IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v295y2024ics037837742400101x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reduced fertilization boosts soil quality and economic benefits in semiarid apple orchard: A two-year appraisal of fertigation strategy

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Wei
  • Lu, Jun-Sheng
  • Bai, Ju
  • Khan, Aziz
  • Zhao, Ling
  • Wang, Wei
  • Zhu, Shuang-Guo
  • Liu, Shu-Tong
  • Jin, Jun-Min
  • Nyanchera, Gisacho Delphine
  • Li, Shi-Qing
  • Tian, Xiao-Hong
  • Xiong, You-Cai

Abstract

Long-term overfertilization not only aggravates environmental costs, but reduces the quality and yield of fruit in dryland apple orchard, and this issue is closely associated with post-germination fertilization management. On the basis of multi-year observations, we developed a targeted fertigation strategy of FORD, i.e. formula fertilization (rational fertilizer scheme), on-demand fertilization in the sensitive period, reduced fertilization and delayed fertilization. Two-year field investigations were conducted with conventional furrow application (CK), integrated furrow and injection application (FI) and the optimized injection application under the FORD principle in a semiarid apple orchard. The data indicated that FI and FORD had a similar fruit yield of 57.2 Mg ha-1, significantly greater (by 4.5%) than CK. Yet, fruit quality (nutrition, flavor and appearance) was substantially improved under FORD, relative to FI and CK (P<0.05). Importantly, FORD did not induce secondary salinization (soil electric conductivity (EC) of 100-500 μs cm-1, pH of 7.8), but significantly improved soil microbial biomass carbon and the activities of carbon turnover key enzymes (β-glucosidase and cellobiohydrolase). As a result, FORD induced a better functioning of leaves, and a faster speed of fruit expansion than CK and FI did. Totally, the above parameters were positively associated with the efficient couplings of water and fertilizer, which critically depended on nutrients rational supply in FORD. Notably, relative to CK and FI, FORD reduced the fertilization cost by 27.8% and 8.3% respectively, accordingly harvesting 38.1% and 11.6% higher net economic return (2.94×104 US$ ha-1). In summary, there existed remarkable positive effects of FORD-led fertigation strategy on fruit yield, quality and economic benefits. The FORD can be viewed as a general environment-friendly strategy to guide apple post-germination fertilization management for greater economic benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Wei & Lu, Jun-Sheng & Bai, Ju & Khan, Aziz & Zhao, Ling & Wang, Wei & Zhu, Shuang-Guo & Liu, Shu-Tong & Jin, Jun-Min & Nyanchera, Gisacho Delphine & Li, Shi-Qing & Tian, Xiao-Hong & Xiong, You-, 2024. "Reduced fertilization boosts soil quality and economic benefits in semiarid apple orchard: A two-year appraisal of fertigation strategy," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 295(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:295:y:2024:i:c:s037837742400101x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2024.108766
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037837742400101X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2024.108766?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Farré, I. & Faci, J.-M., 2009. "Deficit irrigation in maize for reducing agricultural water use in a Mediterranean environment," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(3), pages 383-394, March.
    2. Meng, Wenjie & Xing, Jinliang & Niu, Mu & Zuo, Qiang & Wu, Xun & Shi, Jianchu & Sheng, Jiandong & Jiang, Pingan & Chen, Quanjia & Ben-Gal, Alon, 2023. "Optimizing fertigation schemes based on root distribution," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    3. T. Brunelle & P. Dumas & F. Souty & B. Dorin & F. Nadaud, 2015. "Evaluating the impact of rising fertilizer prices on crop yields," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 46(5), pages 653-666, September.
    4. McArthur, John W. & McCord, Gordon C., 2017. "Fertilizing growth: Agricultural inputs and their effects in economic development," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 133-152.
    5. Li, Haoru & Mei, Xurong & Wang, Jiandong & Huang, Feng & Hao, Weiping & Li, Baoguo, 2021. "Drip fertigation significantly increased crop yield, water productivity and nitrogen use efficiency with respect to traditional irrigation and fertilization practices: A meta-analysis in China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 244(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ore Koren & Jessica Steinberg & Amit Hagar, 2024. "Meat production and zoonotic disease outbreaks in Asia," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 68(3), pages 567-586, July.
    2. Gheorghe Cristian Popescu & Monica Popescu, 2022. "COVID-19 pandemic and agriculture in Romania: effects on agricultural systems, compliance with restrictions and relations with authorities," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(2), pages 557-567, April.
