Abstract
Nutrient management practices, such as optimum fertilizer addition rate and co-addition of inorganic fertilizers and organic amendments (compost and biochar), were investigated to enhance crop production and nitrogen (N) use efficiency. However, how these practices improve the defense system, N use efficiency, yield quantity and quality, and physio-biochemical constituents of maize (Zea mays L.) plants grown on an alkaline soil under different irrigation levels (well-watered conditions, mild drought, and severe drought) remains unclear. A two-year field trial was carried out in a split–split plot with a randomized complete block design with three irrigation levels (100% evapotranspiration (ET), 80% ET, and 60% ET) as the main plots, two amendments (5 Mg ha–1 biochar or compost) as subplots, and three regimes of inorganic fertilization (119-16-69, 179-24-99, and 238-31-138 kg N-phosphorus (P)-potassium (K) ha−1) as sub-subplots. We found that maize yield, oil, starch, protein, carbohydrates, and NPK uptake significantly decreased with increasing drought levels, but catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and proline contents significantly increased. The addition of organic amendments (compost or biochar) with inorganic fertilizers was more effective in enhancing the above attributes than inorganic fertilizers alone, but these attributes were positively related to inorganic fertilizer rates. The treatment of compost or biochar plus 238-31-138 kg N-P-K ha−1 was the best treatment. The agronomic efficiency of applied fertilizer N (NAE) significantly decreased with increasing drought levels by 28.4–34.7%. The addition of biochar with inorganic fertilizers significantly enhanced NAE by 11.6% compared to inorganic fertilizers alone. Comparing the effect of inorganic fertilizer rates across all irrigation levels, the treatment of 119-16-69 kg N-P-K ha−1 gave the highest NAE. Thus, the addition of optimum NPK fertilizer rate with biochar or compost is suitable to enhance the yield quantity and quality of maize plants grown on alkaline soils by improving its defensive system and N use efficiency, especially under the expected increase in aridity response to climate change.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing drought significantly decreased maize yield, oil and starch.
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We found that maize yield, oil, starch, protein, carbohydrates, and NPK uptake significantly decreased with increasing drought levels”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing drought significantly decreased maize protein, carbohydrates and NPK uptake.
- Treatment
- increasing drought levelse0
- Outcome
- protein, carbohydrates, and NPK uptakee0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We found that maize yield, oil, starch, protein, carbohydrates, and NPK uptake significantly decreased with increasing drought levels”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing drought significantly increased catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“but catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and proline contents significantly increased”
t0“Maize Plants Subjected to Water Deficit”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing drought significantly increased proline contents.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“but catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and proline contents significantly increased”
t0“Maize Plants Subjected to Water Deficit”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost with inorganic fertilizer enhanced the reported maize attributes more than inorganic fertilizer alone.
- Treatment
- composte0
- Outcome
- above attributese0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
- Comparator
- inorganic fertilizers alonee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The addition of organic amendments (compost or biochar) with inorganic fertilizers was more effective in enhancing the above attributes than inorganic fertilizers alone”
t0“Maize Plants Subjected to Water Deficit”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar with inorganic fertilizer enhanced the reported maize attributes more than inorganic fertilizer alone.
- Treatment
- biochare0
- Outcome
- above attributese0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
- Comparator
- inorganic fertilizers alonee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The addition of organic amendments (compost or biochar) with inorganic fertilizers was more effective in enhancing the above attributes than inorganic fertilizers alone”
t0“Maize Plants Subjected to Water Deficit”
Claim · model-written summary
Reported maize attributes were positively related to inorganic fertilizer rates.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“these attributes were positively related to inorganic fertilizer rates”
t0“Maize Plants Subjected to Water Deficit”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost plus 238-31-138 kg N-P-K ha−1 was identified as the best treatment.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The treatment of compost or biochar plus 238-31-138 kg N-P-K ha−1 was the best treatment”
t0“Maize Plants Subjected to Water Deficit”
Claim · model-written summary
Agronomic efficiency of fertilizer N decreased by 28.4–34.7% with increasing drought.
- Treatment
- increasing drought levelse0
- Outcome
- agronomic efficiency of applied fertilizer N (NAE)e0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 28.4–34.7%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The agronomic efficiency of applied fertilizer N (NAE) significantly decreased with increasing drought levels by 28.4–34.7%”
t0“Maize Plants Subjected to Water Deficit”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar with inorganic fertilizer enhanced NAE by 11.6% compared with inorganic fertilizer alone.
- Treatment
- biochar with inorganic fertilizerse0
- Outcome
- NAEe0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Value
- 11.6%e0
- Comparator
- inorganic fertilizers alonee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The addition of biochar with inorganic fertilizers significantly enhanced NAE by 11.6% compared to inorganic fertilizers alone”
t0“Maize Plants Subjected to Water Deficit”
Claim · model-written summary
Across irrigation levels, 119-16-69 kg N-P-K ha−1 gave the highest NAE.
- Treatment
- 119-16-69 kg N-P-K ha−1e0
- Outcome
- NAEe0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Comparator
- inorganic fertilizer ratese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Comparing the effect of inorganic fertilizer rates across all irrigation levels, the treatment of 119-16-69 kg N-P-K ha−1 gave the highest NAE”
t0“Maize Plants Subjected to Water Deficit”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend an optimum NPK rate with biochar or compost to improve maize yield and quality on alkaline soils.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the addition of optimum NPK fertilizer rate with biochar or compost is suitable to enhance the yield quantity and quality of maize plants grown on alkaline soils”
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Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.