Science of the Total Environment 790 (2021) 148058

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Science of the Total Environment

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenv

Blending urea and slow-release nitrogen fertilizer increases dryland

maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency while mitigating
ammonia volatilization
Jinjin Guo, Junliang Fan ⁎, Fucang Zhang ⁎, Shicheng Yan, Jing Zheng, You Wu, Ju Li, Yanli Wang, Xin Sun,
Xiaoqiang Liu, Youzhen Xiang, Zhijun Li
Key Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas of the Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China

H I G H L I G H T S G R A P H I C A L A B S T R A C T

• UNS did not significantly reduce NH3

volatilization compared with S. UNS
substantially reduced NH3 volatilization
than U.
• UNS reduced NH3 volatilization primar-
ily because of the relatively low soil pH
and EC, and relatively high SOM.
• The blending ratio of U and S at 3:7
(UNS2) significantly increased dry mat-
ter, N uptake and NUE of maize.
• UNS improved grain yields (4.3%–
48.7%) while reducing NH3 volatiliza-
tion (9%–40.7%) and residual soil
NH-3-N (8%–19.8%).

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Agricultural non-point source pollution has become the main pollution source in China. Ammonia (NH3)
Received 23 December 2020 volatilization is one of the main factors of agricultural non-point source pollution. Slow-release nitrogen fertilizer
Received in revised form 2 May 2021 (S) has been widely recognized as an efficient management measure to increase crop yields and mitigate NH3
Accepted 23 May 2021
volatilization. However, few studies have reported the effects of urea (U) blended with slow-release nitrogen fer-
Available online 28 May 2021
tilizer (UNS) on maize yield and NH3 volatilization under dryland farming conditions. A two-season field exper-
Editor: Ouyang Wei iment with U, S and various blending ratios of U and S (UNS) under two N application rates (N1: 180 kg N ha−1,
N2: 240 kg N ha−1) was conducted to determine their effects on maize yield, NH3 volatilization and residual soil
NO− 3 -N. The results showed that UNS substantially reduced NH3 volatilization compared with U, primarily be-
Keywords: cause of the relatively low soil pH and electrical conductivity, and the relatively high soil organic matter. UNS sig-
Maize nificantly increased dry matter, grain yield, N uptake and N use efficiency (NUE), but reduced residual soil NO− 3 -N
Slow-release N fertilizer compared with U and S. Among UNS treatments, the blending ratio of U and S at 3:7 (UNS2) was most effective in
NH3 volatilization improving maize yield and NUE, while mitigating NH3 volatilization and soil NO− 3 -N leaching. N1 not only re-
Grain yield
duced N losses, but also increased NUE compared with N2. In conclusion, UNS2N1 is recommended as the best
Residual soil NO−3 -N
N fertilizer application strategy for the sustainable production of dryland maize in northwest China.
© 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

⁎ Corresponding authors at: College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering,

Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
E-mail addresses: nwwfjl@163.com (J. Fan), zhangfc@nwsuaf.edu.cn (F. Zhang).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148058
0048-9697/© 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
J. Guo, J. Fan, F. Zhang et al.
1. Introduction
The nitrogen (N) application rate continues to increase each year
in China in order to further increase crop yields (Li et al., 2016). How-
ever, the linearly increasing N input has not produced substantial in-
creases in crop yields, resulting in a sharp decline in N use efficiency
(NUE) (Ma et al., 2012; Zhong et al., 2016), especially from ammonia
(NH3) volatilization losses (Rochette et al., 2009; Pan et al., 2016;
Zheng et al., 2021a, 2021c; Zhong et al., 2021). NH3 volatilization
resulting from excessive N fertilizer application to farmland has
caused serious disturbance to the global environment, including at-
mospheric haze, acid rain, soil acidification and surface water eutro-
phication, and increased N deposition (Behera et al., 2013; Sun et al.,
2019; B. Sun et al., 2020; Abdo et al., 2021). In addition, NH3 and its
secondary components account for 25%–60% of the total PM2.5 mass
(Ti et al., 2018; Yao et al., 2018), and indirectly produces nitrous
oxide emission that leads to the global warming (Katata et al.,
2013; Hube et al., 2017; Jaime et al., 2018). China's annual NH3 vola-
tilization is about three times that in the other countries or regions,
making China the largest NH3 volatilization country in the world
(Kang et al., 2016; L. Liu et al., 2020). Agricultural NH3 volatilization
accounts for 80%–90% of the total volatilization (Pan et al., 2016; Ti
et al., 2018). In particular, due to the high solar radiation and tem-
perature in summer, NH 3 volatilization can represent 40% of the
total N application (Sommer et al., 2004; Li et al., 2021; Wang et al.,
2021). People's environmental quality, health and life expectancy
are threatened by environmental problems caused by NH3 volatiliza-
tion (Li et al., 2019; B. Sun et al., 2020). The great challenge in the fu-
ture is to further reduce the harm to the environment caused by
agricultural production systems, while ensuring food security
(Zhang et al., 2015; Yang et al., 2020). Therefore, there is an urgent
need to determine optimal N fertilization strategies that can enhance
food production while minimizing NH3 volatilization.
In 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture announced the “Zero In-
crease Action Plan” for national fertilizer use, which aimed to increase
crop yields and reduce the cost of environmental damage without fur-
ther increasing the use of fertilizers by 2020 (Liu et al., 2016). A series
of optimal N fertilizer management measures have been proposed. Al-
though the N loss through NH3 volatilization in agricultural production
systems can be reduced by the use of urease inhibitors and deep N
placement (San Francisco et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2015; Yao et al., 2018;
Yang et al., 2020), the application of these strategies has been restricted
due to the lack of matching machinery and effective agricultural labor
forces (Li et al., 2018; Zhang, 2008). Recently, with the development
of effective and environmentally friendly fertilizers, slow-release nitro-
gen fertilizer (S) has been extensively applied to rice, wheat, maize and
other field crops (Gao et al., 2015; Tian et al., 2018; Ke et al., 2019; H.F.
Sun et al., 2020). However, S is generally expensive and difficult to pop-
ularize. Moreover, S may release from the polymer coating too
slowly to be an effective N source at the early growth stage of crops
(Farmaha and Sims, 2013). In order to reduce the cost of fertilizers,
increase economic benefit and solve the problem of slow release
rate at the early growth stage, many researchers have tried to opti-
mize S application in the field, mainly focusing on urea blended
with slow-release nitrogen fertilizer (UNS) (Geng et al., 2015;
Zheng et al., 2016; Guo et al., 2017; Qu et al., 2020). UNS can reduce
labor and fertilizer costs and ensure N supply while minimizing
leaching and volatilization of soil nutrients, thereby promoting the
absorption of N and increasing crop yields.
UNS also has many other advantages, such as being commonly used
as basal fertilizer to save labor and time, N release rate being synchro-
nized with plant N uptake, and lower N losses (Grant et al., 2012;
Zhang et al., 2019). In light of China's goal to implement the plan for
zero-growth of fertilizer, UNS offers an excellent option for increasing
NUE while minimizing environmental pollution. UNS has effectively in-
creased maize yields, economic return and NUE in different countries
2
Science of the Total Environment 790 (2021) 148058
around the world (Zheng et al., 2016; Guo et al., 2017; Zhu and Zhang,
2017; Garcia et al., 2018). Theoretically, controlling the N released
from fertilizers to match crop's N requirement and reducing N content
in the soil prior to plant uptake can reduce the risk of N leaching
(Zheng et al., 2020). Studies have shown that UNS increased nitrate N
content in the tillage layer of soils and reduced the residual NO− 3 -N in
deep soils (Zheng et al., 2016; Garcia et al., 2018). Previous studies on
NH3 volatilization have mainly focused on rice fields, while few studies
have been done on maize fields under high temperature and rainy
environments. In addition, studies on NH3 volatilization have largely
concentrated on traditional urea, and there have been only a few studies
on S and UNS. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to: 1) investi-
gate the dynamics of NH3 volatilization in a dryland summer maize field
in northwest China under various N fertilizer types; 2) explore whether
UNS can reduce NH3 volatilization in maize field compared with U and
S; and 3) optimize the use of N fertilizer for the sustainable production
of dryland maize in northwest China.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Experimental site description
A field experiment was carried out from mid-June to early October in
2018 and 2019 at the Water-saving Station of the Key Laboratory of
Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas of
the Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
(34°18′N, 108°24′E, 521 m a.s.l.) (Fig. 1). This area is characterized by
a warm temperate and monsoon climate, defined as a semi-humid but
drought-prone region (Fan et al., 2021; Zheng et al., 2018, 2021b).
Mean annual temperature and evapotranspiration are 13 °C and 1500
mm, respectively. The average annual rainfall is 632 mm (mainly occur-
ring in July, August and September). The soil texture of the 0–20 cm soil
layer is medium loam. The basic soil properties of the upper 20-cm soil
layer are shown in Table 1. Daily air temperature and rainfall during the
two growing seasons of maize were monitored using an automated
weather station (Fig. 2). The mean annual maximum and minimum
temperatures during June–October were 29.8 and 20.0 °C in 2018,
28.9 and 18.7 °C in 2019, respectively. The seasonal rainfall was
439 mm and 528 mm in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
2.2. Experimental design
Five N fertilizer types were applied: urea (U), slow-release nitro-
gen fertilizer (S), and urea blended with slow-release nitrogen fertil-
izer at three ratios of U and S (2:8 (UNS1), 3:7 (UNS2) and 4:6
(UNS3)) under two N application rates (N1:180 kg N ha−1 and N2:
240 kg N ha−1). A maize field without N application was used as
the control (CK). The experiment was arranged in a completely ran-
domized design with three replicates. Maize (Zhengdan 958) was
planted at 67,000 plants ha−1 with a row spacing of 60 cm and a
plant spacing of 25 cm. Each plot was designed with an area of
21 m2 , containing 5 rows with each row being 7 m long. The total
area of experiment field was 0.1 ha. Maize was seeded on June 7 in
2018 and June 12 in 2019, and harvested on September 30 in both
2018 and 2019.
N fertilizers used in the experiments were urea (N ≥ 46%) and
Stanley slow-release nitrogen fertilizer (N ≥ 29%, release period of
three months, Fei Mu Ping Guo Commercial and Trading Co., Ltd.,
Shandong Province, China). The phosphate fertilizer was calcium super-
phosphate (P2O5 ≥ 16%, Yunnan Yuxi Chemical Fertilizer Factory
Co., Ltd.), and the potassium fertilizer was potassium sulfate (K2O ≥
50%, Russia Import Trading Company). The slow-release nitrogen fertil-
izer and urea blended with slow-release nitrogen fertilizer were applied
as basal fertilizer, which were incorporated into the 0–15 cm soil layer
before planting. For the U treatment, 30% of the urea was applied before
planting, while the remaining 70% was applied at V7 (seven leaf collar)
J. Guo, J. Fan, F. Zhang et al. Science of the Total Environment 790 (2021) 148058

