Work

Tailoring nitrogen input based on waterlogging duration improves root growth and biomass translocation in cotton

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Nitrogen application is an effective strategy for mitigating abiotic stress that suffered by crops, such as drought, waterlogging and heat stresses; however, the interactive effects of nitrogen rates and waterlogging durations on biomass accumulation, translocation, and root growth remain largely unknown. To address this knowledge gap, a two-year (2018 and 2019) field experiment was conducted to investigate the impacts of varied waterlogging durations (0, 5, 10, and 15 days, denoted as W0, W5, W10, and W15) at the early flowering stage and nitrogen application rates (0, 240, and 360 kg N ha−1, denoted as N0, N1, and N2) on cotton biomass accumulation and translocation, soil nitrogen status, root traits, and lint yield. The results showed that waterlogging stress significantly delayed cotton phenology by 1–6 days, inhibited plant biomass accumulation and translocation, reduced soil nitrate nitrogen content, suppressed root growth and nitrate reductase activity, and ultimately decreased lint yield by 37% to 83%, with the reduction proportional to waterlogging durations. Nitrogen input effectively alleviated waterlogging stress on cotton growth, and increased lint yield by 139% to 306%. Compared to N1, N2 effectively alleviated waterlogging stress of W10 on cotton growth by improving root length density in the 40–100 cm soil layer, increasing biomass accumulation and translocation from vegetative organs to grains. In contrast, no significant differences were observed in above indicators and lint yield between N1 and N2 under W15 conditions, suggesting that irreversible damage caused by 15-d long waterlogging stress at the early flowering stage. Therefore, tailoring nitrogen application rates to waterlogging intensity is crucial for enhancing nitrogen use efficiency and mitigating waterlogging stress

Source: Agricultural Water Management

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.110050