Effects of soil salinity on nitrogen fate and use efficiency in a maize (Zea mays L.) field under arid conditions
DU Linjuan1,2,3, GAO Tong1,2,3, CHEN Zhijun1,2,3, PAN Cunzhen1,2,3, HAN Jingwen1,2,3, TIAN Yu1,2,3, XIONG Yunwu1,2,3,*(), HUANG Guanhua1,2,3
1State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Agricultural Water Resources, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China 2Chinese-Israeli International Center for Research and Training in Agriculture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China 3Engineering Research Center for Agricultural Water-Saving and Water Resources, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Soil salinization is a critical factor influencing nitrogen dynamics and crop productivity in arid irrigated areas. In salt-affected areas, a significant mismatch exists between high nitrogen fertilizer input and low nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). This research quantitatively evaluates the influence of soil salinity on the fate and distribution pathways of nitrogen, as well as the total nitrogen balance and NUE in maize (Zea mays L.) fields. A two-year field experiment was conducted in the Hetao Irrigation District, located in the upper reaches of the Yellow River basin, China, to monitor nitrogen loss pathways (N2O emissions, NH3 volatilization, and nitrogen leaching) and crop physiological responses under three salinity gradients (non-saline, slightly saline, and moderately saline). The results demonstrated that salinity stress significantly intensified the loss of reactive nitrogen, increasing the cumulative N2O emissions by 55.61%-283.05% and NH3 volatilization by up to 80.61%. Notably, nitrate leaching increased by 97.44%-248.93% in slightly saline fields, posing a higher environmental risk than in moderately saline fields. The accelerated loss of reactive nitrogen, coupled with suppressed maize growth and grain yield, led to a substantial decline in the partial factor productivity of nitrogen fertilizer. Therefore, tailored water and fertilizer practices (e.g., precision irrigation, split fertilization or urease inhibitor application) are required in a salt-affected field to reduce reactive nitrogen losses and enhance NUE.
Received: 27 November 2025
Published: 30 June 2026
Formal analysis and writing - original draft preparation: DU Linjuan; Writing - review and editing: GAO Tong; Investigation: CHEN Zhijun; PAN Cunzhen; HAN Jingwen; TIAN Yu; Resources: HUANG Guanhua; Conceptualization and funding acquisition: XIONG Yunwu. All authors approved the manuscript.
DU Linjuan, GAO Tong, CHEN Zhijun, PAN Cunzhen, HAN Jingwen, TIAN Yu, XIONG Yunwu, HUANG Guanhua. Effects of soil salinity on nitrogen fate and use efficiency in a maize (Zea mays L.) field under arid conditions. Journal of Arid Land, 2026, 18(6): 1059-1075.
Fig. 1Meteorological data during the growing season of maize in 2022 and 2023
Soil depth (cm)
Sand (%)
Silt (%)
Clay (%)
Soil texture
Bulk density (g/cm3)
Organic matter (g/kg)
EC (μS/cm)
pH
NS
LS
MS
NS
LS
MS
0-20
50.83
41.32
7.85
Sandy loam
1.49
8.55
193.0
410.0
2351.0
8.76
9.38
8.84
20-40
46.32
50.35
3.33
1.53
8.80
220.0
545.0
922.0
9.01
9.52
9.20
Mean
48.58
45.84
5.59
1.51
8.68
206.5
477.5
1636.5
8.89
9.45
9.02
Table 1 Physical and chemical properties of different salinized soils
Fig. 2Soil water variation during the the growing seasons of maize in different salt-affected fields. (a-c), soil water contents at the 0-10, 10-20, and 20-40 cm layers in 2022, respectively; (d-f), soil water contents at the 0-10, 10-20, and 20-40 cm layers in 2023, respectively. NS, non-saline; LS, slightly saline; MS, moderately saline. Bars are standard errors.
Fig. 3Soil electrical conductivity (EC) variations during the growing seasons of maize in different salt-affected fields. (a-c), EC values at the 0-10, 10-20, and 20-40 cm layers in 2022, respectively; (d-f), EC values at the 0-10, 10-20, and 20-40 cm layers in 2023, respectively. Bars are standard errors.
Fig. 4Cumulative N2O emission and NH3 volatilization in different salt-affected fields in 2022 (a and c) and 2023 (b and d). Different lowercase letter indicates significant difference among different salt treatments at P<0.05 level. Bars are standard errors.
Fig. 5Cumulative nitrogen (N) leaching during the maize growing seasons in different salt-affected fields. Different lowercase letter within the same year indicates significant difference among different salt treatments at P<0.05 level. Bars are standard errors.
Fig. 6N uptake during the maize growing seasons in different salt-affected fields. Different lowercase letter within the same year indicates significant difference among different salt treatments at P<0.05 level. Bars are standard errors.
Fig. 7Soil residual N at the depth of 0-100 cm after havevst in different salt-affected fields. Different lowercase letter within the same year indicates significant difference among different salt treatments at P<0.05 level. Bars are standard errors.
Year
Treatment
N fate (%)
Maize N uptake
NH3 volatilization
N2O emission
N leaching
Soil residual N
2022
NS
87.74±0.99a
0.41±0.09a
0.27±0.05b
1.61±0.53c
9.96±0.79b
LS
88.98±0.66a
0.37±0.06a
1.02±0.32a
5.51±0.63a
4.13±0.54c
MS
75.46±4.03b
0.26±0.07a
0.99±0.34a
3.95±0.75b
19.34±4.20a
2023
NS
93.77±5.78a
1.04±0.01b
0.53±0.18b
1.48±0.08b
6.50±0.13c
LS
77.61±0.97b
1.31±0.11a
0.96±0.06a
3.09±0.48a
17.03±0.33b
MS
71.45±1.54b
1.15±0.09ab
0.94±0.18a
2.95±0.52a
23.52±1.83a
Table 2 Nitrogen (N) fate and distribution in the maize-soil system under different salt-affected fields in 2022 and 2023
Fig. 8Soil N surplus and deficit in different salt-affected fields. Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences among different salt treatments in 2022 at P<0.05 level; and different uppercase letters indicate significant differences among different salt treatments in 2023 at P<0.05 level. Bars are standard errors.
Fig. 9Maize grwoth properties in different salt-affected fields. (a and b), leaf area index (LAI) in 2022 and 2023, respectively; (c and d), plant height in 2022 and 2023, respectively; (e and f), aboveground dry biomass in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Different lowercase letters indicates significant differences among different salt treatments at P<0.05 level. Bars are standard errors.
Year
Treatment
Yield (t/hm2)
ETa (mm)
WUEET (kg/(hm2•mm))
WUEIrrig (kg/(hm2•mm))
PFPn (kg/kg)
2022
NS
16.6±0.4a
634.1±13.6a
2.62±0.1a
3.95±0.1a
66.4±1.8a
LS
14.1±0.2b
599.6±12.6b
2.35±0.1b
3.36±0.1b
56.4±0.7b
MS
11.6±1.0c
586.5±13.9b
1.98±0.1c
2.76±0.2c
46.4±4.2c
2023
NS
14.9±0.6a
592.7±12.3a
2.51±0.1a
3.54±0.2a
59.5±2.6a
LS
14.0±0.4ab
584.1±6.7a
2.40±0.1a
3.34±0.1ab
56.1±1.8a
MS
12.4±1.6b
545.5±1.1b
2.27±0.3b
2.95±0.4b
49.6±2.6b
Table 3 Grain yield, actual water evapotranspiration (ETa), water use efficiency (WUE), and nitrogen use efficiency of maize under different salt-affected fields
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