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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Nutrition
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1505702
This article is part of the Research Topic Harnessing Plant–Microbe Interactions to Improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Plant-Soil Health for Sustainable Agriculture View all 6 articles

Deep application of controlled-release urea increases the yield and saponin content of Panax notoginseng by regulating soil nitrate distribution

Provisionally accepted
Yun-Xia Su Yun-Xia Su 1Ping Zhao Ping Zhao 1Li-Jie Jia Li-Jie Jia 1Yuan-Feng Cao Yuan-Feng Cao 1Guan-Ze Liu Guan-Ze Liu 1Chen Jun Wen Chen Jun Wen 1Shengchao Yang Shengchao Yang 1Yanli Zhou Yanli Zhou 2Guangqiang Long Guangqiang Long 1*
  • 1 Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
  • 2 Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Kunming, Yunnan, China

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

    The deep application of controlled-release urea (CRU) offers potential advantages for crops with extended growth periods. However, its effects on P. notoginseng yield and quality, a medicinal plant with a prolonged nutrient acquisition duration, remain unclear. In this study, we conducted a two-year field plot experiment to investigate the effect of CRU on P. notoginseng with three placement depths (0, 6, and 12 cm denoted as R0, R6, and R12, respectively) at an application dosage was 250 kg N ha−1 with biochar addition (R6B) and 20% N reduction (R6R) based on the R6, with conventional fertilization (250 kg N ha−1, common urea) serving as the control (CK). Our indicated that yields increased by 27.1–37.6% with R0, R6, R12, and R6B, while remaining stable with R6R compared to CK. Simultaneously, the total saponin content in the roots of R6, R6B, and R6R was improved by 14.3–38.1%, compared to CK. The distribution depth of soil NO3−-N and plant roots increased with the depth of CRU application, with a highly overlap in time and space, indicating P. notoginseng N's uptake peaked when CRU was applied at a depth of 6 cm (R6). Structural equation modeling indicated that soil NO3−-N supply in specific micro areas directly affected the N uptake and increased total saponin content by increasing root length and surface area, thus boosting yield. This study identifies that the deep application of CRU at a depth of 6 cm has the potential to enhance both yield and quality of P. notoginseng and highlights that the spatial-temporal matching of soil NO3−-N and plant roots was the key to applying CRU to ensure high yield and quality.

    Keywords: Deep application, yield, Saponin content, nitrate nitrogen distribution, Controlled-release urea

    Received: 03 Oct 2024; Accepted: 30 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Su, Zhao, Jia, Cao, Liu, Wen, Yang, Zhou and Long. 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: Guangqiang Long, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China

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