Soil compaction constrains root growth and crop yield. Previous studies have shown that localized nutrient supply can significantly improve maize plant growth in field conditions at the early growth stage. However, this promoting effect has not been tested in the compacted soil. We describe 2-year field experimentation on a fluvo-aquic soil in the North China Plain to investigate the effect of localized vs. broadcast ammonium and phosphorus supply on maize under three soil compaction treatments (NC: non-compacted, C: compacted and SC: severely compacted) during 2012 and 2013. Results showed that compared with broadcast ammonium and phosphorus (BNP), localized ammonium and phosphorus supply (LNP) resulted in significantly higher PFP_N in the NC (by 31–37%), C (by 43–44%) and SC (by 45%) treatments at harvest. When soil was compacted (C and SC), the enhancement of nitrogen (N) utilization in the LNP treatment was attributed to the increased root growth, including greater specific root length (a greater proportion of fine roots), lower root tissue density and deeper rooting at the seedling stage, especially in the compacted treatment (C). The enhanced root penetration capacity contributed to the increased N and water uptake from the deep soil layers. Our study highlighted the importance of nutrient management for mitigating negative impacts of soil compaction on crops, and will underpin new soil compaction management practices by considering optimal fertilization to strengthen the root-soil interactions.

土壤压实限制了根系生长和作物产量。先前的研究表明，局部养分供应可以显着改善玉米植株在生长早期的田间条件下的生长。然而，这种促进作用尚未在压实土壤中进行测试。我们描述了在华北平原的潮土上进行的为期 2 年的田间试验，以研究在三种土壤压实处理（NC：未压实，C：压实和 SC : 严重压实）在 2012 和 2013 年。结果表明，与播撒铵和磷 (BNP) 相比，局部铵和磷供应 (LNP) 导致 PFP _N显着增加在收获时的 NC（31-37%）、C（43-44%）和 SC（45%）处理中。当土壤压实（C 和 SC）时，LNP 处理中氮 (N) 利用率的提高归因于根系生长的增加，包括更大的比根长度（细根比例更大）、更低的根组织密度和更深的根系。在幼苗期生根，特别是在压实处理中（C）。根系穿透能力增强有助于增加深层土壤对氮和水的吸收。我们的研究强调了养分管理对于减轻土壤压实对作物的负面影响的重要性，并将通过考虑最佳施肥来加强根 - 土壤相互作用来支持新的土壤压实管理实践。