q.-F., Chen, X.-P., Zhang, F.-S., Cao, M.-H., Cui, Z.-L., Bai, J.-S., Yue, S.-C., Chen, S.-Y., and Müller, T.: In-Season Root-Zone Nitrogen Management Strategies for Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency in High-Yielding Maize Production in China, Pedosphere, 22, 294–303, 2012. Moomaw, W. R. and Birch, M. B.: Cascading costs: An economic nitrogen cycle, Sci. China Ser. C, 48, 678–696, 2005. Neeteson, J. and Wadman, W.: Assessment of economically optimum application rates of fertilizer N on the basis of response curves, Fert. Res., 12, 37–52, 1987. Raun, W. R. and Johnson, G. V.: Improving nitrogen use efficiency for cereal production, Agron. J., 91, 357–363, 1999. Reay, D. S., Davidson, E. A., Smith, K. A., Smith, P., Melillo, J. M., Dentener, F., and Crutzen, P. J.: Global agriculture and nitrous oxide emissions, Nat. Clim. Change, 2, 410–416, 2012. Sawyer, J., Nafziger, E., Randall, G., Bundy, L., Rehm, G., and Joern, B.: Concepts and rationale for regional nitrogen rate guidelines for corn, Iowa State University, University Extension, available at: <a href="https://store.extension.iastate.edu/Product/pm2015-pdf">https://store.extension.iastate.edu/Product/pm2015-pdf</a> (last access: 14 February 2014), 2006. Scharf, P. C., Kitchen, N. R., Sudduth, K. A., Davis, J. G., Hubbard, V. C., and Lory, J. A.: Field-scale variability in optimal nitrogen fertilizer rate for corn, Agron. J., 97, 452–461, 2005. Scharf, P. C., Kitchen, N. R., Sudduth, K. A., and Davis, J. G.: Spatially variable corn yield is a weak predictor of optimal nitrogen rate, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 70, 2154–2160, 2006. Smith, P., Martino, D., Cai, Z., Gwary, D., Janzen, H., Kumar, P., McCarl, B., Ogle, S., Mara, F.O., Rice, C., Scholes, B., Sirotenko, O.: Agriculture, 2007, in: Climate Change 2007: Mitigation, edited by: Metz, B., Davidson, O. R., Bosch, P. R., Dave, R., and Meyer, L. A., Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. Stehfest, E. and Bouwman, L.: N<sub>2</sub>O and NO emission from agricultural fields and soils under natural vegetation: summarizing available measurement data and modeling of global annual emissions, Nutr. Cycl. Agroecosys., 74, 207–228, 2006. Tilman, D., Fargione, J., Wolff, B., D'Antonio, C., Dobson, A., Howarth, R., Schindler, D., Schlesinger, W. H., Simberloff, D., and Swackhamer, D.: Forecasting agriculturally driven global environmental change, Science, 292, 281–284, 2001. Tilman, D., Cassman, K. G., Matson, P. A., Naylor, R., Polasky, S.: Agricultural sustainability and intensive production practices, Nature, 418, 671–677, 2002. Tilman, D., Balzer, C., Hill, J., and Befort, B. L.: Global food demand and the sustainable intensification of agriculture, P. Natl. Acad. Sci., 108, 20260–20264, 2011. Wang, S. J., Han, K. L., Li, Q., and Chen, H. J.: The optimum amount of nitrogen fertilizer of maize in Jianghuai area, Chinese Agr. Sci. Bull., 29, 47–50, 2013. Wang, Y. L., Miao, Y. X., Gui, H. P., Su, R. G., and Tan, J. F.: Effect of recommend fertilization on summer maize in different soil groups, J. Agr. Sci. Technol., 14, 110–115, 2012. Williams, J. D., Crozier, C. R., White, J. G., Heiniger, R. W., Sripada, R. P., and Crouse, D. A.: Illinois soil nitrogen test predicts southeastern US corn economic optimum nitrogen rates, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 71, 735–744, 2007. Xia, Y. and Yan, X.: Comparison of statistical models for predicting cost effective nitrogen rate at rice–wheat cropping systems, Soil Sci. Plant Nutr., 57, 320–330, 2011a. Xia, Y. Q. and Yan, X. Y.: Nitrogen fertilization rate recommendation integrating agronomic, environmental, and economic benefits for wheat season in the Taihu Lake region, Acta Pedologica Sinica, 48, 1210–1218, 2011b. Xia, Y. and Yan, X.: Ecologically optimal nitrogen application rates for rice cropping in the Taihu Lake region of China, Sustain. Sci., 7, 33–44, 2012. Xiao, Y. and Xie, G. D.: Comprehensive valuation of the ecosystem services of rice paddies in Shanghai, Resour. Sci, 31, 38–47, 2009. Xing, S. and Han, B.: Study for ways of fertilizing soil in wheat-corn rotation system in North China Plain, Chinese J. Soil Sci., 38, 1013–1015, 2007. Ye, Y., Wang, G., Huang, Y., Zhu, Y., Meng, Q., Chen, X., Zhang, F., and Cui, Z.: Understanding physiological processes associated with yield–trait relationships in modern wheat varieties, Field Crop. Res., 124, 316–322, 2011. Yuan, Y., Liu, J. T., and Jin, Z. Z.: An integrated assessment of positive and negative effects of high-yielding cropland ecosystem services in Luancheng County, Hebei Province of North China, Chinese J. Ecol., 30, 2809–2814, 2011. Yue, S. C.: Optimum nitrogen management for high-yielding wheat and maize cropping system, Ph.D. thesis, China Agricultural University, 2013. Zhang, F. R.: Soil geography, China Agriculture Press, 2002. Zhang, W., Tian, Z., Zhang, N., and Li, X.: Nitrate pollution of groundwater in northern China, Agr. Ecosyst. Environ., 59, 223–231, 1996. Zhang, W. F., Dou, Z, X., He, P., Ju, X. T., Powlson, D., Chadwick, D., Norse, D., Lu, Y. L., Zhang, Y., Wu, L., Chen, X. P., Cassman, K. G., Zhang, F. S.: New technologies reduce greenhouse gas emissions from nitrogenous fertilizer in China, P. Natl. Acad. Sci., 110, 8375–8380, 2012. Zhang, W. F., Ma, L., Huang, G. Q., Wu, L., Chen, X., Zhang, F.: The development and contribution of nitrogenous fertilizer in china and challenges faced by the Country, Scientia Agricultura Sinica, 46, 3161–3171, 2013. Zhu, Z.: On the methodology of recommendation for the application rate of chemical fertilizer nitrogen to crops, Plant Nutr. Fert. Sci., 12, 1–4, 2006. Zhu, Z. and Chen, D.: Nitrogen fertilizer use in China–Contributions to food production, impacts on the environment and best management strategies, Nutr. Cycl. Agroecosys., 63, 117–127, 2002.