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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Rangeland Resources & Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #415989
Research Project: Developing Precision Management Strategies to Enhance Productivity, Biodiversity, and Climate Resilience in Rangeland Social-ecological Systems

Location: Rangeland Resources & Systems Research

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

Author
item CARROLL, OLIVER - University Of Guelph
item SEABLOOM, ERIC - University Of Minnesota
item BORER, ELIZABETH - University Of Minnesota
item HARPOLE, W - German Centre For Integrative Biodiversity Research (IDIV)
item WILFAHRT, PETER - University Of Minnesota
item ARNILLAS, CARLOS - University Of Toronto
item BAKKER, JONATHAN - University Of Washington
item Blumenthal, Dana
item BOUGHTON, ELIZABETH - Archbold Biological Station
item BUGALHO, MIGUEL - University Of Lisbon
item CALDEIRA, MARIA - University Of Lisbon
item CAMPBELL, MALCOLM - University Of Guelph
item CATFORD, JANE - King'S College
item CHEN, QINGQING - Leipzig University
item DICKMAN, CHRISTOPHER - University Of Sydney
item DONOHUE, IAN - Trinity College Dublin
item DUPRE, MARY - Mpg Ranch
item ESKELINEN, ANU - University Of Oulu
item ESTRADA, CATALINA - Imperial College
item Fay, Philip
item FRASER, EVAN - University Of Guelph
item HAGENAH, NICOLE - University Of Pretoria
item HAUTIER, YANN - Utrecht University
item HERSH-GREEN, ERIKA - Michigan Technological University
item JÓNSDÓTTIR, INGIBJÖRG - University Of Iceland
item KADOYA, TAKU - University Of Tsukuba
item KOMATSU, KIMBERLY - University Of North Carolina Greensboro
item LANNES, LUCIOLA - Sao Paulo State University (UNESP)
item LIANG, MAOWEI - University Of Minnesota
item VENTERINK, HARRY - Vrije Universiteit Brussel
item PERI, PABLO - Universidad Nacional De La Patagonia Austral
item POWER, SALLY - Western Sydney University
item PRICE, JODI - Charles Sturt University
item REN, ZHENGWEI - Lanzhou University
item RISCH, ANITA - Swiss Federal Institute
item SONNIER, GRÉGORY - Archbold Biological Station
item VEEN, G - Netherlands Institute Of Ecology
item VIRTANEN, RISTO - University Of Oulu
item WARDLE, GLENDA - University Of Sydney
item WARING, ELIZABETH - Norhteastern State University
item WHEELER, GEORGE - University Of Nebraska
item YAHDJIAN, LAURA - Universidad De Buenos Aires
item MACDOUGALL, ANDREW - University Of Guelph

Submitted to: Scientific Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/16/2025
Publication Date: 4/25/2025
Citation: Carroll, O., Seabloom, E.W., Borer, E.T., Harpole, W.S., Wilfahrt, P., Arnillas, C.A., Bakker, J.D., Blumenthal, D.M., Boughton, E., Bugalho, M.N., Caldeira, M., Campbell, M.M., Catford, J., Chen, Q., Dickman, C.R., Donohue, I., Dupre, M.E., Eskelinen, A., Estrada, C., Fay, P.A., Fraser, E.D., Hagenah, N., Hautier, Y., Hersh-Green, E., Jónsdóttir, I.S., Kadoya, T., Komatsu, K., Lannes, L., Liang, M., Venterink, H.O., Peri, P., Power, S.A., Price, J.N., Ren, Z., Risch, A.C., Sonnier, G., Veen, G.F., Virtanen, R., Wardle, G.M., Waring, E.F., Wheeler, G., Yahdjian, L., MacDougall, A.S. 2025. Frequent failure of nutrients to increase plant biomass supports the need for precision fertilization in agriculture. Scientific Reports. 15. Article e14564. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99071-z.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99071-z

Interpretive Summary: Precision fertilization can maximize plant biomass while minimizing economic costs and environmental externalities. We quantify fertilization responsiveness (i.e., biomass increases with fertilization) in 61 rangelands on six continents. Fertilization increased overall yield by 43% but failed to alter biomass 26% of the time. All sites were responsive at least once, but only four of 61 responded in all plots and years. This work should help managers of rangeland and pasture predict the prospects and pitfalls of precision nutrient application.

Technical Abstract: Implementing precision fertilization to maximize plant biomass while minimizing economic costs and environmental externalities has become critical for the future of agriculture. Variability in biomass response to fertilization within fields, among regions globally, 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 previously unfertilized rangelands on six continents. We demonstrate widespread multi-year variability in responsiveness, with fertilization increasing overall yield by 43% but failing to alter 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 can generate significant economic savings but always reduces yield because of the difficulty 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 precise nutrient application.