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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Crop and Product Physiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1440859
This article is part of the Research Topic Meeting the Triple-H Challenge: Advanced Crop-Soil-Fertilizer Management Strategies to Maximize Crop Yield, Quality, and Nutrient Efficiency View all 9 articles

Impact of fertilization depth on sunflower yield and nitrogen utilization: a perspective on soil nutrient and root system compatibility

Provisionally accepted
Wenhao Ren Wenhao Ren 1Xianyue Li Xianyue Li 1*Tingxi Liu Tingxi Liu 1Ning Chen Ning Chen 1Maoxin Xin Maoxin Xin 1Bin Liu Bin Liu 1Qian Qi Qian Qi 1Gendong Li Gendong Li 2
  • 1 Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
  • 2 Inner Mongolia Hetao irrigation district water conservancy development center, Bayannur, China

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

    The depth of fertilizer application significantly influences soil nitrate concentration (SNC), sunflower root length density (RLD), sunflower nitrogen uptake (SNU), and yield. However, current studies cannot precisely capture subtle nutrient variations between soil layers and their complex relationships with root growth. They also struggle to assess the impact of different fertilizer application depths on sunflower root development and distribution as well as their response to the spatial and temporal distribution of nutrients. The APSIM model was employed to explore the spatial and temporal patterns of nitrogen distribution in the soil at three controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) placement depths: 5, 15, and 25 cm. This study investigated the characteristics of the root system regarding nitrogen absorption and utilization and analyzed their correlation with grain yield formation. Furthermore, this study introduced the modified Jaccard index to analyze soil-root interactions, providing a deeper insight into how changes in CRF placement depth affect crop growth and nitrogen uptake efficiency. These results indicated that a 15 cm fertilization depth maximized the sunflower yield and nitrogen absorption. This depth promoted a greater RLD, promoting deeper root growth and improved nitrogen absorption. In contrast, shallow fertilization led to higher nitrate concentrations in the topsoil, whereas deeper fertilization increased nitrate concentrations in the deeper soil layers. These results could provide valuable insights for precision agriculture and sustainable soil management, highlighting the importance of optimizing root nitrogen absorption through tailored fertilization strategies to enhance crop production efficiency and minimize environmental impact.

    Keywords: fertilization depth, root growth, Nitrogen fertilizer efficiency, Sunflower yield, Nutrient matching between root and soil

    Received: 30 May 2024; Accepted: 26 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ren, Li, Liu, Chen, Xin, Liu, Qi and Li. 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: Xianyue Li, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.