Fig. 1. Location of the experimental field at Yangling, Shaanxi, China.

stage. Phosphate fertilizer (120 kg P2O5 ha−1) and potassium fertilizer
(100 kg K2O ha−1) were also applied in each treatment before planting.
2.3. Sampling and measurements
2.3.1. NH3 volatilization
NH3 volatilization from each plot was measured using the ventila-
tion method with 12-cm-high PVC chambers (15 cm in diameter), as
described by Xu et al. (2012) (Fig. 3). During the measurement, two
sponges with a thickness of 2 cm and a diameter of 16 cm were evenly
immersed in 15 mL of phosphoglycerol solution in advance (50 mL
phosphoric acid and 40 mL glycerol, diluted to 1000 mL), and put into
each PVC chamber. The PVC chambers were inserted into the soil at
1 cm depth. The lower sponge was 5 cm above the ground, and the
upper sponge was level with the top of chambers. The lower sponge
was used to absorb NH3 volatilized from the soil, while the top sponge
was used to isolate NH3 from the ambient air. In order to prevent rainfall
from affecting the chamber, each chamber was equipped with a cap. The
lower sponge samples were collected daily at 8:00 am throughout the
entire experiment. NH3 collected in the phosphoglycerol moistened
sponges inside the chambers was immediately extracted with 300 mL
of 1 mol/L KCl solution after 1 h of oscillation, and the extracts were
analyzed with a continuous-flow autoanalyzer (Auto Analyzer–III,
SEAL Company, Germany). The soil NH3 volatilization rate was calcu-
lated as:
  M
−1 −1
NH3 −N kg ha d ¼  10−2 ð1Þ
AD
where M is the average amount of NH3 measured each time by a single
device using the ventilation method (NH3-N, mg), A is the cross-
sectional area of the capture device (m2), and D is the time of each con-
tinuous capture (d).
2.3.2. Dry matter and yield
Three plant samples were taken from the center of each plot at V3
(third leaf collar), V7, R1 (silking), R3 (milk) and R6 (physiological ma-
turity) stages. Maize samples were dried in ovens at 105 °C for 30 min
and afterwards at 75 °C until the weights were constant. Ten consecu-
tive maize plants were harvested from three locations in each plot at
physiological maturity. The sampled plants were put into nylon mesh
bags and air-dried. The air-dried samples were threshed and the grain
was weighed. The grain yield of each plot was calculated and reported
at 14% moisture content (Rowland et al., 2013).

Table 1
Basic soil properties of the 0–20 cm soil layer at the experimental site at Yangling, China (sampled on 6 June 2018).

Soil property Value Measurement method

Soil texture Medium loam Laser particle size analyzer

Bulk density 1.40 g cm−3 Core sampling method using ring knife
pH 8.14 Acid - alkali indicator method
Field capacity soil moisture 0.33 m3 m−3 Ring knife method
Wilting point soil moisture (θw) 0.085 Maximum hygroscopic moisture multiplied by 1.5
Soil organic carbon 11.5 g kg−1 Walkley and Black
Total nitrogen 0.93 g kg−1 Kjeldahl digestion
Total phosphorus 0.84 g kg−1 Molybdenum antimony colorimetric method by 0.5 mol/L NaHCO3 extractable
Total potassium 20.33 g kg−1 Emission spectrophotometry
Available phosphorus 21.42 mg kg−1 Olsen method by 0.5 mol/L NaHCO3 extractable
Available potassium 133.75 mg kg−1 Colorimetric method by 2 mol/L cold HNO3 extractable

3
J. Guo, J. Fan, F. Zhang et al. Science of the Total Environment 790 (2021) 148058

42 90
Tmax Tmin precipitation 2018
36

Precipitation (mm)
30
60
Temperature (℃)

24

18
30
12

0 0
6/2 6/16 6/30 7/14 7/28 8/11 8/25 9/8 9/22 10/6
Date (Month/Day)

42 90
Tmax Tmin precipitation 2019
36

30

Precipitation (mm)
60
Temperature (℃)

24

18
30
12

0 0
6/10 6/24 7/8 7/22 8/5 8/19 9/2 9/16 9/30
Date (Month/Day)

Fig. 2. Daily temperature and precipitation during the maize growing seasons of 2018 and 2019.

