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Improving Fertilizer Use Efficiency-Methods and Strategies for the Future
This editorial introduces our Special Issue entitled “Improving Fertilizer Use Efficiency—Methods and Strategies for the Future”. The fertilizer use efficiency (FUE) is a measure of the potential of an applied fertilizer to increase the productivity and utilization of the nutrients present in the soil/plant system. FUE indices are mainly used to assess the effectiveness of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilization. This is due to the low efficiency of use of NPK fertilizers, their environmental side effects and also, in relation to P, limited natural resources. The FUE is the result of a series of interactions between the plant genotype and the environment, including both abiotic and biotic factors. A full recognition of these factors is the basis for proper fertilization in farming practice, aimed at maximizing the FUE. This Special Issue focuses on some key topics in crop fertilization. Due to specific goals, they can be grouped as follows: removing factors that limit the nutrient uptake of plants; improving and/or maintaining an adequate soil fertility; the precise determination of fertilizer doses and application dates; foliar application; the use of innovative fertilizers; and the adoption of efficient genotypes. The most important nutrient in crop production is N. Hence, most scientific research focuses on improving the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Obtaining high NUE values is possible, but only if the plants are well supplied with nitrogen-supporting nutrients. In this Special Issue, particular attention is paid to improving the plant supply with P and K.
Response of Wheat and Sugar Beet to Different Mineral–Organic Fertilization in a Long-Term Experiment
The effect of cyclic pig slurry (PS) application in long-term crop rotations with alfalfa is poorly recognized, particularly with regard to nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in crops requiring relatively high nitrogen (N) inputs. A long-term field experiment was established in Prague-Ruzyně, Czechia, in 1955. The experiment evaluated the effects of eight fertilization combinations, involving PS application and various N, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) rates (N0P0K0; N1P1K1; N3P2K2; and N4P2K2). The effect of fertilization was evaluated in a 9-year crop rotation, in which PS was applied only three times under root crops. Long-term different mineral fertilization treatments and the application of PS significantly affected the yield of the tested crops: winter wheat and sugar beet. The highest wheat yield (8.34 t ha−1) was observed in the PS+N3P2K2 treatment, while the highest beet yield (86.1 t ha−1) was recorded in the PS+N4P2K2 treatment. The differences compared with the absolute control (N0P0K0) were 62.3% and 40.5%, respectively. However, statistically significant differences between treatments with different NPK rates were recorded only in plots without PS. With increasing NPK fertilizer rates, the uptake of macronutrients by plants also increased. The only exception was calcium in sugar beet in PS plots. The total N accumulation in plants was proportionally related to the total N input to the soil–plant system (Nin). For winter wheat, this trend was beneficial, as it resulted in higher protein yield, whereas in beet, the sugar yield did not increase significantly when Nin exceeded 250 kg N ha−1. The obtained results indicate that, in the soil conditions of this experiment, N rates should be primarily balanced with appropriate rates of phosphorus.