Cereal Area and Nitrogen Use Efficiency: Part I
Introduction:
Cereal crops, such as wheat, rice, and corn, are staple food sources for a significant portion of the global population. With the increasing demand for food due to population growth, ensuring high cereal yields has become crucial. One of the key factors that influence cereal crop productivity is nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). In this article, we will explore the relationship between cereal area and nitrogen use efficiency and its implications for sustainable agriculture.
The Relationship between Cereal Area and Nitrogen Use Efficiency:
Cereal area refers to the total land area dedicated to cereal crop cultivation. As the demand for cereals increases, farmers tend to expand the cereal area to meet the growing needs. However, simply expanding the cereal area without considering nitrogen use efficiency can lead to environmental degradation and reduced crop productivity.
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth and development. It plays a critical role in various physiological processes, including photosynthesis, protein synthesis, and enzyme activity. However, excessive nitrogen application can have adverse effects on the environment. When nitrogen fertilizers are applied in excess, they can be lost through leaching or runoff, polluting water bodies and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
Nitrogen use efficiency refers to the ability of plants to utilize nitrogen effectively for growth and yield production. High nitrogen use efficiency means that a greater proportion of the applied nitrogen is taken up by the plants and used for productive purposes, such as grain formation. On the other hand, low nitrogen use efficiency indicates that a significant amount of nitrogen is lost or unused, resulting in wastage and environmental pollution.
Implications for Sustainable Agriculture:
Efficient nitrogen use is crucial for sustainable agriculture. By improving nitrogen use efficiency, farmers can reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizers needed for crop production, leading to cost savings and reduced environmental impact. Several strategies can be employed to enhance nitrogen use efficiency in cereal crops:
1. Precision agriculture: By using advanced technologies, such as remote sensing and precision application systems, farmers can apply nitrogen fertilizers more accurately, matching the crop's actual nitrogen requirements. This reduces the risk of over-fertilization and minimizes nitrogen losses.
2. Crop rotation and diversification: Planting cereals in rotation with leguminous crops can enhance nitrogen fixation through symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This reduces the reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and improves nitrogen use efficiency in subsequent cereal crops.
3. Nutrient management: Adopting proper nutrient management practices, such as soil testing, balanced fertilization, and timing of nitrogen application, can optimize nitrogen use efficiency. These practices ensure that nitrogen is available to the plants when they need it the most, minimizing losses and maximizing utilization.
Conclusion:
Cereal area and nitrogen use efficiency are closely intertwined in sustainable agriculture. While expanding the cereal area is necessary to meet the growing food demand, it should be accompanied by efforts to improve nitrogen use efficiency. By employing precision agriculture, crop rotation, and proper nutrient management practices, farmers can enhance nitrogen use efficiency, reduce environmental pollution, and ensure sustainable cereal crop production. In the next article, we will further explore the challenges and opportunities associated with nitrogen use efficiency in cereal crops.
Cereal area and nitrogen use efficie 篇三
Cereal area and nitrogen use efficiency are drivers of future nitrogen fertilizer consumption
At a global scale, cereal yields and fertilizer N consumption have increased in a near-linear fashion during the past 40 years and are highly correlated with one another. However,large differences exist in historical trends of N fertilizer usage and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE)among regions, countries, and crops. The reasons for these differences must be understood to estimate future N fertilizer requirements. Global nitrogen needs will depend on: (i) changes in cropped cereal area and the associated yield increases required to meet increasing cereal demand from population and income growth, and (ii) changes in NUE at the farm level. Our analysis indicates that the anticipated 38% increase in global cereal demand by 2025 can be met by a 30% increase in N use on cereals, provided that the steady decline in cereal harvest area is halted and
the yield response to applied N can be increased by 20%. If losses of cereal cropping area continue at the rate of the past 20 years (-0.33% per year) and NUE cannot be increased substantially, a 60% increase in global N use on cereals would be required to meet cereal demand. Interventions to increase NUE and reduce N losses to the environment must be accomplished at the farm- or field-scale through a combination of improved technologies and carefully crafted local policies that contribute to the adoption of improved N management; uniform regional or national directives are unlikey to be effective at both sustaining yield increases and improving NUE. Examples from several countries show that increases in NUE at rates of 1% per year or more can be achieved if adequate investments are made in research and extension. Failure to arrest the decrease in cereal crop area and to improve NUE in the world's most important agricultural systems will likely cause severe damage to environmental services at local, regional, and global scales due to a large increase in reactive N load in the environment. 作 者: Achim Dobermann Kenneth G. Cassman 作者单位: Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, P.O. Box 830915, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915, USA 刊 名:中国科学C辑(英文版) SCI 英文刊名: SCIENCE IN CHINA SERIES C (LIFE SCIENCES) 年,卷(期): 200548(z2) 分类号: P5 关键词: nitrogen cereals nitrogen use efficiency fertilizer requirements global food security