Conversion to No-Till Improves Maize Nitrogen Use Efficiency in a Continuous Cover Cropping System

PLoS One. 2016 Oct 6;11(10):e0164234. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164234. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

A two-year experiment was conducted in the field to measure the combined impact of tilling and N fertilization on various agronomic traits related to nitrogen (N) use efficiency and to grain yield in maize cultivated in the presence of a cover crop. Four years after conversion to no-till, a significant increase in N use efficiency N harvest index, N remobilization and N remobilization efficiency was observed both under no and high N fertilization conditions. Moreover, we observed that grain yield and grain N content were higher under no-till conditions only when N fertilizers were applied. Thus, agronomic practices based on continuous no-till appear to be a promising for increasing N use efficiency in maize.

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture*
  • Biomass
  • Fertilizers / analysis
  • Nitrogen / metabolism*
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Soil / chemistry
  • Zea mays / metabolism*

Substances

  • Fertilizers
  • Soil
  • Nitrogen

Grants and funding

The study was funded by Bonduelle and Syngenta and the University of Picardy Jules Verne in the context of the collaborative project VEGESOL. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.