Evaluation of Variable Application Rate of Fertilizers Based on Site-Specific Management Zones for Winter Wheat in Small-Scale Farming
China is currently experiencing a severe issue of excessive fertilization. Variable rate fertilization (VRF) technology is key to solving this issue in precision agriculture, and one way to implement VRF is through management zone (MZ) delineation. This study is aimed at evaluating the feasibility a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/11/2812 |
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| author | Yuefan Wang Yifan Yuan Fei Yuan Syed Tahir Ata-UI-Karim Xiaojun Liu Yongchao Tian Yan Zhu Weixing Cao Qiang Cao |
| author_facet | Yuefan Wang Yifan Yuan Fei Yuan Syed Tahir Ata-UI-Karim Xiaojun Liu Yongchao Tian Yan Zhu Weixing Cao Qiang Cao |
| author_sort | Yuefan Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | China is currently experiencing a severe issue of excessive fertilization. Variable rate fertilization (VRF) technology is key to solving this issue in precision agriculture, and one way to implement VRF is through management zone (MZ) delineation. This study is aimed at evaluating the feasibility and potential benefits of VRF based on site-specific MZs in smallholder farm fields. This study determined the amounts of basal and top-dressing fertilizers in different spatial units, based on soil nutrient MZs and crop growth MZs, respectively. The potential agronomic, economic, and environmental advantages of spatial variable rate fertilization were further assessed by comparing the farmer’s treatment, the expert’s treatment, and the variable rate fertilization treatment based on management zones (VR-MZ). The results showed that VR-MZ reduced the use of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizers by 22.90–43.95%, 59.11–100%, and 8.21–100%, respectively, and it also increased the use efficiency of N, P, and K by 12.27–28.71, 89.64–176.85, and 5.48–266.89 kg/kg, respectively, without yield loss. The net incomes of VR-MZ were 15.5–449.61 USD ha<sup>−1</sup> higher than that of traditional spatially uniform rate fertilization. Meanwhile, less nitrous oxide emission (23.50–45.81%), ammonia volatilization (19.38–51.60%), and nitrate ion leaching amounts (28.77–53.98%) were found in VR-MZ compared to those in uniform fertilization. The results suggest that the VR-MZ has great potential for saving fertilizers, significantly increasing farmers’ net income, reducing environmental pollution, and promoting the sustainable use of resources. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical support for exploring a VRF suitable for village-scale farming. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:06:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-82abb568da5f438c919168c256385cff |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:06:28Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-82abb568da5f438c919168c256385cff2023-11-24T14:24:07ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952023-11-011311281210.3390/agronomy13112812Evaluation of Variable Application Rate of Fertilizers Based on Site-Specific Management Zones for Winter Wheat in Small-Scale FarmingYuefan Wang0Yifan Yuan1Fei Yuan2Syed Tahir Ata-UI-Karim3Xiaojun Liu4Yongchao Tian5Yan Zhu6Weixing Cao7Qiang Cao8National 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, ChinaDepartment of Geography, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN 56001, USAGraduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8657, 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, ChinaNational Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaChina is currently experiencing a severe issue of excessive fertilization. Variable rate fertilization (VRF) technology is key to solving this issue in precision agriculture, and one way to implement VRF is through management zone (MZ) delineation. This study is aimed at evaluating the feasibility and potential benefits of VRF based on site-specific MZs in smallholder farm fields. This study determined the amounts of basal and top-dressing fertilizers in different spatial units, based on soil nutrient MZs and crop growth MZs, respectively. The potential agronomic, economic, and environmental advantages of spatial variable rate fertilization were further assessed by comparing the farmer’s treatment, the expert’s treatment, and the variable rate fertilization treatment based on management zones (VR-MZ). The results showed that VR-MZ reduced the use of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizers by 22.90–43.95%, 59.11–100%, and 8.21–100%, respectively, and it also increased the use efficiency of N, P, and K by 12.27–28.71, 89.64–176.85, and 5.48–266.89 kg/kg, respectively, without yield loss. The net incomes of VR-MZ were 15.5–449.61 USD ha<sup>−1</sup> higher than that of traditional spatially uniform rate fertilization. Meanwhile, less nitrous oxide emission (23.50–45.81%), ammonia volatilization (19.38–51.60%), and nitrate ion leaching amounts (28.77–53.98%) were found in VR-MZ compared to those in uniform fertilization. The results suggest that the VR-MZ has great potential for saving fertilizers, significantly increasing farmers’ net income, reducing environmental pollution, and promoting the sustainable use of resources. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical support for exploring a VRF suitable for village-scale farming.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/11/2812precision agriculturespatially variable field managementnutrient managementsmallholder farms |
| spellingShingle | Yuefan Wang Yifan Yuan Fei Yuan Syed Tahir Ata-UI-Karim Xiaojun Liu Yongchao Tian Yan Zhu Weixing Cao Qiang Cao Evaluation of Variable Application Rate of Fertilizers Based on Site-Specific Management Zones for Winter Wheat in Small-Scale Farming Agronomy precision agriculture spatially variable field management nutrient management smallholder farms |
| title | Evaluation of Variable Application Rate of Fertilizers Based on Site-Specific Management Zones for Winter Wheat in Small-Scale Farming |
| title_full | Evaluation of Variable Application Rate of Fertilizers Based on Site-Specific Management Zones for Winter Wheat in Small-Scale Farming |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of Variable Application Rate of Fertilizers Based on Site-Specific Management Zones for Winter Wheat in Small-Scale Farming |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of Variable Application Rate of Fertilizers Based on Site-Specific Management Zones for Winter Wheat in Small-Scale Farming |
| title_short | Evaluation of Variable Application Rate of Fertilizers Based on Site-Specific Management Zones for Winter Wheat in Small-Scale Farming |
| title_sort | evaluation of variable application rate of fertilizers based on site specific management zones for winter wheat in small scale farming |
| topic | precision agriculture spatially variable field management nutrient management smallholder farms |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/11/2812 |
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