title: Responses of Wheat Yield, Macro- and Micro-Nutrients, and Heavy Metals in Soil and Wheat following the Application of Manure Compost on the North China Plain.
abstract: The recycling of livestock manure in cropping systems is considered to enhance soil fertility and crop productivity. However, there have been no systematic long-term studies of the effects of manure application on soil and crop macro- and micro-nutrients, heavy metals, and crop yields in China, despite their great importance for sustainable crop production and food safety. Thus, we conducted field experiments in a typical cereal crop production area of the North China Plain to investigate the effects of compost manure application rates on wheat yield, as well as on the macro-/micro-nutrients and heavy metals contents of soil and wheat. We found that compost application increased the soil total N and the available K, Fe, Zn, and Mn concentrations, whereas the available P in soil was not affected, and the available Cu decreased. In general, compost application had no significant effects on the grain yield, biomass, and harvest index of winter wheat. However, during 2012 and 2013, the N concentration decreased by 9% and 18% in straw, and by 16% and 12% in grain, respectively. With compost application, the straw P concentration only increased in 2012 but the grain P generally increased, while the straw K concentration tended to decrease and the grain K concentration increased in 2013. Compost application generally increased the Fe and Zn concentrations in straw and grain, whereas the Cu and Mn concentrations decreased significantly compared with the control. The heavy metal concentrations increased at some compost application rates, but they were still within the safe range. The balances of the macro-and micro-nutrients indicated that the removal of nutrients by wheat was compensated for by the addition of compost, whereas the level of N decreased without the application of compost. The daily intake levels of micronutrients via the consumption of wheat grain were still lower than the recommended levels when sheep manure compost was applied, except for that of Mn.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.|Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.|Institute of Plant Nutrition and Resource Environment, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.|Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Zhaohui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Nutrition and Resource Environment, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Changlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Nutrition and Resource Environment, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zhenghua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology of the Ministry of Agriculture/Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D005308:Fertilizers; D008372:Manure; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000633:toxicity*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D014908:Triticum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers; D008372:Manure; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants