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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (10): 74-84.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2024453

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Planting and incorporation of smooth vetch together with reduced nitrogen fertilizer application enhances tobacco yield and soil quality

Wen-jun ZHAO1,2(), Ting LIANG3(), Jian-song WANG1, Kui LIU1, Yu FENG4, Zheng-xu WANG1, Zi-he XU1, Yun-cong ZHU1, Meng-meng SUN1, Xiang-wei LI1, Li-bo FU5, Mei YIN5, Guo-peng ZHOU6, Hua CHEN5(), Wei-dong CAO3()   

  1. 1.Hongta Tobacco (Group) Co. ,Ltd,Yuxi 653100,China
    2.Raw Material Center of China Tobacco Yunnan Industrial Co. ,Ltd,Kunming 650000,China
    3.State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China,Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning,Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences,Beijing 100081,China
    4.College of Plant Protection,Yunnan Agricultural University,Kunming 650000,China
    5.Institute of Agricultural Environment and Resources,Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences,Kunming 650000,China
    6.College of Resources and Environment,Anhui Agricultural University,Hefei 230036,China
  • Received:2024-11-19 Revised:2024-12-16 Online:2025-10-20 Published:2025-07-11
  • Contact: Hua CHEN,Wei-dong CAO

Abstract:

The overall aim of our research was to provide a theoretical basis and technical approach to reduce fertilizer use and improve fertilizer use efficiency during tobacco production in Yunnan. To this end, we conducted an experiment in which different amounts of smooth vetch (Vicia villosa) were incorporated together with reduced application rates of nitrogen fertilizer to tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and the yield and soil quality were evaluated. The field experiment commenced in 2017, and the impacts of planting and incorporating varying amounts of smooth vetch together with 30% and 15% reductions in the nitrogen fertilizer application rate on tobacco yield and soil quality were evaluated in 2022. Compared with the conventional fertilization practice of fallow-tobacco (control-F100), incorporating 22500 to 30000 kg·ha-1 green manure with a 15% and 30% reduction in the nitrogen fertilizer application rate significantly increased tobacco yield by 4.85%-9.94% (P<0.05). The incorporation of smooth vetch with reduced nitrogen fertilizer application also improved soil nutrient properties. Specifically, the treatment with 30000 kg·ha-1 green manure incorporation and a 30% reduction in the nitrogen fertilizer rate resulted in the highest soil organic matter and soluble organic nitrogen contents, which were increased by 28.2% and 242.6%, respectively, compared with those in the control (P<0.05). Incorporation of smooth vetch at rates of 22500 and 30000 kg·ha-1, in conjunction with a 30% reduction in the nitrogen application rate, increased the soil quality index by 49.1% and 72.9%, respectively, compared with that in the control (P<0.05). Under different nitrogen application levels, the activities of hydrolytic enzymes associated with soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus increased with increasing amounts of incorporated green manure. Partial least squares path modeling and random forest analyses indicated that tobacco yield was primarily influenced by the soil organic matter content and enzyme activity. Therefore, planting and incorporating green manure with the linked reduction of nitrogen fertilizer enhanced both tobacco yield and soil quality, with outstanding effects observed at 22500 to 30000 kg·ha-1 of smooth vetch incorporation with a 30% reduction in nitrogen fertilizer.

Key words: tobacco, green manure, nitrogen fertilizer reduction, yield, soil quality, soil enzyme activity