Open Access(410) Soil and Tissue Nitrogen and Fall Cabbage Yield Associated with Varying Rates of Nitrogen Applied as Different Organic Sources
Author(s) -
Mark Gaskell,
R Caballero Grande
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
hortscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.518
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 2327-9834
pISSN - 0018-5345
DOI - 10.21273/hortsci.40.4.1070d
Subject(s) - feather meal , compost , blood meal , agronomy , organic fertilizer , mulch , nutrient , nitrogen , biodegradable waste , environmental science , yield (engineering) , fertilizer , manure , chicken manure , crop , zoology , fish meal , chemistry , biology , fish <actinopterygii> , food science , ecology , materials science , organic chemistry , metallurgy , fishery
Fertilization is the most expensive cultural practice for increasing numbers of organic vegetable growers in California. Nitrogen (N) is the most important and costly nutrient to manage and cost-effective N management practices are needed for efficient organic vegetable production. Compost and green manure cover crops are widely used, economical sources of N for organic vegetable production, but the pattern of release from these pre-plant incorporated N sources may not adequately match crop need for N. Additional application of an organic N fertilizer material is needed to provide adequate N to long-season vegetable crops. Seven types of organic fertilizers–feather meal (13% N), blood meal (14% N), liquid fish waste (6% N), a micronized liquid feather meal (4% N), a micronized feather/blood meal (13% N) for injection as a liquid suspension, and the two micronized materials with an added microbial inoculant—were each applied to fall cabbage at N rates of 0, 90, 180 lb/acre. Weekly residual soil nitrate N (SNN) was proportional to applied N rate much of the season and varied from 5 to over 70 ppm. Marketable yield ranged from 8000 to 33,300 lb/acre. The SNN was highest in plots receiving the liquid fish waste most weeks, and marketable cabbage yield was also highest following application of N as liquid fish waste at 180 lb/acre. A positive marketable yield response to increasing rates of applied N was also observed for the other organic N materials.