Nitrogen flow characteristic and use efficiency in mixed crop-livestock system in North China Plain: Hebei Jinlong Circular Agriculture Farm as an example

doi:10.13287/j.1001-9332.201704.029

Abstract

Abstract: Scale and intensive development of mixed crop-livestock agriculture is inevitable in North China Plain (NCP), and nitrogen (N) is one of the key elements that linked the crop and livestock production. Here, we used Hebei Jinlong Circular Agriculture Farm as an example, to analyze the N flow and use efficiency, by using data from literature, on-farm survey and modeling. Further, several on-farm N management improvement practices were proposed and evaluated through scenario analysis, to supply technical support and scientific basis not only for achieving higher N use efficiency and productivity at the farm level, but also providing a new model of circular agriculture in NCP. Our results indicated that manure and purchased fertilizer were the main N input in crop production, which amounted to 674.6 kg N·hm^-2·a^-1 and accounted for 88.3% of the total N input. Of all the N input in crop production system, only 41.5% ended up in the crop products and around 190.7 kg N·hm^-2·a^-1 surplus. The excess input of synthetic fertilizer was the main reason for low N use efficiency and high N surplus for crop system. Purchased feed was the main N input pathway in livestock production system, and accounted for 83.2% of the total N input. The annual N excretion rate was 776.6 t N, and around 36.3% of the excreted N was recycled to the crop system. The N use efficiency was 19.7% for livestock production system. The N use efficiency was 40.7% at the whole farm level. The scenarios analysis showed that reducing purchased fertilizer N input by 50% (scenario 1) and increasing the total maize production via adjustment of cropping structure (scenario 2) would increase the N use efficiency in cropping system by 18.7% and 9.8%, respectively. The whole farm use efficiency could be increased by 19.1% through optimizing the feed compositions and regimes (scenario 3). Therefore, reducing purchased fertilizer N input, adjustment of cropping structure and optimizing the feed compositions could increase the N production capacity and achieve an environmental friendly mixed crop-livestock production system simultaneously in NCP.

SHI Peng-fei, ZHENG Yuan-yuan, ZHAO Ping, YANG Dong-yu, JIA Liang, WANG Gui-yan. Nitrogen flow characteristic and use efficiency in mixed crop-livestock system in North China Plain: Hebei Jinlong Circular Agriculture Farm as an example[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2017, 28(4): 1281-1288.

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