    3. Meena, Raj Pal & Karnam, Venkatesh & R, Sendhil & Rinki, & Sharma, R.K. & Tripathi, S.C. & Singh, Gyanendra Pratap, 2019. "Identification of water use efficient wheat genotypes with high yield for regions of depleting water resources in India," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Kamer-Ainur Aivaz, 2021. "The Dynamics of the Degree of Investment at the Level of Economic Agents whose Main Activity is Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing in the Context of the Concerns regarding Coastal Development," Ovidius University Annals, Economic Sciences Series, Ovidius University of Constantza, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 0(1), pages 2-8, August.
    5. Jagnani, Maulik & Barrett, Christopher B. & Liu, Yanyan & You, Liangzhi, 2018. "In the Weeds: Effects of Temperature on Agricultural Input Decisions in Moderate Climates," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274241, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Michelson, Hope & Fairbairn, Anna & Ellison, Brenna & Maertens, Annemie & Manyong, Victor, 2021. "Misperceived quality: Fertilizer in Tanzania," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    7. Tomoko Hasegawa & Ronald D. Sands & Thierry Brunelle & Yiyun Cui & Stefan Frank & Shinichiro Fujimori & Alexander Popp, 2020. "Food security under high bioenergy demand toward long-term climate goals," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(3), pages 1587-1601, December.
    8. Li, Haoru & Li, Xiaoli & Mei, Xurong & Nangia, Vinay & Guo, Rui & Hao, Weiping & Wang, Jiandong, 2023. "An alternative water-fertilizer-saving management practice for wheat-maize cropping system in the North China Plain: Based on a 4-year field study," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    9. Porteous, Obie, 2020. "Trade and agricultural technology adoption: Evidence from Africa," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    10. Blemings, Benjamin T. & Bock, Margaret & Scarcioffolo, Alexandre, 2022. "Hoggin' the Road: Negative Road Externalities of Pork Slaughterhouses," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322466, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    11. Kanika Mahajan & Shekhar Tomar, 2021. "COVID‐19 and Supply Chain Disruption: Evidence from Food Markets in India†," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(1), pages 35-52, January.
    12. Sania Ashraf & Cristina Bicchieri & Upasak Das & Tanu Gupta & Alex Shpenev, 2024. "Learning from diversity: ``jati" fractionalization, social expectations and improved sanitation practices in India," Discussion Papers 24-01, Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi.
    13. Maity, Shrabanti & Sinha, Anup & Kumar Rath, Mithun & Rummana Barlaskar, Ummey, 2023. "Resource Use Efficiency and Cleaner Agricultural Production: An Application of Technical Inefficiency Effects Model for Paddy Producing Zones of West Bengal," AGRIS on-line Papers in Economics and Informatics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Economics and Management, vol. 15(2), June.
    14. Skrypnyk, Andriy & Klymenko, Nataliia & Tuzhyk, Kateryna & Galaieva, Liudmyla & Rohoza, Kostiantyn, 2021. "Prerequisites and prospects for sustainable development of grain production in Ukraine," Agricultural and Resource Economics: International Scientific E-Journal, Agricultural and Resource Economics: International Scientific E-Journal, vol. 7(3), September.
    15. Gheysari, Mahdi & Pirnajmedin, Fatemeh & Movahedrad, Hamid & Majidi, Mohammad Mahdi & Zareian, Mohammad Javad, 2021. "Crop yield and irrigation water productivity of silage maize under two water stress strategies in semi-arid environment: Two different pot and field experiments," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    16. Christoph Kubitza & Vijesh V. Krishna & Stephan Klasen & Thomas Kopp & Nunung Nuryartono & Matin Qaim, 2024. "Labor Displacement in Agriculture: Evidence from Oil Palm Expansion in Indonesia," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 100(3), pages 547-567.
    17. Nicolas Berman & Mathieu Couttenier & Raphael Soubeyran, 2021. "Fertile Ground for Conflict," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 19(1), pages 82-127.
    18. Noémie Neverre & Patrice Dumas, 2016. "Projecting Basin-Scale Distributed Irrigation and Domestic Water Demands and Values: A Generic Method for Large-Scale Modeling," Water Economics and Policy (WEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 2(04), pages 1-28, December.
    19. repec:zib:zbseps:v:2:y:2022:2:1:p:67-73 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Széles, Adrienn Ványiné & Megyes, Attila & Nagy, János, 2012. "Irrigation and nitrogen effects on the leaf chlorophyll content and grain yield of maize in different crop years," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 133-144.
    21. Harou, Aurélie P. & Madajewicz, Malgosia & Michelson, Hope & Palm, Cheryl A. & Amuri, Nyambilila & Magomba, Christopher & Semoka, Johnson M. & Tschirhart, Kevin & Weil, Ray, 2022. "The joint effects of information and financing constraints on technology adoption: Evidence from a field experiment in rural Tanzania," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:295:y:2024:i:c:s037837742400101x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.