2.3.3. N uptake content with the Kjeldahl method (Bremner and Mulvaney, 1982). Total
At physiological maturity, three maize plants were sampled to deter- N uptake, N uptake efficiency (UPE), NUE and N recovery efficiency
mine N accumulation. The samples were put in an oven at 105 °C for 0.5 h, (NRE) were calculated as per Zhang et al. (2012):
and subsequently at 75 °C to constant weight. Dried samples were ground  
−1
to pass a 0.5 mm sieve, digested with H2SO4-H2O2 and analyzed for total N N uptake kg ha ¼ N content ð%Þ  aboveground biomass ð2Þ

Fig. 3. Diagram of the NH3 collecting device.

4
J. Guo, J. Fan, F. Zhang et al. Science of the Total Environment 790 (2021) 148058

  Total N uptake
UPE kg kg
−1
¼ ð3Þ volatilization peaked four or five days after fertilization. In 2018, the
N application rate highest NH3 volatilization varied from 2.3 kg ha−1 d−1 to 10.3 kg ha−1
d−1 in various treatments (Fig. 4a and d), which were higher than the
 
NUE kg kg
−1
¼
Grain yield
ð4Þ corresponding values in 2019 (2.1 kg ha−1 d−1 to 8.3 kg ha−1 d−1)
Total N uptake (Fig. 4g and j). Urea significantly increased NH3 volatilization after fertil-
  ization. After the basal fertilizer application, NH3 volatilization increased
−1
NRE kg kg with the increasing ratio of U and S. NH3 volatilization fluxes were in the
N uptake from N treatment−N uptake from no N treatment order of UNS3 > UNS2 > U > UNS1 > S > CK (Fig. 4b, e, h, and k). The
¼ peak values under N1 and N2 in UNS3 were 3.6 kg ha−1 d−1 and
N application rate
 100% ð5Þ 4.7 kg ha−1 d−1 in 2018, 1.8 kg ha−1 d−1 and 3.17 kg ha−1 d−1 in
2019, which were 7.4%–148.5% and 14.2%–192.1% greater than those
in the other treatments in 2018, and 6.9%–87.4% and 29.2%–116.4%
greater in 2019, respectively. There was an obvious peak after top-
2.3.4. Soil NO− +
3 -N, NH4 -N, pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and soil organic
matter (SOM) dressing U, and NH3 volatilization fluxes followed the order of U > S >
UNS1 > UNS2 > UNS3 > CK (Fig. 4c, f, i, and l). NH3 volatilization
Three soil samples were taken on the 7th day after fertilizer applica-
tion and at V3, V7, R1, R3 and R6 stages. Soil samples at each sampling under UN2 reached the maximum values four days after fertilization
(10.3 kg ha−1 d−1 in 2018 (Fig. 4a and b) and 8.3 kg ha−1 d−1 in 2019
location were divided into six layers (0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, 40–60 cm,
60–80 cm, 80–100 cm and 100–120 cm). Soil samples were ground to (Fig. 4g and j)), which were 140.1%–341.7% and 79.6%–298.6% greater
than those in the other treatments.
pass a 0.5 mm sieve. KCl solutions (2 mol/L) were used to extract the
soil NO− + Over the two maize growing seasons, cumulative NH3 volatilization
3 -N and NH4 -N. The solution was analyzed with a continuous
was significantly influenced by N rate (Fig. 5). Cumulative NH3 volatili-
flow analyzer (Auto Analyzer–III, SEAL Company, Germany). Soil NO− 3 -
N or NH+ zation under N2 was 23.6%–36.1% greater than that under N1 in 2018
4 -N accumulation was calculated as per Zheng et al. (2020):
and 36.2%–59.3% greater in 2019. Cumulative NH3 volatilization in
M ¼ CHY=10 ð6Þ 2018 was greater than that in 2019 (by 7.1%–51.1%). Cumulative NH3
volatilization under U reached the highest value of 51.5 kg ha−1,
where M is the accumulated amount of soil NO− +
3 -N or NH4 -N (kg ha
−1
), which was 57.5% and 39.9% greater than that under UNS and S, respec-
− + −1 tively. UNS significantly reduced cumulative NH3 volatilization com-
C is the content of soil NO3 -N or NH4 -N (mg kg ), H is the soil layer
thickness (cm) and Y is the soil bulk density. pared with U and S, among which UNS2 reached the minimum value
Soil pH and EC were determined at a 1:5 ratio of soil to CO2-free dis- of 25.7 kg ha−1 in 2018 and 18.8 kg ha−1 in 2019.
tilled water using a pH meter (pHS-3C, 204 Leici, Shanghai, China) and
electrical conductivity sensor (DDS-307, Leici, Shanghai, China) (Wang 3.2. Soil NH+
4 -N in the 0–20 cm soil layer
et al., 2018). SOM was determined by the wet oxidation method with
K2Cr2O7 (Bao, 2000): N type, N rate and N type × N rate had significant effects on soil NH+4 -
N in the 0–20 cm layer at various maize growth stages (p < 0.05), except
  CV1  ðV0 −VÞ  1:724  M  1:1  10−3 for N type × N rate at V3 and R3 stages in 2019 (p > 0.05). Soil NH+ 4 -N
−1 V
SOM g kg ¼ 0  1000 ð7Þ increased with increasing N application rate, which was the dominant
m
factor affecting NH3 volatilization (Table 2). On average, soil NH+ 4 -N
where C is the concentration of K2Cr2O7 (mol/L), V1 is the volume of under N2 was increased by 33.8%–65.1% (V3), 5.5%–8.2% (V7), 3.5%–
K2Cr2O7 (mL), V0 is the blank control titrate consuming the volume of 22.9% (R1), 7.8%–19.8% (R3) and 10.0%–26.0% (R6) at various stages com-
Fe2SO4 (mL), V is the sample titrate consuming the volume of Fe2SO4 pared with that under N1.
(mL), M is the molar mass of the carbon atom (M = 3), and m is the Fertilization can increase NH+ 4 -N content in the 0–20 cm soil layer.
mass of the soil (g). Soil NH+4 -N increased first and then decreased over the whole growing
season (increasing rapidly after top-dressing and then gradually de-
2.4. Statistical analysis creasing) (Table 2). Soil NH+ 4 -N increased with the increase in the
ratio of U to S in UNS treatments, and followed the order of UNS3 >
One-way ANOVA (https://www.ibm.com/products/spss-statistics) UNS2 > U > UNS1 > S > CK in both 2018 and 2019. Soil NH+ 4 -N in
was conducted using the SPSS software for analysis of variance. ANOVAs the other treatments was decreased by 26.0%–78.9% in 2018 and
were conducted using nitrogen type and nitrogen rate as the primary 3.5%–21.2% in 2019 compared with that under UNS3. After top-
effects and included the two-way interaction. Multiple comparisons of dressing of urea, soil NH+ 4 -N followed the order of U > UNS3 > UNS2
mean annual values were performed using the least significant > UNS1 > S > CK in both 2018 and 2019. Soil NH+ 4 -N under U was
difference (LSD). In all analyses, a p-value less than or equal to 0.05 20.4%–42.5% in 2018 and 22.1%–37.6% in 2019 greater than that in the
was considered significant. All determinations reported were the other treatments. Soil NH+ 4 -N followed the order of S > UNS > U > CK
means of three replicates. Origin (https://www.originlab.com/index. after R1 stage.
aspx?go=PRODUCTS/Origin) and Sigmaplot (https://systatsoftware.
com/products/sigmaplot/) were used to create the figures. 3.3. Soil pH, EC and SOM

