Does the Organ-Based N Dilution Curve Improve the Predictions of N Status in Winter Wheat?

Accurately summarizing Nitrogen (N) content as a prelude to optimal N fertilizer application is complicated during the vegetative growth period of all the crop species studied. The critical nitrogen (N) concentration (Nc) dilution curve is a stable diagnostic indicator, which performs plant critical...

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Main Authors: Ke Zhang, Xue Wang, Xiaoling Wang, Syed Tahir Ata-Ul-Karim, Yongchao Tian, Yan Zhu, Weixing Cao, Xiaojun Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
Series:Agriculture
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/10/11/500
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author Ke Zhang
Xue Wang
Xiaoling Wang
Syed Tahir Ata-Ul-Karim
Yongchao Tian
Yan Zhu
Weixing Cao
Xiaojun Liu
author_facet Ke Zhang
Xue Wang
Xiaoling Wang
Syed Tahir Ata-Ul-Karim
Yongchao Tian
Yan Zhu
Weixing Cao
Xiaojun Liu
author_sort Ke Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Accurately summarizing Nitrogen (N) content as a prelude to optimal N fertilizer application is complicated during the vegetative growth period of all the crop species studied. The critical nitrogen (N) concentration (Nc) dilution curve is a stable diagnostic indicator, which performs plant critical N concentration trends as crop grows. This study developed efficient technologies for different organ-based (plant dry matters (PDM), leaf DM (LDM), stem DM (SDM), and leaf area index (LAI)) estimation of Nc curves to enrich the practical applications of precision N management strategies. Four winter wheat cultivars were planted with 10 different N treatments in Jiangsu province of eastern China. Results showed the SDM-based curve had a better performance than the PDM-based curve in N nutrition index (NNI) estimation, accumulated N deficit (AND) calculation, and N requirement (NR) determination. The regression coefficients ‘a’ and ‘b’ varied among the four critical N dilution models: Nc = 3.61 × LDM<sup>–0.19</sup>, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.77; Nc = 2.50 × SDM<sup>–0.44</sup>, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.89; Nc = 4.16 × PDM<sup>–0.41</sup>, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.87; and Nc = 3.82 × LAI<sup>–0.36</sup>, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.81. In later growth periods, the SDM-based curve was found to be a feasible indicator for calculating NNI, AND, and NR, relative to curves based on the other indicators. Meanwhile, the lower LAI-based curve coefficient variation values stated that leaf-related indicators were also a good choice for developing the N curve with high efficiency as compared to other biomass-based approaches. The SDM-based curve was the more reliable predictor of relative yield because of its low relative root mean square error in most of the growth stages. The curves developed in this study will provide diverse choices of indicators for establishing an integrated procedure of diagnosing wheat N status, and improving the accuracy and efficiency of wheat N fertilizer management.
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spelling doaj.art-10b9f968baf94274ab84dc7ce017cdc92023-11-20T18:30:40ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722020-10-01101150010.3390/agriculture10110500Does the Organ-Based N Dilution Curve Improve the Predictions of N Status in Winter Wheat?Ke Zhang0Xue Wang1Xiaoling Wang2Syed Tahir Ata-Ul-Karim3Yongchao Tian4Yan Zhu5Weixing Cao6Xiaojun Liu7National Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaNational Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaNational Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaInstitute for Sustainable Agro-ecosystem Services, The University of Tokyo. Department of Global Agricultural Studies, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8654, JapanNational Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaNational Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaNational Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaNational Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaAccurately summarizing Nitrogen (N) content as a prelude to optimal N fertilizer application is complicated during the vegetative growth period of all the crop species studied. The critical nitrogen (N) concentration (Nc) dilution curve is a stable diagnostic indicator, which performs plant critical N concentration trends as crop grows. This study developed efficient technologies for different organ-based (plant dry matters (PDM), leaf DM (LDM), stem DM (SDM), and leaf area index (LAI)) estimation of Nc curves to enrich the practical applications of precision N management strategies. Four winter wheat cultivars were planted with 10 different N treatments in Jiangsu province of eastern China. Results showed the SDM-based curve had a better performance than the PDM-based curve in N nutrition index (NNI) estimation, accumulated N deficit (AND) calculation, and N requirement (NR) determination. The regression coefficients ‘a’ and ‘b’ varied among the four critical N dilution models: Nc = 3.61 × LDM<sup>–0.19</sup>, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.77; Nc = 2.50 × SDM<sup>–0.44</sup>, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.89; Nc = 4.16 × PDM<sup>–0.41</sup>, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.87; and Nc = 3.82 × LAI<sup>–0.36</sup>, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.81. In later growth periods, the SDM-based curve was found to be a feasible indicator for calculating NNI, AND, and NR, relative to curves based on the other indicators. Meanwhile, the lower LAI-based curve coefficient variation values stated that leaf-related indicators were also a good choice for developing the N curve with high efficiency as compared to other biomass-based approaches. The SDM-based curve was the more reliable predictor of relative yield because of its low relative root mean square error in most of the growth stages. The curves developed in this study will provide diverse choices of indicators for establishing an integrated procedure of diagnosing wheat N status, and improving the accuracy and efficiency of wheat N fertilizer management.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/10/11/500critical nitrogen dilution curveleaf area indexN diagnosisdry mattersgrain yield
spellingShingle Ke Zhang
Xue Wang
Xiaoling Wang
Syed Tahir Ata-Ul-Karim
Yongchao Tian
Yan Zhu
Weixing Cao
Xiaojun Liu
Does the Organ-Based N Dilution Curve Improve the Predictions of N Status in Winter Wheat?
Agriculture
critical nitrogen dilution curve
leaf area index
N diagnosis
dry matters
grain yield
title Does the Organ-Based N Dilution Curve Improve the Predictions of N Status in Winter Wheat?
title_full Does the Organ-Based N Dilution Curve Improve the Predictions of N Status in Winter Wheat?
title_fullStr Does the Organ-Based N Dilution Curve Improve the Predictions of N Status in Winter Wheat?
title_full_unstemmed Does the Organ-Based N Dilution Curve Improve the Predictions of N Status in Winter Wheat?
title_short Does the Organ-Based N Dilution Curve Improve the Predictions of N Status in Winter Wheat?
title_sort does the organ based n dilution curve improve the predictions of n status in winter wheat
topic critical nitrogen dilution curve
leaf area index
N diagnosis
dry matters
grain yield
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/10/11/500
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