Effects of cutting or grazing grass swards on herbage yield, nitrogen uptake and residual soil nitrate at different levels of N fertilization

On a Flemish sandy loam soil, cut and grazed swards were compared at different levels of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilization. Economically optimal N fertilization rates were 400 (or more) and 200 kg N ha^?1 yr^?1 on cut and grazed swards respectively. Considering the amounts of residual soil nitrate‐N in autumn, these N rates also met the current Flemish legal provisions, i.e. no more than 90 kg ha^?1 nitrate‐N present in the 0–90 cm soil layer, measured between 1 October and 15 November. The N use efficiency was considerably higher in cut grassland systems than in grazed systems, even when the animal component of a cut and conservation system was included. The results indicate that, for cut grasslands, two N application rates should be considered: intensively managed grasslands with high amounts of N (400 kg ha^?1 yr^?1 or more) or extensively managed grasslands with white clover and no more than 100 kg N ha^?1 yr^?1.     

Grain number and its relationship with dry matter, N and P in the spikes at heading in response to N×P fertilization in barley

The aim of this work was to study the effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deficiencies and their interaction on spike N, P and biomass around flowering in barley (Hordeum vulgare spp. distichum L.) and its relationship with grain number and grain yield. Two experiments were carried out with microcrops grown in 200 l containers using malting barley (cv. Quilmes Palomar). Treatments were a factorial combination of two levels of N and two or three levels of P fertilization. Dry matter partitioning to spikes was not or only slightly affected by nutrient deficiencies. Then, the effects on spike biomass were similar to those on total aboveground dry matter. Although partitioning of N to the spike in N fertilized treatments was lower than in N stressed ones, spike N content was higher in the N fertilized.

Number of grains was positively associated with spike N and P content as well as spike dry matter at heading in both experiments. Number of grains per unit of spike dry matter at heading in N fertilized microcrops tended to be higher than in N stressed ones, though this effect was not associated with N fertilization effects on N concentration in spikes.

Combining these results with others from the literature from wheat crops, we found a strong relationship between number of grains and spike N content at flowering, but this relationship does not seem to be better than that with spike biomass, judged by the regression coefficients. This indicates that the early application of N may induce a higher number of grains than that predicted by increased spike dry weight at flowering, but this additional effect is not universally related to differences in spike N concentration.     

不同播期冬小麦茎叶碳氮比的光谱监测

为了探讨利用冠层光谱监测不同播期下小麦植株碳氮比的可行性,基于不同播期和不同施氮水平下的两年田间试验,对冬小麦茎叶碳氮比与冠层光谱的关系进行了研究。结果表明,不同播期下冬小麦茎叶碳氮比随生育时期的推进均呈"高-低-高"的动态变化;各个波段综合原始反射率和一阶微分与碳氮比均有显著相关性;NDVI、RDVI、EVI、SAVI等植被指数对茎叶碳氮比均有较好的拟合效果,其中NDVI受播期的影响较小,可用于建立各播期冬小麦茎叶碳氮比监测模型。检验结果显示,冬小麦各播期茎叶碳氮比监测模型的预测精度为0.678 2~0.963 6,相对误差0.095 5~0.323 9,均方根误差1.864 6~5.714 2,说明利用冠层光谱可以实现对不同播期条件下冬小麦茎叶碳氮比较为准确的监测。