3. Results
3.1. Dynamics of NH3 volatilization
Temporal variations of NH3 volatilization in various treatments in
2018 and 2019 are presented in Fig. 4a, d, g, and j. For CK, NH3 volatili-
zation maintained relatively low levels throughout the growing season
of maize. Various treatments generally exhibited a similar trend in NH3
volatilization, with larger volatilization within the first week, then
gradually declining and maintaining relatively low levels. Daily NH3
Soil pH ranged from 7.0 to 8.6, and increased with increasing N rate
at various growth stages of maize (Fig. 6a). On average, soil pH was 8.0
under N1 and 8.2 under N2. Soil pH reached the maximum value at the
V7 stage, and then gradually decreased. Urea was first hydrolyzed into
−
NH+ + +
4 and OH , and NH4 was then converted into NH3 and H . There-
fore, U increased soil pH for a short time, but U or excessive N fertiliza-
tion caused soil acidification and decreased soil pH over time. The ratio
of urea in different N treatments followed the order of UNS3 > UNS2 >
U > UNS1 > S > CK. Therefore, soil pH also followed the same order at
the V3 stage. After top-dressing of U, soil pH rapidly increased at the V7

5
J. Guo, J. Fan, F. Zhang et al. Science of the Total Environment 790 (2021) 148058

12 ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
VE-V6 V7-V18 VT-R1 R2-R5 R6 (b) 2018 N1
CK (c) 2018 N1
NH3 volatilization flux (kg ha -1d-1)

10 CK (a) 2018 N1 U
U UNS1
8 US1 UNS2
US2 UNS3
US3 S
6
S

0
12
(d) 2018 N2 (e) 2018 N2 (f) 2018 N2
NH3 volatilization flux (kg ha -1d-1)

10

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 CK U UNS1 UNS2 UNS3 S CK U UNS1 UNS2 UNS3 S
Day after basal planting Seven days after basal fertilizering Seven days after top-dressing

12 ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
VE-V6 V7-V18 VT-R1 R2-R5 R6 (h) 2019 N1 (i) 2019 N1
CK CK
10 (g) 2019 N1
NH3 volatilization flux (kg ha-1d-1)

U U
US1 UNS1
8 UNS2
US2
US3 UNS3
6 S S

0
12
(j) 2019 N2 (k) 2019 N2 (l) 2019 N2

10
NH3 volatilization flux (kg ha-1d-1)

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 CK U UNS1 UNS2 UNS3 S CK U UNS1 UNS2 UNS3 S
Day after planting Seven days after basal fertilizering Seven days after top-dressing

Fig. 4. Daily NH3 volatilization under various nitrogen types and application rates in 2018 and 2019. (a) Daily NH3 volatilization in 2018 under N1. (b) The NH3 volatilization after basal
fertilizer application in 2018 under N1. (c) The NH3 volatilization after top-dressing in 2018 under N1. (d) Daily NH3 volatilization in 2018 under N2. (e) The NH3 volatilization after basal
fertilizer application in 2018 under N2. (f) The NH3 volatilization after top-dressing in 2018 under N2. (g) Daily NH3 volatilization in 2019 under N1. (h) The NH3 volatilization after basal
fertilizer application in 2019 under N1. (i) The NH3 volatilization after top-dressing in 2019 under N1. (j) Daily NH3 volatilization in 2019 under N2. (k) The NH3 volatilization after basal
fertilizer application in 2019 under N2. (l) The NH3 volatilization after top-dressing in 2019 under N2. CK is no N application. U is urea. UNS1, UNS2, and UNS3 are urea blended with slow-
release nitrogen fertilizer at ratios of 2:8, 3:7 and 4:6, respectively. S is slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. VE is germination and emergence of maize. Vn is maize vegetative growth with n
leafs. VT is the last branch of the tassel is completely visible and the silks have not yet emerged. R1 is silking stage of maize. R2 is blister stage of maize. R5 is dent stage of maize. R6 is
physiological maturity of maize. Error bars are ±one standard deviation about the mean (n = 3). Vertical bars indicate the LSD values at p = 0.05 level.

stage. S and UNS increased soil pH due to the release of N from S, and urea. Soil EC under U was 19.8% and 21.6% greater than that under
followed the order of U > UNS > S > CK. Soil pH at the R6 stage followed UNS, 30.5% and 38.4% greater than that under S in 2018 and 2019,
the order of S > UNS > U > CK. respectively.
Soil EC exhibited the same trend as soil pH (Fig. 6b). Urea was rap- SOM ranged from 10.4 kg kg−1 to 16.0 kg kg−1. N fertilization
idly hydrolyzed after application, thereby increasing soil EC. At the V3 increased SOM, but SOM gradually decreased with the growth and de-
stage, U and UNS increased soil EC. Soil EC under U was 4.7% in 2018 velopment of maize. SOM increased with increasing N rate at various
and 5.1% in 2019, while the corresponding value under UNS was 8.9% growth stages (Fig. 6c). On average, SOM was 14.3 kg kg−1 under
in 2018 and 6.6% in 2019, both of which were greater than those N1and 15.1 kg kg−1 under N2. The application of S increased SOM.
under S. At the V7 stage, U increased soil EC due to the top-dressing of UNS and S increased SOM compared with U, and followed the order of

6
J. Guo, J. Fan, F. Zhang et al. Science of the Total Environment 790 (2021) 148058

60 a 60
2018 2019

NH3 volatilization accumulative losses (kg ha-1)

NH3 volatilization accumulative losses (kg ha-1)

a
50 b 50

c
40 cd 40 b
d
d bc
bc
bcd cd
e
30 e e e 30 de
ef
f f
20 20

10 10
f
g

0 0
CK U UNS1UNS2UNS3 S U UNS1UNS2UNS3 S CK U UNS1UNS2UNS3 S U UNS1UNS2UNS3 S
N0 N1 N2 N0 N1 N2
Treatment Treatment

Fig. 5. Cumulative NH3 volatilization under various nitrogen types and application rates in 2018 and 2019. CK is no N application. U is urea. UNS1, UNS2, and UNS3 are urea blended with
slow-release nitrogen fertilizer at ratios of 2:8, 3:7 and 4:6, respectively. S is slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. Different alphabets indicate the significance within the same year at 5% level by
LSD test. Error bars are ±one standard deviation about the mean (n = 3). Vertical bars indicate the LSD values at p = 0.05 level.

S > UNS1 > UNS2 > UNS3 > U > CK during the maize growing season. same, dry matter followed the order of UNS > S > U > CK in both
SOM under UNS and S was 2.9% and 6.1% greater than that under U at 2018 and 2019. After top-dressing, UNS had the greatest effect on the
the V3 stage, 10.3% and 14.4% greater at the V7 stage, 3.8% and 6.5% increase in dry matter compared with U and S, especially under
greater at the R1 stage, 4.3% and 9.0% greater at the R3 stage, and 3.0% UNS2N1 in 2018 and under UNS2N2 in 2019. At the R6 stage, the total
and 6.4% greater at the R6 stage, respectively (Fig. 6). dry matter under UNS2N1 (in 2018) and UNS2N2 (in 2019) reached
the maximum values of 17,508 kg ha−1 and 17,208 kg ha−1 respec-
3.4. Dry matter tively, which were 7.7%–61.5% and 2.4%–75.7% greater than those in
the other treatments, respectively.
Maize dry matter accumulation in different N treatments showed a
typical sigmoidal (slow-fast-slow) trend over the maize growing season 3.5. Grain yield and NUE
(Fig. 7). At the V3 stage, the higher the ratio of urea in N treatments, the
greater the maize dry matter, following the order of UNS3 > UNS2 > U Grain yield and total N accumulation under N1 were greater than
> UNS1 > CK. After top-dressing, there were significant effects on dry those under N2 in 2018 (Fig. 8a and b), while they were greater under
matter, following the order of UNS > S > U > CK. N2 in 2019 (Fig. 8c and d). With regards to various N fertilizer types,
The total dry matter under N1 was greater than that under N2 in grain yield and total N accumulation followed the order of UNS2 >
2018 (Fig. 7a and b), and the average total dry matter under N2 over UNS3 > UNS1 > S > U > CK in both 2018 and 2019. Grain yield and
the two seasons was 1.0%–12.4% lower than that under N1 in different total N accumulation under UNS2N1 reached the maximum values of
N treatments. However, the total dry matter of maize increased with in- 7611 kg ha−1 and 166.6 kg ha−1 in 2018, while the corresponding
creasing N rate in 2019 (Fig. 7c and d). The total dry matter under N2 values were 8119 kg ha−1 and 177.1 kg ha−1 under UNS2N2 in 2019, re-
was 7.9%–10.7% greater than that under N1. When the N rate was the spectively. Compared with those in other treatments, grain yield and

