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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Agron.
Sec. Field Water Management
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fagro.2025.1518670

Effects of film-bottomed treatment on absorbability and translocation of nitrogen in spring wheat in arid area

Provisionally accepted
Zizhen Li Zizhen Li 1Xiaolei Zhou Xiaolei Zhou 2*Qing Tian Qing Tian 3*Low Pak Sum Low Pak Sum 4*Yuee Yan Yuee Yan 5*Xujiao Zhou Xujiao Zhou 3*
  • 1 College of Forestry,Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
  • 2 Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
  • 3 Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China
  • 4 Academy of Sciences Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 5 Forest Inventory and Planning Institute of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Plastic film-bottomed treatment (FBT) is a critical agricultural practice in arid regions, aimed at enhancing crop productivity by improving soil moisture retention and nutrient availability. However, the effects of different depths of film-bottomed treatment (DFBT) on nitrogen (N) absorption and translocation in spring wheat remains inadequately understood. We conducted a field experiment on sandy soil to investigate the effects of different DFBT depths (60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 cm) and on total N absorption amount (TNAA), total N translocation amount (TNTA) in all nutritive organs, grain nitrogen content (GN), and grain yield (GY). Morphological measurements included GY, GN, TNAA, and TNTA in the stem, sheath, leaf, spike axis, kernel husk (SAKH), and culm.The results showed that FBT significantly reduced soil moisture loss. The greatest significant moisture retention was at 100 cm depth, where soil leakage was reduced by 59.6% (p < 0.0001). At the flowering stage, fertilizer nitrogen (NDF) and soil nitrogen (NDS) varied significantly among DFBT treatments, with NDF being significantly higher at the 80 cm depth (p < 0.0001). At maturity, TNAA in the main stem was significantly higher at 80 cm (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, TNTA across nutrient organs was significantly higher under the 80 cm DFBT treatment (p < 0.0001), suggesting improved nitrogen efficiency. The correlation between TNTA and GN was strongest at 80 cm DFBT (p < 0.001). GY and GN were optimized at intermediate depths, especially at 80 cm, indicating an optimal balance between water retention and drainage efficiency. In conclusion, the 80 cm DFBT depth provided an optimal balance between soil moisture retention and nitrogen management, leading to significant improvements in crop productivity and nutrient use efficiency. These findings highlight the importance of optimizing FBT depth for effective water and nitrogen management in arid agricultural systems, especially under water-limited conditions.

    Keywords: Depth of film-bottomed treatment (DFBT), N absorbability, N translocation, Nutritive organs, Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

    Received: 28 Oct 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Li, Zhou, Tian, Sum, Yan and Zhou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Xiaolei Zhou, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
    Qing Tian, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou, 730070, Gansu Province, China
    Low Pak Sum, Academy of Sciences Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    Yuee Yan, Forest Inventory and Planning Institute of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China
    Xujiao Zhou, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou, 730070, Gansu Province, China

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