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Response of Nitrogen Losses to Excessive Nitrogen Fertilizer Application in Intensive Greenhouse Vegetable Production

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  • Hui Zhao

    (State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Xuyong Li

    (State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Yan Jiang

    (State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China)

Abstract

Excessive nitrogen fertilizer application in greenhouse vegetable production (GVP) is of scientific and public concern because of its significance to international environmental sustainability. We conducted a meta-analysis using 1174 paired observations from 69 publications on the effects of nitrogen fertilizer application and reducing nitrogen fertilizer application on the nitrogen losses on a broad scale. We found that the increase in nitrogen loss is much higher than that in production gain caused by excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer: nitrate leaching (+187.5%), ammonium leaching (+28.1%), total nitrogen leaching (+217.0%), nitrous oxide emission (+202.0%), ammonia emission (+176.4%), nitric oxide emission (+543.3%), yield (+35.7%) and nitrogen uptake (+24.5%). Environmental variables respond nonlinearly to nitrogen fertilizer application, with severe nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emission when the application rate exceeds 570 kg N/ha and 733 kg/N, respectively. The effect of nitrogen fertilizer on yield growth decreases when the application rate exceeds 302 kg N/ha. Appropriate reduction in nitrogen fertilizer application rate substantially mitigates the environmental cost, for example, decreasing nitrate leaching (−32.4%), ammonium leaching (−6.5%), total nitrogen leaching (−37.3%), ammonia emission (−28.4%), nitrous oxide emission (−38.6%) and nitric oxide emission (−8.0%), while it has no significant effect on the nitrogen uptake and yield.

Suggested Citation

  • Hui Zhao & Xuyong Li & Yan Jiang, 2019. "Response of Nitrogen Losses to Excessive Nitrogen Fertilizer Application in Intensive Greenhouse Vegetable Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-15, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:6:p:1513-:d:213397
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Xin Zhang & Eric A. Davidson & Denise L. Mauzerall & Timothy D. Searchinger & Patrice Dumas & Ye Shen, 2015. "Managing nitrogen for sustainable development," Nature, Nature, vol. 528(7580), pages 51-59, December.
    2. Sun, Yuan & Zhang, Jing & Wang, Hongyuan & Wang, Ligang & Li, Hu, 2019. "Identifying optimal water and nitrogen inputs for high efficiency and low environment impacts of a greenhouse summer cucumber with a model method," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 23-34.
    3. Kees Jan van Groenigen & Craig W. Osenberg & Bruce A. Hungate, 2011. "Increased soil emissions of potent greenhouse gases under increased atmospheric CO2," Nature, Nature, vol. 475(7355), pages 214-216, July.
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    2. Feifei Pan & Sha Pan & Jiao Tang & Jingping Yuan & Huaixia Zhang & Bihua Chen, 2022. "Fertilization Practices: Optimization in Greenhouse Vegetable Cultivation with Different Planting Years," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-17, June.
    3. Feng, Qi & An, Chunjiang & Chen, Zhi & Wang, Zheng, 2020. "Can deep tillage enhance carbon sequestration in soils? A meta-analysis towards GHG mitigation and sustainable agricultural management," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
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    5. Chaoqiang Jiang & Xuexiang Ren & Huoyan Wang & Dianjun Lu & Chaolong Zu & Shiji Wang, 2019. "Optimal Nitrogen Application Rates of One-Time Root Zone Fertilization and the Effect of Reducing Nitrogen Application on Summer Maize," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-10, May.
    6. Bello, Adewale Suraj & Huda, Samsul & Chen, Zhong-Hua & Alsafran, Mohammed & Abdellatif, Mahmoud & Ahmed, Talaat, 2025. "Maximizing crop yield and economic benefit through water and nitrogen optimization in bell pepper," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 312(C).
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    8. Haijin Zheng & Zhao Liu & Xiaofei Nie & Jichao Zuo & Lingyun Wang, 2019. "Comparison of Active Nitrogen Loss in Four Pathways on a Sloped Peanut Field with Red Soil in China under Conventional Fertilization Conditions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-16, November.

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