Articles
Effect of nitrogen rates on root yield of the medicinal plant Achyranthes bidentata
Article number
1358_18
Pages
131 – 138
Language
English
Abstract
The extract from roots of Achyranthes bidentata (Blume) has long been used in Vietnam and other Asian countries as a valuable medicinal material.
Although the area of production has increased, maximising root yield is also required to meet demand.
The aim of this study was to identify the effect of nitrogen (N) on N-uptake and the yield of A. bidentata roots.
A field experiment was conducted on a sandy loam soil (0.15% N total) at Thanh Tri (Hanoi, Vietnam) with nine rates of nitrogen (0, 35, 70, 105, 130, 155, 180, 205 and 260 kg ha‑1) applied as urea.
The urea was dissolved and applied in 5 splits at 0 (10%), 20 (20%), 40 (25%), 60 (25%) and 80 (20%) days after sowing.
Seed of A. bidentata was sown directly in October 2016 with 5 replicates in a randomized complete block design and harvested at 130 days after sowing.
The root dry matter yield increased (from 2.9 to 3.3 t ha‑1) when N rate increased from 0 to 70 kg N ha‑1. However, with progressive increases in N application rate to 260 kg ha‑1 root dry matter yield decreased gradually (to ~2.1 t ha‑1). In contrast, foliage dry matter yield increased from 2.9 to 4.0 t ha‑1 with an increase in N application rate from 0 to 205 kg ha‑1, while a further incremental increase in N application to 260 kg N ha‑1 resulted in a slight reduction in the foliage dry matter yield (3.7 t ha‑1) and total biomass yield.
There was a positive correlation between N application rate and N content in roots and foliage.
The highest total plant uptake of N (206 kg ha‑1) was recorded at an N application rate of 205 kg N ha‑1 and lowest (~90 kg ha‑1) in the 0 kg N ha‑1 treatment.
In conclusion, application of 70 kg N ha‑1 gave the greatest root yield of A. bidentata on this soil type.
Higher N-rates increased foliage yield but depressed root yield.
This indicates that careful management of N fertiliser input including consideration of soil mineral N status is required to maximise the production of roots in A. bidentata.
Although the area of production has increased, maximising root yield is also required to meet demand.
The aim of this study was to identify the effect of nitrogen (N) on N-uptake and the yield of A. bidentata roots.
A field experiment was conducted on a sandy loam soil (0.15% N total) at Thanh Tri (Hanoi, Vietnam) with nine rates of nitrogen (0, 35, 70, 105, 130, 155, 180, 205 and 260 kg ha‑1) applied as urea.
The urea was dissolved and applied in 5 splits at 0 (10%), 20 (20%), 40 (25%), 60 (25%) and 80 (20%) days after sowing.
Seed of A. bidentata was sown directly in October 2016 with 5 replicates in a randomized complete block design and harvested at 130 days after sowing.
The root dry matter yield increased (from 2.9 to 3.3 t ha‑1) when N rate increased from 0 to 70 kg N ha‑1. However, with progressive increases in N application rate to 260 kg ha‑1 root dry matter yield decreased gradually (to ~2.1 t ha‑1). In contrast, foliage dry matter yield increased from 2.9 to 4.0 t ha‑1 with an increase in N application rate from 0 to 205 kg ha‑1, while a further incremental increase in N application to 260 kg N ha‑1 resulted in a slight reduction in the foliage dry matter yield (3.7 t ha‑1) and total biomass yield.
There was a positive correlation between N application rate and N content in roots and foliage.
The highest total plant uptake of N (206 kg ha‑1) was recorded at an N application rate of 205 kg N ha‑1 and lowest (~90 kg ha‑1) in the 0 kg N ha‑1 treatment.
In conclusion, application of 70 kg N ha‑1 gave the greatest root yield of A. bidentata on this soil type.
Higher N-rates increased foliage yield but depressed root yield.
This indicates that careful management of N fertiliser input including consideration of soil mineral N status is required to maximise the production of roots in A. bidentata.
Authors
B. Nguyen, M. Chu, H. Dang, P. Pham, D. Nguyen, H. Phan, S. Harper
Keywords
medicinal material, extract, nitrogen use efficiency, nitrogen concentration, nitrogen uptake
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