Variable-Rate Fertilization for Summer Maize Using Combined Proximal Sensing Technology and the Nitrogen Balance Principle

Soil is a heterogeneous medium that exhibits considerable variability in both spatial and temporal dimensions. Proper management of field variability using variable-rate fertilization (VRF) techniques is essential to maximize crop input–output ratios and resource utilization. Implementing VRF technology on a localized scale is recommended to increase crop yield, decrease input costs, and reduce the negative impact on the surrounding environment. This study assessed the agronomic and environmental viability of implementing VRF during the cultivation of summer maize using an on-the-go detector of soil total nitrogen (STN) to detect STN content in the test fields. A spatial delineation approach was then applied to divide the experimental field into multiple management zones. The amount of fertilizer applied in each zone was determined based on the sensor-detected STN. The analysis of the final yield and economic benefits indicates that plots that adopted VRF treatments attained an average summer maize grain yield of 7275 kg ha −1 , outperforming plots that employed uniform-rate fertilization (URF) treatments, which yielded 6713 kg ha −1 . Through one-way ANOVA, the yield p values of the two fertilization methods were 6.406 × 10 −15 , 5.202 × 10 −15 , 2.497 × 10 −15 , and 3.199 × 10 −15 , respectively, indicating that the yield differences between the two fertilization methods were noticeable. This led to an average yield increase of 8.37% ha −1 and a gross profit margin of USD 153 ha −1 . In plots in which VRF techniques are utilized, the average nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rate is 627 kg ha −1 . In contrast, in plots employing URF methods, the N fertilizer application rate is 750 kg ha −1 . The use of N fertilizer was reduced by 16.4%. As a result, there is a reduction in production costs of USD 37.5 ha −1 , achieving increased yield while decreasing the amount of applied fertilizer. Moreover, in plots where the VRF method was applied, STN was balanced despite the reduced N application. This observation can be deduced from the variance in summer maize grain yield through various fertilization treatments in a comparative experiment. Future research endeavors should prioritize the resolution of particular constraints by incorporating supplementary soil data, such as phosphorus, potassium, organic matter, and other pertinent variables, to advance and optimize fertilization methodologies.