Table 2
Soil NH+
4 -N contents of the 0–20 cm soil layer at different growth stages of maize under various nitrogen types and application rates in 2018 and 2019.

Treatment 2018 2019

V3 V7 R1 R3 R6 V3 V7 R1 R3 R6

CK N0 1.4 ef 3.2 e 3.7 d 3.6 h 2.4 h 2.6 e 3.1 f 3.0 g 2.8 f 2.1 g
N1 U 3.6 cd 16.3 bc 8.9 c 7.3 g 7.0 g 3.2 d 15.2 b 9.6 f 8.2 e 6.9 f
UNS1 1.1 ef 14.3 cd 11.4 b 9.8 de 9.1 cde 3.2 d 12.4 de 12.0 bcd 9.4 cde 9.2 bc
UNS2 3.7 cd 14.9 bcd 11.4 b 9.1 ef 8.5 def 3.7 bc 12.9 de 11.5 cde 8.9 de 8.5 cd
UNS3 4.9 b 15.6 bcd 9.7 c 8.3 f 7.7 fg 3.9 bc 13.5 cd 10.9 de 8.4 e 7.3 ef
S 0.7 f 13.5 d 11.9 b 10.9 bc 10.2 c 3.1 d 11.9 e 11.7 bcd 10.8 b 9.8 b
N2 U 4.0 c 23.2 a 9.4 c 8.4 f 8.1 efg 4.4 a 18.5 a 10.4 ef 8.4 e 7.3 ef
UNS1 3.1 d 15.9 bcd 12.1 b 11.4 b 11.6 b 4.0 b 13.0 cde 12.8 b 10.3 bc 9.7 b
UNS2 5.4 b 16.5 bc 11.4 b 10.1 cd 9.6 cd 4.5 a 13.5 cd 12.3 bc 9.8 bcd 9.2 bc
UNS3 7.4 a 17.2 ab 10.9 b 9.1 ef 8.5 def 4.6 a 14.1 bc 11.7 bcd 8.9 de 8.0 de
S 1.9 e 14.2 cd 14.6 a 13.9 a 13.3 a 3.6 c 12.6 de 14.4 a 12.1 a 11.9 a

Significant level (F value)

N type ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎
N rate ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎
N type × N rate ⁎ ⁎ ⁎ ⁎ ⁎ ns ⁎⁎ ⁎ ns ⁎

Notes: CK is no N application. U is urea. UNS1, UNS2, and UNS3 are urea blended with slow-release nitrogen fertilizer at ratios of 2:8, 3:7 and 4:6, respectively. S is slow-release nitrogen
fertilizer. V3 is maize vegetative growth with three leafs. V7 is maize vegetative growth with seven leafs. R1 is silking stage of maize. R3 is milking stage of maize. R6 is physiological ma-
turity of maize. Different alphabets indicate the significance within the same year at 5% level by LSD test. ns: not significant, (p > 0.05).
⁎ Significant at p < 0.05.
⁎⁎ Significant at p < 0.01.

7
J. Guo, J. Fan, F. Zhang et al. Science of the Total Environment 790 (2021) 148058

8.6
SN2 f a a a a d a a a a

UNS3N2 a a a a a a bcd ab bc a

ab a 8.3
UNS2N2 b a a ab a a bcd ab

UNS1N2 bcde a a abc a bc ab ab ab a

UN2 bc a a bcd a ab ab ab cd a 7.9

SN1 ef a a bcd a cd cd bc cd a pH

UNS3N1 bc a cd a ab d bc de a 7.6
a
UNS2N1 bcd a a a cd bc de a
cd ab
UNS1N1 de a a d a cd bcd bc d a
7.3
UN1 cde a a d a bcd abc c e a

CK g b b e b e e d f b
7.0
V3 V7 R1 R3 R6 V3 V7 R1 R3 R6
2018 Growth period (a) 2019 Growth period

500
SN2 ef de a a a ef d a a a

UNS3N2 a cd c bc b a cd e c de

b b cd c
420
UNS2N2 b cd bc b c cd

UNS1N2 cd c b b a bcde c b b b

UN2 c a c cde c bc a fg d f 340

SN1 g f b bc a f f b de b EC

UNS3N1 c cde d de c bcd cd f f f 260

UNS2N1 de f d de bc cde e d f e

UNS1N1 f e bc bcd b ef d bc ef c
180
UN1 def b bc e c de b fg f f

CK h g e f d d g g g g
100
V3 V7 R1 R3 R6 V3 V7 R1 R3 R6
2018 Growth period 凚 b凛 2019 Growth period

16.0
SN2 a a a a a a a a a a

UNS3N2 a abc ab ab bcd a a ab bcd bcd

14.8
UNS2N2 a abc ab ab abc a a ab abc abc

UNS1N2 a abc ab ab ab a a ab ab ab

UN2 a d ab ab bcd a a ab cd cd 13.6

SN1 a ab ab ab abcd a a ab a ab SOM

UNS3N1 a bcd ab ab cd a a ab cd cd 12.4

UNS2N1 a abc ab ab bcd a a ab abc bcd

UNS1N1 a abc ab ab bcd a a ab ab abc

11.2
UN1 a cd b b d ab ab b cd de

CK b e c c e b b c d e
10.0
V1 V7 R1 R3 R6 V1 V7 R1 R3 R6
2018 Growth period 凚 c凛 2019 Growth period

Fig. 6. Soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and soil organic matter (SOM) of the 0–20 cm soil layer at different growth stages of maize under various nitrogen types and application rates in
2018 and 2019. (a) Dynamic changes of soil pH. (b) Dynamic changes of soil EC. (c) Dynamic changes of SOM. CK is no N application. U is urea. UNS1, UNS2, and UNS3 are urea blended with
slow-release nitrogen fertilizer at ratios of 2:8, 3:7 and 4:6, respectively. S is slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. V3 is maize vegetative growth with three leafs. V7 is maize vegetative growth
with seven leafs. R1 is silking stage of maize. R3 is milking stage of maize. R6 is physiological maturity of maize. Different letters indicate the significance at the same growth stage between
different treatments at 5% level by LSD test. NH+ 4 -N, pH, EC and SOM changed over time please refer to the Supplementary figure.

