Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agriculture

Autores
Carroll, Oliver; Seabloom, Eric William; Borer, Elizabeth T.; Harpole, William Stanley; Arnillas, Carlos Alberto; Bakker, Jonathan D.; Blumenthal, Dana M.; Boughton, Elizabeth H.; Bugalho, Miguel N.; Peri, Pablo Luis; MacDougall, Andrew S.
Año de publicación
2025
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Implementing precision fertilization to maximize crop yield while minimizing economic and environmental impacts has become critical for agriculture. Variability in biomass response to fertilization within fields, among regions, and over time creates simultaneous risks of under-yielding and overfertilization. We quantify factors determining fertilization responsiveness (i.e., biomass increases with fertilization) up to 15 years in 61 unfertilized rangelands on six continents. We demonstrate widespread multi-year variability in responsiveness, with fertilization increasing average yield by 43% but failing to improve biomass 26% of the time. All sites were responsive at least once, but only four of 61 responded in all plots and years. Modelled management scenarios highlighted that fertilizer cessation is likely to generate sizable economic savings but always reduces yield because of the difficulty in predicting when and where biomass will be unresponsive. This work reveals substantial scale-dependent variability in fertilization responsiveness globally, while clarifying the prospects and pitfalls of managing more spatially and temporally precise nutrient application.
EEA Santa Cruz, INTA
Fil: Carroll, Oliver. University of Guelph. Department of Integrative Biology; Canada.
Fil: Seabloom, Eric William. University of Minnesota. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour; Estados Unidos
Fil: Borer, Elizabeth T. University of Minnesota. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour; Estados Unidos
Fil: Harpole, William Stanley. Leipzig University. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research; Alemania
Fil: Wilfahrt, Peter A. University of Minnesota. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour; Estados Unidos
Fil: Arnillas, Carlos Alberto. University of Toronto at Scarborough. Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences; Canada.
Fil: Bakker, Jonathan D. University of Washington. School of Environmental and Forest Sciences; Estados Unidos
Fil: Blumenthal, Dana M. USDA-ARS. Rangeland Resources & Systems Research Unit. Fort Collins; Estados Unidos
Fil: Boughton, Elizabeth H. Archbold Biological Station; Estados Unidos
Fil: Bugalho, Miguel N. University of Lisbon. Center for Applied Ecology, School of Agriculture; Portugal.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.
Fil: MacDougall, Andrew S. University of Guelph. Department of Integrative Biology; Canada.
Fuente
Scientific Reports 15 : e14564. (April 2025)
Materia
Mineral Nutrients
Limiting Factors
Fertilizer Application
Precision Agriculture
Rangelands
Grasslands
Ecology
Biomass
Agriculture
Nutrientes Minerales
Factores Limitantes
Aplicación de Abonos
Agricultura de Precisión
Tierras de Pastos
Praderas
Ecología
Biomasa
Agricultura
Economic and Environmental Impacts
Nutrient Application
Impactos Económicos y Ambientales
Aplicación de Nutrientes
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Repositorio
INTA Digital (INTA)
Institución
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
OAI Identificador
oai:localhost:20.500.12123/22285
Acceder
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oai_identifier_str oai:localhost:20.500.12123/22285
network_acronym_str INTADig
repository_id_str l
network_name_str INTA Digital (INTA)
spelling Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agricultureCarroll, OliverSeabloom, Eric WilliamBorer, Elizabeth T.Harpole, William StanleyArnillas, Carlos AlbertoBakker, Jonathan D.Blumenthal, Dana M.Boughton, Elizabeth H.Bugalho, Miguel N.Peri, Pablo LuisMacDougall, Andrew S.Mineral NutrientsLimiting FactorsFertilizer ApplicationPrecision AgricultureRangelandsGrasslandsEcologyBiomassAgricultureNutrientes MineralesFactores LimitantesAplicación de AbonosAgricultura de PrecisiónTierras de PastosPraderasEcologíaBiomasaAgriculturaEconomic and Environmental ImpactsNutrient ApplicationImpactos Económicos y AmbientalesAplicación de NutrientesImplementing precision fertilization to maximize crop yield while minimizing economic and environmental impacts has become critical for agriculture. Variability in biomass response to fertilization within fields, among regions, and over time creates simultaneous risks of under-yielding and overfertilization. We quantify factors determining fertilization responsiveness (i.e., biomass increases with fertilization) up to 15 years in 61 unfertilized