Economic and Soil Environmental Benefits of Using Controlled‐Release Bulk Blending Urea in the North China Plain

Abstract Crop production must be increased in order to ensure a sustainable food supply for the growing world population. Controlled‐release urea (CRU) improves nutrient use efficiency and saves labor, but its use in crop production is limited due to its high cost. Bulk blending urea (BBU) consists of both CRU and conventional urea and could be an excellent substitute or replacement for CRU. Nevertheless, its economic benefits and soil environment impact are unknown. A 3‐year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of two different nitrogen management practices in terms of economic benefits, soil mineral nitrogen availability, aggregate stability, and soil microbial communities. Split applications of conventional urea (UREA) and a single application of BBU were tested on winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) and summer maize ( Zea mays L.) in the North China Plain between 2010 and 2013. Crop yields were measured after each harvest, and soil environmental parameters were determined after the 3‐year crop sequence. Relative to UREA, BBU significantly increased net revenue, soil inorganic nitrogen concentration, and the functional diversity of the soil microbial community without adverse effects on the soil bacterial community composition. On the other hand, BBU reduced the amount of soil macro‐aggregates and the mean weight diameter value of soil water‐stable aggregates. Although BBU showed great potential for improving wheat–maize cropping systems in the North China Plain, future studies should focus on optimizing the nitrogen dosage and the CRU ratio in BBU to decrease nitrogen leaching, avoid soil aggregate deterioration, and maintain crop yield. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.