Special Issue on Sustainable fertilizer management in cropping systems based on crop nutrition diagnostics
摘要截稿:
全文截稿: 2020-02-15
影响因子: 3.726
期刊难度:
CCF分类: 无
中科院JCR分区:
• 大类 : 农林科学 - 1区
• 小类 : 农艺学 - 2区
Overview
Mineral nutrition of crops and N, P, K fertilization decisions in cropping systems have long been based on crop yield responses to individual elements for determining the optimum rate of application of fertilizers for maximum yield. Owing to the great uncertainty for estimating or forecasting these response curve parameters, farmers often apply fertilizers in excess to avoid any yield reduction. This over-fertilization has been generalized as a consequence of risk avoidance by farmers and the relatively low ratio between fertilizer costs and crop prices. Undesirable environmental impacts in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, water quality deterioration and eutrophication of ecosystems associated with the excess flow of nutrients within agro-ecosystems have resulted from this over-fertilization. Therefore, the old paradigm on which fertilizer management decisions in arable cropping systems are established must be deeply questioned and reappraised for a more sustainable and efficient agro-ecosystem management.
…to the new paradigm of “Crop Nutrition Diagnosis” as a basis for a more sustainable crop fertilization management
For N fertilization management, attempts have been made for reducing the uncertainty of the prognosis-based approach using the crop N balance concept but with relatively low success because of the difficulty in forecasting soil N supply and crop N demand in dynamic terms. A new “diagnosis-based” approach of crop N nutrition using the concept of “critical N dilution curve” and well sustained by a strong theoretical framework has been proposed. This concept has been extended successfully to a large range of arable crops. This new approach allows the monitoring of crop N status in real time by detecting if the N supply matches or not crop N demand. This in situ crop N diagnosis should help determine when and how much N fertilization is required and could be incorporated within crop N fertilization management procedures suitable used by farmers.
More recent research has shown that the same theoretical framework is also relevant for P, K and S crop nutrition. Hence, it is possible to develop an overall crop N-P-K-S nutrition diagnosis for a balanced crop fertilization management. Interactions between crop mineral nutrition and water limitations can also be analyzed by using this diagnosis approach in order to adapt fertilizer management to droughty situations.
This “crop nutrition diagnosis” approach should also allow a better understanding of Genotype-Management-Environment (G-M-E) interactions through (i) a more comprehensive analysis of inter-relationships and feedbacks between crop growth dynamics and crop mineral uptake capacity in crop models and (ii) a better interpretation and generalization of data from G-M-E experimental networks in terms of N-P-K-S use efficiency. It should then be possible to develop an approach of “in situ crop phenotyping” with fruitful connections with crop modelling.
Why a Special Issue in EJA?
The theory supporting “critical N dilution curves” and their use in “crop N nutrition diagnosis” have been published in EJA more than 10 years ago (see Lemaire et al. 2008). Since then, numerous papers using this theoretical background have been published in many journals, extending the approach to a large range of crop species and to a wide range of soils, climates, and management conditions. Most (if not all) of those papers, however, were focused only on a given species or a small number of genotypes in a given set of agronomic conditions with or without the use of specific “remote sensing” tools but with no attempt for developing comparisons across species (genotypes)-management-environments and a more generic analysis of the underlying processes. Moreover, the approach is often simplified by using only empirical technical features loosing then the coherence with the theoretical background. The objective of this Special Isssue of EJA is to review the progress in the theoretical understandings of nutrient uptake and allocation within plants and crops and their use for crop nutrition diagnosis within crop fertilization management..
Structure and content of the Special Issue
This special issue will be structured in different sections with clear scientific objectives.
Foreword: A necessary change of the paradigm for crop mineral nutrition analysis for a sustainable agriculture
Failure of the Liebig’s law and “response curve” analysis.
Uncertainty and over-fertilization associated with “prognosis” approaches.
Necessity for a more dynamic approach to crop nutrient demand and soil supply for a more sustainable fertilization management.
Section I: Theoretical background for crop N nutrition diagnosis and application to the main crop species.
Recall of the ecophysiological basis for N dilution process and concept of critical N concentration.
Extension to “pluri-specific” crops and analysis of size-density effect.
Extension from the vegetative phase only onto the reproductive period and perspective for late diagnosis and grain quality perspectives.
Statistics rules for comparing “critical dilution curves” across species, genotypes, environments and managements.
Meta-analysis for the main crop species (maize, wheat, rice, soybean, potatoes, perennial grasses and legumes).
Section II: Extension to N-P-K-S and interaction with water interaction
Physiological evidence for extension of the concept of dilution to P, K and S.
Use of the “dilution concept” for understanding N-P, N-K, and N-S interactions.
Interaction of water deficit with N, P, and K critical dilution curves.
Relationship between plant N-P-K-S diagnostics and soil test.
Section III: Application to crop modelling
Concept of N nutrition index (NNI) in relation to the main ecophysiological functions such as LAI expansion, PAR interception, and leaf and canopy photosynthesis.
Integration of the concept of N dilution within crop dynamic models.
Use of the concept of P and K nutrition indices for quantifying crop functions.
Development- or biomass-driven N-P-K dilution in crop models.
Improvement of Genotype-Management-Environment interaction analysis with N-P-K-S crop status diagnosis.
Section IV: Remote Sensing signals for a high temporal and spatial resolution of the estimation of crop mineral nutrition
Theoretical background on how remote sensing signals could be related with crop NNI. What we measure? With which accuracy? With which precision? How to interpret?
Meta-analysis of data for different crop species by using the huge “partial and specific” data already published in literature for producing a more unified vision of the accuracy and precision of this “magic” approach
Development of statistical procedures for analyzing the predicting power of the correlations obtained
Accessibility of P and K crop nutrition to remote sensing signals.
Section V: Integration of crop nutrition diagnosis within fertilization management decisions.
Integration of NNI measurements within fertilization management decisions for answering the following question: when, where and how much?
Diversity in the effects of periods of N deficiency during crop life cycles on yield and quality of harvested products.
Challenges for farmers to go from old methods of fertilization management to this diagnosis approach in relation to their risk avoidance behavior.
Integration of spatial and temporal information on crop N status within decision systems for farmers either at field or cropping system level.
Coupling of crop P-K diagnostics with soil tests for a long term survey of soil fertility at different spatial scales (farm, landscape or the region).