rangelands on six continents. We demonstrate widespread multi-year variability in responsiveness, with fertilization increasing average yield by 43% but failing to improve biomass 26% of the time. All sites were responsive at least once, but only four of 61 responded in all plots and years. Modelled management scenarios highlighted that fertilizer cessation is likely to generate sizable economic savings but always reduces yield because of the difficulty in predicting when and where biomass will be unresponsive. This work reveals substantial scale-dependent variability in fertilization responsiveness globally, while clarifying the prospects and pitfalls of managing more spatially and temporally precise nutrient application.EEA Santa Cruz, INTAFil: Carroll, Oliver. University of Guelph. Department of Integrative Biology; Canada.Fil: Seabloom, Eric William. University of Minnesota. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour; Estados UnidosFil: Borer, Elizabeth T. University of Minnesota. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour; Estados UnidosFil: Harpole, William Stanley. Leipzig University. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research; AlemaniaFil: Wilfahrt, Peter A. University of Minnesota. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour; Estados UnidosFil: Arnillas, Carlos Alberto. University of Toronto at Scarborough. Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences; Canada.Fil: Bakker, Jonathan D. University of Washington. School of Environmental and Forest Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Blumenthal, Dana M. USDA-ARS. Rangeland Resources & Systems Research Unit. Fort Collins; Estados UnidosFil: Boughton, Elizabeth H. Archbold Biological Station; Estados UnidosFil: Bugalho, Miguel N. University of Lisbon. Center for Applied Ecology, School of Agriculture; Portugal.Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina.Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: MacDougall, Andrew S. University of Guelph. Department of Integrative Biology; Canada.Springer Nature2025-05-15T10:06:43Z2025-05-15T10:06:43Z2025-04-25info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22285https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-99071-zCarroll O.; Borer E.; Seabloom E.; Harpole W.S.; Wilfhart P.; Arnillas C.A.; Bakker J.D.; (…); Peri P.L.; et al. (2025) Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agriculture. Scientific Reports 15: e14564. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99071-z2045-2322 (online)https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99071-zScientific Reports 15 : e14564. (April 2025)reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariaenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)2025-09-29T13:47:16Zoai:localhost:20.500.12123/22285instacron:INTAInstitucionalhttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/oai/requesttripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:l2025-09-29 13:47:17.369INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agriculture
title Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agriculture
spellingShingle Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agriculture
Carroll, Oliver
Mineral Nutrients
Limiting Factors
Fertilizer Application
Precision Agriculture
Rangelands
Grasslands
Ecology
Biomass
Agriculture
Nutrientes Minerales
Factores Limitantes
Aplicación de Abonos
Agricultura de Precisión
Tierras de Pastos
Praderas
Ecología
Biomasa
Agricultura
Economic and Environmental Impacts
Nutrient Application
Impactos Económicos y Ambientales
Aplicación de Nutrientes
title_short Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agriculture
title_full Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agriculture
title_fullStr Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agriculture
title_full_unstemmed Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agriculture
title_sort Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agriculture
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Carroll, Oliver
Seabloom, Eric William
Borer, Elizabeth T.
Harpole, William Stanley
Arnillas, Carlos Alberto
Bakker, Jonathan D.
Blumenthal, Dana M.
Boughton, Elizabeth H.
Bugalho, Miguel N.
Peri, Pablo Luis
MacDougall, Andrew S.
author Carroll, Oliver
author_facet Carroll, Oliver
Seabloom, Eric William
Borer, Elizabeth T.
Harpole, William Stanley
Arnillas, Carlos Alberto
Bakker, Jonathan D.
Blumenthal, Dana M.
Boughton, Elizabeth H.
Bugalho, Miguel N.
Peri, Pablo Luis
MacDougall, Andrew S.
author_role author
author2 Seabloom, Eric William
Borer, Elizabeth T.
Harpole, William Stanley
Arnillas, Carlos Alberto
Bakker, Jonathan D.
Blumenthal, Dana M.
Boughton, Elizabeth H.
Bugalho, Miguel N.
Peri, Pablo Luis
MacDougall, Andrew S.