8
J. Guo, J. Fan, F. Zhang et al. Science of the Total Environment 790 (2021) 148058

20000
CK (a) 2018N1 (b) 2018N2
18000 U
UNS1
16000

Dry matter (kg ha-1)

UNS2
14000 UNS3
S
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
20000
(c) 2019N1 (d) 2019N2
18000
16000
Dry matter (kg ha-1)

14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
V3 V7 R1 R3 R6 V3 V7 R1 R3 R6
Growth period Growth period

Fig. 7. Maize dry matter under various nitrogen types and application rates in 2018 and 2019. (a) Maize dry matter under N1 in 2018. (b) Maize dry matter under N2 in 2018. (c) Maize dry
matter under N1 in 2019. (d) Maize dry matter under N2 in 2019. CK is no N application. U is urea. UNS1, UNS2, and UNS3 are urea blended with slow-release nitrogen fertilizer at ratios of
2:8, 3:7 and 4:6, respectively. S is slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. V3 is maize vegetative growth with three leafs. V7 is maize vegetative growth with seven leafs. R1 is silking stage of maize.
R3 is milking stage of maize. R6 is physiological maturity of maize. Error bars are ±one standard deviation about the mean (n = 3). Vertical bars indicate the LSD values at p = 0.05 level.

total N accumulation were increased by 10.4%–118.7% and 4.5%–140.9%
in 2018, and by 4.3%–124.0% and 9.1%–111.8% in 2019 respectively.
UPE, NUE and NRE decreased with increasing N rate (Table 3), and
followed the order of UNS2 > UNS3 > UNS1 > S > U > CK in both
2018 and 2019. UPE under N1 in 2018 was greater than that in 2019,
while UPE under N2 in 2019 was greater than that in 2018. At the N
rate, NUE in 2019 was greater than that in 2018. The maximum values
of NUE under UNS2N1 were 45.7 kg kg−1 in 2018 and 50.0 kg kg−1 in
2019, which were 3.9%–23.5% and 4.2%–15.2% greater than those in
the other treatments, respectively.
3.6. Residual soil NO−
3 -N after maize harvest
The residual NO− 3 -N content in the 0–120 cm soil profile after maize
harvest increased with increasing N rate (Fig. 9a and d). The residual soil
NO− 3 -N under N2 was about 40% (2018) and 20% (2019) greater than
that under N1. The residual soil NO− 3 -N in 2019 was 6.5%–16.1% greater
than that in 2018 under N1, but the residual soil NO− 3 -N in 2019 was
0.6%–10.9% less than that in 2018 under N2. The residual soil NO− 3 -N
followed the order of U > S > UNS > CK in both 2018 and 2019. Com-
pared with U (166.6 kg ha−1 in 2018 and 162.9 kg ha−1 in 2019), UNS
and S significantly reduced residual soil NO− 3 -N by 17.9% and 3.5% in
2018, and by 12.6% and 2.6% in 2019, respectively. UNS2 produced the
smallest residual NO− 3 -N in the soil, which was averagely 10.0% and
8.7% less than that under UNS1 and UNS3, respectively.
Soil NO−3 -N in the 0–60 cm layer first decreased and then increased
over depth in both 2018 and 2019 (Fig. 9b, c, e, and f), soil NO−
3 -N in the
60–120 cm layer gradually decreased over depth in 2018 (Fig. 9b and c),
but gradually increased in 2019 (Fig. 9e and f). Soil NO−3 -N under U was
smallest in the 0–40 cm soil layer, but greatest in the 60–120 cm soil
layer. In contrast, soil NO−
3 -N under S in the 0–40 cm soil layer was rel-
atively high, and smallest in the 60–120 cm soil layer. Soil NO−
3 -N in the
0–120 cm soil layer under UNS showed little variation. Generally, soil
NO− 3 -N in the 0–40 cm soil layer under UNS was smaller than that
under S but greater than that under U, but the opposite trend was ob-
served in the 60–120 cm soil layer.
4. Discussion
4.1. Effect of N fertilizer type and N application rate on NH3 volatilization
Tian et al. (2021) reported increased NH3 volatilization under lower
rainfall and higher temperature conditions. In this study, we found that
the cumulative NH3 volatilization in 2018 was greater than that in 2019
(Fig. 5), which can be largely attributed to the lower rainfall and higher
temperature in 2018 (Fig. 2) (Gao and Shao, 2011). This demonstrates
that rainfall accelerates the N percolation into deep soils, where NH3
can be reabsorbed before escaping to the atmosphere, thereby mitigat-
ing NH3 volatilization (San Francisco et al., 2011; Espindula et al., 2020;
Li et al., 2021). Increasing soil temperature directly increased NH3 vola-
tilization because of increased soil NH+ 4 -N, pH and urease activity (Ke
et al., 2019; S.M. Liu et al., 2020; Abdo et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2021).
However, Li et al. (2021) indicated that higher temperature could
improve nitrification and N immobilization, thereby exhausting NH+ 4 -
N and mitigating NH3 volatilization under straw or film mulching
conditions.
The S treatment was identified as the most effective way to match
the N demand of plants and effectively minimized N losses; because

9
J. Guo, J. Fan, F. Zhang et al. Science of the Total Environment 790 (2021) 148058

10000 CK
10000
(a) 2018 CK
U U
(b) 2019
a
UNS1 UNS1 b
8000 UNS2
a 8000 cd c
UNS2

Grain yield (kg ha )

Grain yield (kg ha )
b b de

-1
-1 UNS3 c b UNS3 f ef f
d g
S e S
6000 f 6000 h
g
h
4000 i 4000 i

2000 2000

0 0
N0 N1 N2 N0 N1 N2

200 200
CK U UNS1 UNS2 UNS3 S CK U UNS1 UNS2 UNS3 S
a
a ab (c) 2018 (d) 2019
b bc c b
b bc d d
150 cd de 150 e e ef f
N uptake (kg ha )

N uptake (kg ha )
-1

-1
e
g
f
100 100
h
g

50 50

0 0
N0 N1 N2 N0 N1 N2

Fig. 8. Maize grain yield and N uptake under various nitrogen types and application rates in 2018 and 2019. (a) Grain yield in 2018. (b) Grain yield in 2019. (c) N uptake in 2018. (d) N
uptake in 2019. CK is no N application. U is urea. UNS1, UNS2, and UNS3 are urea blended with slow-release nitrogen fertilizer at ratios of 2:8, 3:7 and 4:6, respectively. S is slow-release
nitrogen fertilizer. Different alphabets indicate the significance within the same year at 5% level by LSD test. Error bars are ±one standard deviation about the mean (n = 3). Vertical bars
indicate the LSD values at p = 0.05 level.

