Yield and nutrient use efficiency of sorghum-sudangrass hybrid plant under different NPK fertilization rates

Nutrient use efficiency (NUE) is widely recognized as an important indicator to evaluate the availability (uptake, utilization and recovery) of mineral nutrients.Sorghum-sudangrass hybrid tends to increase in cultivation scale due to vigorous growth and higher yield.Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide the optimal NPK fertilization rates for sorghum-sudangrass hybrid based on nutrient use efficiency and yield.The fertilization rates of N, P 2 O 5 or K 2 O were divided into four levels; 0%, 50%, 100% and 200%.Biomass yield of sorghum-sudangrass hybrid at harvesting stage showed an increasing trend with fertilization levels but was not significantly within treatment groups.Uptake of N or K was significantly increase by fertilization levels of N or K 2 O, whereas P uptake was similar in all P 2 O 5 fertilization levels.NUE was significant in N treatments, whereas P-and K-use efficiency did not differ significantly among different fertilization rates.Consequently, this study suggests that the recommended rates of N (175 kg ha -1 ), P 2 O 5 (150 kg ha -1 ), and K 2 O (150 kg ha -1 ) were optimal for ensuring biomass production and nutrient use efficiency in the sorghum-sudangrass hybrid.