Synergy nitrification inhibitor with best management practices can coherent the higher yield and higher nitrogen use efficiency under semi-arid saline-alkali soil

High yield and high nutrient use efficiency are blocked by various abiotic stress, especially in arid, salinity and irrigation deficiency agricultural production system. Systematic solution is key strategy, but the progress in problem solving to bring about changes at the ground level is rare. This study aimed at designing a high yield and high efficiency production system by combined enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) and best agronomic practices. The effects were examined through a 3-years (from 2020 to 2022) maize field experiment in a typical region, Hanghou, inner Mongolia, China. The results show that 15–18 Mg ha ^− 1 yield (80% of yield potential) can be realized under various stress conditions by adopted the new designed system. In this system, nitrogen (N) fertilizer input can be reduced from 380 kg ha ^− 1 (higher yield practice) to 250 kg ha ^− 1 (balance above-ground uptake), fertilization times can be reduced from 3 to 1, and the nutrient use efficiency (NUE) can be increased to over 57.9%. The key is to reduce nutrient losses, prolong nutrient supply and control nutrient concentration by using enhanced efficiency fertilizer (DMPP) and increase crop yields from 13.5 to 15 Mg ha ^− 1 .