the N fertilizer hydrolyzation was delayed (Xu et al., 2013; Ti et al., absorbed by the soil, thereby further mitigating NH3 volatilization
2018; L. Liu et al., 2020). In this study, UNS and S significantly reduced (Nkebiwe et al., 2016; Perin et al., 2020; Mencaroni et al., 2021; Tian
NH3 volatilization compared with U in both 2018 and 2019 (Fig. 5). et al., 2021). UNS2 exhibited the best mitigating effect on NH3 volatiliza-
This was due to the blocking of direct contact of the slow-release coating tion compared with the other treatments (Fig. 5). This was caused by
material between the urea in the membrane and the soil urease, thereby the reduction of NH3 loss after top-dressing compared with UNS1, and
impeding the water transport necessary for urea dissolution in the the reduction of NH3 loss after basal fertilizer compared with UNS3.
membrane (X.D. Liu et al., 2020). Zhan et al. (2021) reported that Generally, NH3 volatilization increased over time, which reached the
mixing fertilizer in soils could reduce NH3 volatilization by 49%. S and maximum values within three days after fertilization, and then de-
UNS were mixed into the cultivated soil layer as basal fertilizer, and creased after seven days due to the soil absorption and plant uptake of
soil NH+
4 -N resulting from the hydrolyzation of N fertilizer was easily N (Zhang et al., 2011; Sun et al., 2015; Tian et al., 2021). The critical pe-
riod for reducing NH3 volatilization is within seven days after fertiliza-
tion (Griggs et al., 2007; Farmaha and Sims, 2013). Surface soil
Table 3 management of NH+ 4 -N in maize fields should be enhanced during
Nitrogen uptake and utilization under various nitrogen types and application rates in 2018 this period. Farmers can mitigate NH3 volatilization by irrigation, use
and 2019. of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer and urease inhibitors or deep applica-
Treatment UPE (kg kg−1) NUE (kg kg−1) NRE (kg kg−1) tion of fertilizers (L. Liu et al., 2020; Zhong et al., 2021).
2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019
4.2. Effect of soil NH+
4 -N, pH, EC and SOM on NH3 volatilization
CK N0 – – 37.0 d 43.4 f – –
N1 U 0.7 d 0.7 ef 37.0 d 44.4 def 20.4 ef 21.1 f
UNS1 0.9 b 0.8 bc 44.0 b 47.3 bc 34.1 bc 31.0 cde 4.2.1. Soil NH+4 -N
UNS2 0.9 a 0.9 a 45.7 a 50.0 a 40.2 a 40.3 a Soil NH+4 -N is considered to be a key factor affecting NH3 volatiliza-
UNS3 0.9 b 0.8 b 43.3 b 48.0 b 36.3 ab 31.4 cd tion (B. Sun et al., 2020). NH3 volatilization increased with increasing
S 0.8 c 0.8 c 43.1 b 46.8 bc 30.9 c 30.2 de NH+ 4 -N content, and NH3 volatilization had a significant positive corre-
N2 U 0.5 h 0.6 h 37.7 d 44.0 ef 6.2 g 21.9 f
UNS1 0.6 f 0.7 f 40.9 c 44.8 def 19.6 ef 31.7 bc
lation with soil NH+ 4 -N content (Hayashi et al., 2008; L. Liu et al., 2020).

UNS2 0.7 e 0.8 d 43.2 b 45.9 cd 25.5 d 39.1 a Our results showed that soil NH+ 4 -N content increased rapidly after fer-
UNS3 0.6 e 0.7 e 40.8 c 45.0 de 23.5 de 32.9 b tilization, and NH3 volatilization was mainly concentrated on the first
S 0.6 g 0.7 g 40.6 c 44.7 def 16.6 f 29.8 e seven days after fertilization, especially after top-dressing of urea. In
Significant level (F value) our study, when soil N content was low, it was first used for maize
N type ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ plant uptake. NH3 volatilization increased sharply when soil N supply
N rate ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎ ⁎⁎
exceeded the plant uptake. There was a positive correlation between
N type × N rate ns ns ⁎ ⁎ ns ⁎
NH+ 4 -N concentration and NH3 volatilization in 2018 (0.611**) and
Notes: CK is no N application. U is urea. UNS1, UNS2, and UNS3 are urea blended with 2019 (0.613**) (Table 4). These results were similar to previous findings
slow-release nitrogen fertilizer at ratios of 2:8, 3:7 and 4:6, respectively. S is slow-release that NH3 volatilization increased with increasing soil NH+ 4 -N concentra-
nitrogen fertilizer. Different alphabets indicate the significance within the same year at 5%
level by LSD test. ns: not significant, (p > 0.05).
tion, and their relationship was polynomial (Shang et al., 2013), expo-
⁎ Significant at p < 0.05. nential (L. Liu et al., 2020) or linear (Yao et al., 2018). The difference
⁎⁎ Significant at p < 0.01. in fitted functions may be related to the differences soil type, climate

10
J. Guo, J. Fan, F. Zhang et al. Science of the Total Environment 790 (2021) 148058

210
0-20 cm 20-40 cm a NO3--N content (mg kg-1) NO3--N content (mg kg-1)
a

Soil NO3--N accumulation amount (kg ha )

-1
40-60 cm 60-80 cm 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 4 8 12 16 20 24
180 80-100 cm 100-120 cm b 0
b (b) 2018 N1 (c) 2018 N2 2018 N2
(a) 2018
c
150 20
d de
ef
120 fg 40
gh

Soil depth (cm)

h
90 60

60 80
CK
U
30 100 UNS1
UNS2
UNS3
2100 120 S (b)
(d) 2019 0
Soil NO3--N accumulation amount (kg ha )

(e) 2019 N1 (f) 2019 N2

-1

180 a ab
abc abc 20
bcd cd
150 cd
de de 40
e

Soil depth (cm)

120
f 60
90
80
60
100
30
120
0
CK U UNS1UNS2UNS3 S U UNS1UNS2UNS3 S 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 4 8 12 16 20 24
N0 N1 Treament N2
NO3--N content (mg kg-1) NO3--N content (mg kg-1)

Fig. 9. The 0–120 cm residual soil nitrate nitrogen under various nitrogen types and application rates in 2018 and 2019. (a) 0–120 cm soil nitrate nitrogen accumulation in 2018.
(b) 0–120 cm soil nitrate nitrogen distribution in 2018 for N1 treatment. (c) 0–120 cm soil nitrate nitrogen distribution in 2018 for N2 treatment. (d) 0–120 cm soil nitrate nitrogen
accumulation in 2019. (e) 0–120 cm soil nitrate nitrogen distribution in 2019 for N1 treatment. (f) 0–120 cm soil nitrate nitrogen distribution in 2019 for N2 treatment. CK is no N
application. U is urea. UNS1, UNS2, and UNS3 are urea blended with slow-release nitrogen fertilizer at ratios of 2:8, 3:7 and 4:6, respectively. S is slow-release nitrogen fertilizer.
Different alphabets indicate the significance within the same year at 5% level by LSD test. Error bars are ±one standard deviation about the mean (n = 3). Vertical bars indicate the
LSD values at p = 0.05 level.

condition and crop variety (San Francisco et al., 2011; Pan et al., 2016; Ti
et al., 2018). Urea is rapidly hydrolyzed by urease when applied to the
soil, resulting in increased soil pH, NH+
4 -N and subsequently substantial
NH3 volatilization (Li et al., 2014). Slow-release N fertilizer had a long
release period, which slowed N release to better match the plant de-
mand for N at various growth stages, and ultimately reduced NH3 vola-
tilization from a rice field (Tian et al., 2021). This was similar to our
results that UNS and S increased soil NH+ 4 -N content after the V7 stage
compared with U, but it did not significantly increase NH3 volatilization.
4.2.2. Soil pH and EC
Soil pH had a positive impact on NH3 volatilization, and a 20% in-
crease in pH could lead to a 13% increase in NH3 volatilization (L. Liu
et al., 2020). Soil pH in 2018 was greater than that in 2019, and NH3 vol-
atilization consequently followed the same trend, which is similar to the
finding of Huda et al. (2016). In this study, U could increase soil pH and
then promoted NH+ 4 -N conversion to dissolved NH3 in the soil (Ke et al.,
Table 4
Correlation between NH3 volatilization and NH+4 -N, soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC)
and soil organic matter (SOM) in the 0–20 cm soil layer in 2018 and 2019.
Year NH+
4 -N
2018 0.611⁎⁎
2019 0.613⁎⁎
2018 and 2019 0.614⁎⁎
⁎⁎ Significant at p < 0.01.
2019). This was due to the fact that urea applied to the soil was rapidly
hydrolyzed, causing a localized increase in pH (Duan and Xiao, 2000; Li
et al., 2021). However, soil pH under S and UNS was not increased sig-
nificantly, because the N fertilizer hydrolysis was delayed. Previous
studies have reported that soils with higher pH produced more NH3 vol-
atilization (Ma et al., 2010; Mandal et al., 2016; Ti et al., 2018; Wu et al.,
2020). Gonzatto et al. (2013) and L. Liu et al. (2020) observed that when
soil pH increased 1 unit in the range from 6 to 8, soil NH+ 4 -N content in-
creased ten-fold, thereby causing a rapid increase in NH3 volatilization.
Our results demonstrated that a positive correlation existed between
NH3 volatilization and pH in 2018 (0.599**) and 2109 (0.608**)
(Table 4), and NH3 volatilization increased sharply when soil pH > 8.
This was similar to the finding of Kupper et al. (2020), who reported
that the highest NH3 loss occurred at pH of 7–10, while NH3 volatiliza-
tion decreased when pH < 7. However, Zhang et al. (2018) reported
that NH3 volatilization was negatively correlated with soil pH, probably
due to that soil pH decreased significantly after pig manure, but NH3
volatilization reached the peak value within one week after fertilization.
Previous studies have shown that S could reduce soil EC due to the slow
release of nutrients (Shreckhise et al., 2019). This explains why UNS and
S lowered soil EC and then reduced NH3 volatilization (Fig. 6b). N fertil-
ization increased soil N content and NO− 3 -N, thereby increasing soil EC
pH EC SOM and NH3 volatilization (Zhong et al., 2016; Shreckhise et al., 2019). In
0.599⁎⁎ 0.666⁎⁎ −0.358⁎⁎ this study, NH3 volatilization increased with the increasing soil EC, and
0.608⁎⁎ 0.722⁎⁎ −0.449⁎⁎ showed a positive correlation in 2018 (0.666**) and 2019 (0.722**)
0.606⁎⁎ 0.696⁎⁎ −0.412⁎⁎ (Table 4). However, related studies are scarce, and this relationship
needs to be further verified.

