Logistic and Structural Equation Fitting Analyses of the Effect of Slow-Release Nitrogen Fertilizer Application Rates on the Nitrogen Accumulation and Yield Formation Mechanism in Maize

作者：Jingjing Shi, Tiantian Meng, Xuanyi Chen, Xiangqian Zhang, Meiren Rong, Huiqing Lan, Guojie Ge, Dejian Zhang, Xiaoqing Zhao, Yonghe Hao, Zhanyuan Lu · 发表于：Agronomy · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3390/agronomy14112742 · 被引用次数：11 · 研究领域：Crop Yield and Soil Fertility、Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism、Polymer-Based Agricultural Enhancements

The purpose of this study is to clarify the differential effects of the application rate of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer (SRFN) on the nitrogen (N) accumulation dynamics, nutrient organ N distribution and transportation, yield, and N utilization efficiency of maize harvested using grain-type machines. This has significant implications for the scientific application of SRFN, as well as for reducing its application rate and improving its efficiency, in the agro-pastoral transitional zone of northern China. In a long-term positioning experiment that began in 2018, five treatments consisting of different SRFN application rates were set up, namely, N120 (120 kg ha−1), N180 (180 kg ha−1), N240 (240 kg ha−1), N300 (300 kg ha−1), and N360 (360 kg ha−1), with no fertilization during the growth period used as control (CK) treatment. To explore the characteristics of nitrogen accumulation dynamics in maize populations and the main factors affecting maize yield formation under the different SRFN application rate treatments, this study adopted a combination of quantitative analyses and model fitting, including logistic models, principal component analysis, and structural equation modeling. The research results show that SRFN application increased the aboveground N accumulation of the maize population, and the fitting effect of the logistic models was significant. The maximum rate of N accumulation in both years showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with the increase i...