Different water and nitrogen fertilizer rates effects on growth and development of spinach

ABSTRACT

Water and nitrogen (N) nutrition are two key factors affecting nutrient absorption growth and biomass production of vegetables. However, less information is available to the interaction between water utilization and nitrogen use efficiency in vegetable production. In this study, a combination of three water levels and three nitrogen fertilizer rates was applied to optimize water and nitrogen application in field experiments. Plant traits, biomass production, and allocation were determined. The fresh and dry weight of leaf, stem, and root significantly decreased when irrigation water was short. Total aboveground biomass decreased in response to deficit irrigation. Leaf chlorophyll concentrations decreased when nitrogen fertilizer reduced. The leaf area was highest when spinach was grown under 170 kg ha⁻¹ of nitrogen fertilizer and 70–80% of field capacity. These results suggested that spinach could be planted with good growth and quality by implementing effective water and nitrogen managements.

KEYWORDS:

• Dry matter
• growth
• nitrogen
• root/shoot
• water

Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [No. 2017M622154].

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [No. 2017M622154];