11
J. Guo, J. Fan, F. Zhang et al.
4.2.3. SOM
Previous studies have suggested that various organic acids and
humus formed during the decomposition process of SOM could reduce
soil pH, resulting in mitigated NH3 volatilization (Duan and Xiao, 2000;
Wu et al., 2020). A 20% increase in SOM could reduce NH3 volatilization
by 5% (L. Liu et al., 2020). Our result demonstrated that soils with higher
SOM produced lower NH3 volatilization, and there was a negative
relationship between SOM and NH3 volatilization in 2018 (−0.358**)
and 2019 (−0.449**) (Table 4), which was similar to the finding of
Duan and Xiao (2000). In this study, the application of S increased
SOM in both 2018 and 2019. This is consistent with the finding of Tian
et al. (2018), who reported that SOM in the 0–40 cm soil layer under S
was higher than that under U at the same N rate. It was similar to our
results that UNS and S reduced NH3 volatilization by increasing SOM.
Although increasing the application rate of S could increase SOM, it is
worth noting that organic matter is a better N source and a stronger
deammonification may occur during the decomposition processes, so
an increase in NH3 volatilization is inevitable (Duan and Xiao, 2000).
In addition, previous studies reported that organic manure caused
more NH3 volatilization, probably due to the high soil urease activity
resulting from manure application (Matsushima et al., 2009; Zhang
et al., 2018; Wu et al., 2020). Therefore, applying S at an appropriate N
rate as the N source could increase SOM while reducing environmental
pollution (Ti et al., 2018; Tian et al., 2018).
4.3. Effect of N fertilizer type and N application rate on grain yield, N uptake,
NUE and residual soil NO− 3 -N
Achieving the synchrony between N supply and crop demand so as to
avoid the excess or deficiency in N is the key to tradeoff among yield,
profit and environment in crop production (Malhi et al., 2001; Cui et al.,
2010). Previous studies have reported that UNS greatly improved NUE
and grain yield, and reduced NO− 3 -N accumulation in the soil profile com-
pared with U. However, soil NO− 3 -N in the 0–40 cm soil layer under UNS
was higher than under U (Zheng et al., 2016; Tian et al., 2018). Dry matter,
grain yield and N uptake followed the order of UNS > S > U. When the
ratio of S was too high, the available N supply was inadequate at the
early growth stage of maize, and the accumulation of photosynthetic prod-
uct was reduced, resulting in lower grain yield. When the ratio of S was too
low, N could not be continuously supplied. This is consistent with previous
findings that S and U blended at ratios of 45%–75% increased maize yield, N
uptake and NUE, thereby reducing N losses (Farmaha and Sims, 2013;
Garcia et al., 2018). This explains why UNS provided greater N availability
for maize vegetative growth compared with U and S (Li et al., 2020; Qu
et al., 2020; Zheng et al., 2020). UNS2 increased total dry matter
(by 6.0%–49.8%), grain yield (by 11.7%–112.7%) and total N uptake
(by 7.0%–114.3%), and reduced soil NO− 3 -N (by 8.0%–19.8%) compared
with the other treatments. These results were in line with the findings of
Li et al. (2020), which can be due to that UNS2 had a more uniform N
release and better synchronization of N release with maize plant N
requirement (Guo et al., 2017; Ke et al., 2019).
In this study, the NO− 3 -N content of the 0–40 cm soil layer followed
the order of S > UNS > U, and it was U > S > UNS in the 0–120 cm soil
layer. These results were generally similar to those of Xiao et al. (2019),
who concluded that S reduced total NO− 3 -N leaching in the soil com-
pared with U, but exhibited higher NO− 3 -N in the 0–40 cm soil layer,
thereby increasing NH3 volatilization. Zheng et al. (2016) reported
that crop roots were mainly concentrated in the 0–40 cm soil layer, so
excessive NO− 3 -N below the 40 cm soil depth not only decreased NUE,
but also increased the risk of environmental pollution. This result illus-
trates that UNS has great potential for limiting soil leaching by matching
the soil N supply and crop N uptake (Tian et al., 2021). Among various
blending ratios of U and S, UNS2 (3:7) had the best effect on sustainable
maize production by increasing grain yield and reducing N leaching.
Guo et al. (2017) also reported that a suitable ratio of U and S not only
maintained the N balance, but also increased crop yields.
12
Science of the Total Environment 790 (2021) 148058
5. Conclusions
Considering the comprehensive impact on crop yield, economic ben-
efit and environmental pollution, UNS was recommended as a feasible
fertilization practice for sustainable maize production in contrasting hy-
drologic years. This N management strategy improved grain yield
(4.3%–48.7%) while reducing environmental pollution caused by NH3
volatilization (9.0%–40.7%) and residual soil NO− 3 -N (8.0%–19.8%).
When N application rate was reduced by 25%, N loss was greatly re-
duced without significant grain yield reduction (~7700 kg ha−1) and
NUE was improved (by 5.4%–7.4%). This study demonstrates that UNS
is an effective N management method to simplify maize production, in-
crease grain yield and reduce environmental pollution in northern
China. This result can provide a reference for N management in other
areas where agricultural labor and capital are relatively short.
Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148058.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Jinjin Guo: Investigation, Formal analysis, Conceptualization,
Methodology, Writing – original draft. Junliang Fan: Conceptualization,
Methodology, Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Funding
acquisition. Fucang Zhang: Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervi-
sion, Project administration, Resources, Funding acquisition. Shicheng
Yan: Writing – review & editing. Jing Zheng: Writing – review & editing.
You Wu: Investigation. Ju Li: Investigation. Yanli Wang: Investigation.
Xin Sun: Investigation. Xiaoqiang Liu: Investigation. Youzhen Xiang:
Supervision, Writing – review & editing. Zhijun Li: Supervision.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influ-
ence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgments
This study was jointly supported by the National Natural Science
Foundation of China (No. 51879226, No. 51979231), the Youth Talent
Cultivation Program of Northwest A&F University (No. 2452020010),
the “111” Project (No. B12007).
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