Rational phosphorus stewardship for sustainable maize production in China: A meta-analysis

Overuse of phosphorus (P) fertilizer in maize production in China is causing severe environmental pollution and cropping issues, requiring an integrative P fertilizer strategy that improves P use efficiency (PUE) and sustainable production. This meta-analysis on P fertilizer use for maize cropping in China used 786 paired observations to quantify the effects of P fertilizer management (P fertilizer variety, P application rate, application method) and different soil properties (pH, available P, organic matter) on grain yield, PUE, and the environmental cost. The mean maize grain yield of 8.86 t ha1 with a PUE of 97.2 kg kg1 and an environmental cost of 1.51 $ kg1. There was a linear plus plateau relationship between yield and P application rate under different soil available P and growing regions. No significant differences in yield increase occurred between P fertilizer type or P application rate, except for triple superphosphate and P application rate > 26 kg P ha1. Significant yield increases with P fertilizer application occurred on soil with pH< 7, 10–20 mg kg-1 soil available P, or > 30 g kg-1 organic matter content. Adopting optimized P fertilizer management in different regions not only enhanced maize yield by 23.3 % and PUE by 39.2 %, but also effectively reduced the P application rate by 12.4–34.1 % and the environmental cost by 24.3 %. Consequently, prioritizing suitable P fertilizer recommendation strategy will significantly benefit the pursuit of sustainable maize production in China and similar regions.