Minimum fertilization at the appearance of the first flower benefits cotton nutrient utilization of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium

There are currently many problems related to excessive fertilizer application, low fertilizer-use efficiency and lack of an agricultural labor force for cotton production in China. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to explain the optimal application time for once fertilization based on cotton nutrient accumulation of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to provide technical support for simplified fertilization management in cotton production. A 2 yr field experiment and a 1 yr pot experiment were conducted with fertilizer (225, 67.5, and 225 kg ha(−1) of N, P(2)O(5), and K(2)O, respectively) applied once at 0 (FT1), 5 (FT2), 10 (FT3), 15 (FT4), or 20 (FT5) d after the appearance of the first flower and a triple application (preplant 30%, first bloom 40%, and peak bloom 30%) as the conventional control (FT6). The results showed that FT1 exhibited the greatest nutrient accumulation speed for both the average (5.81, 1.22, and 5.74 kg ha(−1) of N, P(2)O(5), and K(2)O, respectively) and the maximum (6.31, 1.44, and 6.24 kg ha(−1) of N, P(2)O(5), and K(2)O, respectively) during the fast accumulation period. Moreover, among the different treatments, FT1 exhibited the greatest nutrient recovery and partial productivity. The results suggest that applying the minimum amount of fertilizer at the appearance of the first flower is optimal for maximizing nutrient utilization while minimizing environmental disturbance.