Impact of Fertilizer on Crop Yield and C:N:P Stoichiometry in Arid and Semi-Arid Soil
1
College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Tianshui Normal University, Tianshui 741000, China
2
State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, China
3
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Paul B. Tchounwou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(8), 4341; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084341
Received: 11 March 2021
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Revised: 12 April 2021
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Accepted: 15 April 2021
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Published: 20 April 2021
(This article belongs to the Section Environmental Science and Engineering)
Fertilization can significantly affect the quality of crop and soil. To determine the effects of long-term fertilization on crop yield and carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) stoichiometry in soil, a study was conducted on the terraced fields of the Loess Plateau from 2007 to 2019. Nine fertilization treatments were included: no fertilizer; organic fertilizer (O); organic and nitrogen fertilizers (ON); organic, nitrogen, and phosphorus fertilizers (ONP); organic and phosphorus fertilizers (OP); phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers; potash and nitrogen fertilizers; potash, nitrogen, and phosphorus fertilizers; and potash and phosphorus fertilizers. Under these treatments except for CK and PK, crop yields initially decreased but later increased. The nutrient content and C:N:P stoichiometry increased in soil depth of 0–20 cm. The soil available nutrients did not change significantly with the duration of fertilization. The O, ON, ONP, and OP had the most evident effect on the enhancement of soil nutrient content, whereas O and ON had the most evident effect on the increase in soil organic carbon (SOC):total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN):TP. In soil depth of 0–20 cm, crop yield, SOC:TN, SOC:TN, SOC:TP, and TN:TP significantly correlated with soil nutrients. This study indicated that long-term fertilization can effectively improve crop yield, soil fertility, and soil C:N:P stoichiometry. Meanwhile, the single application of an organic fertilizer or the combination of organic and nitrogen fertilizers can improve the condition of nitrogen limitation in arid and semi-arid areas.
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Keywords:
C:N:P stoichiometry; crop yield; organic fertilizer; inorganic fertilizer; long-term fertilization; arid and semi-arid soil
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MDPI and ACS Style
Liu, Q.; Xu, H.; Yi, H. Impact of Fertilizer on Crop Yield and C:N:P Stoichiometry in Arid and Semi-Arid Soil. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 4341. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084341
AMA Style
Liu Q, Xu H, Yi H. Impact of Fertilizer on Crop Yield and C:N:P Stoichiometry in Arid and Semi-Arid Soil. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(8):4341. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084341
Chicago/Turabian StyleLiu, Qiang, Hongwei Xu, and Haijie Yi. 2021. "Impact of Fertilizer on Crop Yield and C:N:P Stoichiometry in Arid and Semi-Arid Soil" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 8: 4341. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084341
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