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Mineral Nutrients
Limiting Factors
Fertilizer Application
Precision Agriculture
Rangelands
Grasslands
Ecology
Biomass
Agriculture
Nutrientes Minerales
Factores Limitantes
Aplicación de Abonos
Agricultura de Precisión
Tierras de Pastos
Praderas
Ecología
Biomasa
Agricultura
Economic and Environmental Impacts
Nutrient Application
Impactos Económicos y Ambientales
Aplicación de Nutrientes
topic Mineral Nutrients
Limiting Factors
Fertilizer Application
Precision Agriculture
Rangelands
Grasslands
Ecology
Biomass
Agriculture
Nutrientes Minerales
Factores Limitantes
Aplicación de Abonos
Agricultura de Precisión
Tierras de Pastos
Praderas
Ecología
Biomasa
Agricultura
Economic and Environmental Impacts
Nutrient Application
Impactos Económicos y Ambientales
Aplicación de Nutrientes
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Implementing precision fertilization to maximize crop yield while minimizing economic and environmental impacts has become critical for agriculture. Variability in biomass response to fertilization within fields, among regions, and over time creates simultaneous risks of under-yielding and overfertilization. We quantify factors determining fertilization responsiveness (i.e., biomass increases with fertilization) up to 15 years in 61 unfertilized rangelands on six continents. We demonstrate widespread multi-year variability in responsiveness, with fertilization increasing average yield by 43% but failing to improve biomass 26% of the time. All sites were responsive at least once, but only four of 61 responded in all plots and years. Modelled management scenarios highlighted that fertilizer cessation is likely to generate sizable economic savings but always reduces yield because of the difficulty in predicting when and where biomass will be unresponsive. This work reveals substantial scale-dependent variability in fertilization responsiveness globally, while clarifying the prospects and pitfalls of managing more spatially and temporally precise nutrient application.
EEA Santa Cruz, INTA
Fil: Carroll, Oliver. University of Guelph. Department of Integrative Biology; Canada.
Fil: Seabloom, Eric William. University of Minnesota. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour; Estados Unidos
Fil: Borer, Elizabeth T. University of Minnesota. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour; Estados Unidos
Fil: Harpole, William Stanley. Leipzig University. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research; Alemania
Fil: Wilfahrt, Peter A. University of Minnesota. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour; Estados Unidos
Fil: Arnillas, Carlos Alberto. University of Toronto at Scarborough. Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences; Canada.
Fil: Bakker, Jonathan D. University of Washington. School of Environmental and Forest Sciences; Estados Unidos
Fil: Blumenthal, Dana M. USDA-ARS. Rangeland Resources & Systems Research Unit. Fort Collins; Estados Unidos
Fil: Boughton, Elizabeth H. Archbold Biological Station; Estados Unidos
Fil: Bugalho, Miguel N. University of Lisbon. Center for Applied Ecology, School of Agriculture; Portugal.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.
Fil: MacDougall, Andrew S. University of Guelph. Department of Integrative Biology; Canada.
description Implementing precision fertilization to maximize crop yield while minimizing economic and environmental impacts has become critical for agriculture. Variability in biomass response to fertilization within fields, among regions, and over time creates simultaneous risks of under-yielding and overfertilization. We quantify factors determining fertilization responsiveness (i.e., biomass increases with fertilization) up to 15 years in 61 unfertilized rangelands on six continents. We demonstrate widespread multi-year variability in responsiveness, with fertilization increasing average yield by 43% but failing to improve biomass 26% of the time. All sites were responsive at least once, but only four of 61 responded in all plots and years. Modelled management scenarios highlighted that fertilizer cessation is likely to generate sizable economic savings but always reduces yield because of the difficulty in predicting when and where biomass will be unresponsive. This work reveals substantial scale-dependent variability in fertilization responsiveness globally, while clarifying the prospects and pitfalls of managing more spatially and temporally precise nutrient application.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-05-15T10:06:43Z
2025-05-15T10:06:43Z
2025-04-25
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22285
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-99071-z
Carroll O.; Borer E.; Seabloom E.; Harpole W.S.; Wilfhart P.; Arnillas C.A.; Bakker J.D.; (…); Peri P.L.; et al. (2025) Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agriculture. Scientific Reports 15: e14564. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99071-z
2045-2322 (online)
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99071-z
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22285
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-99071-z
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99071-z
identifier_str_mv Carroll O.; Borer E.; Seabloom E.; Harpole W.S.; Wilfhart P.; Arnillas C.A.; Bakker J.D.; (…); Peri P.L.; et al. (2025) Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agriculture. Scientific Reports 15: e14564. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99071-z
2045-2322 (online)
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Springer Nature
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Springer Nature
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Scientific Reports 15 : e14564. (April 2025)
reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)
instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
reponame_str INTA Digital (INTA)
collection INTA Digital (INTA)
instname_str Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.name.fl_str_mv INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.mail.fl_str_mv tripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.ar
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score 12.559606

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