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Influence of nitrogen rate on winter canola production in the southeastern United States
Author(s) -
Lin Yaru,
Watts Dexter B.,
Torbert H. Allen,
Howe Julie A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.1002/agj2.20197
Subject(s) - canola , agronomy , loam , randomized block design , crop , field experiment , biomass (ecology) , crop yield , fertilizer , yield (engineering) , environmental science , biology , field pea , soil water , ecology , materials science , metallurgy
Canola ( Brassica napins L.) has the potential for being used in a double‐cropping system (two crops grown in 1 yr) as a winter crop in the humid subtropical southeastern U.S. climate, but little information is known about its nitrogen (N) management when grown in this region. Thus, a field study was conducted at two locations (Shorter, AL: Compass loamy sand; Prattville, AL: Lucedale fine sandy loam) in 2016 to determine the effect of different rates of N fertilizer on plant growth, seed yield, and N uptake of canola. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replications. The N rates included were 0, 68, 135, 180, 202, and 270 kg N ha −1 . Linear‐plateau regression was used to evaluate the response of plant growth, seed yield, and N uptake to N rate. Overall, canola growth, yield, and N uptake were highly dependent on N fertility. Applying 180 kg N ha −1 or more for canola production significantly increased plant height, plant biomass accumulation, seed yield, and N uptake compared with the unfertilized control at both locations. The linear‐plateau regression model indicated that the optimal N rate was 197–232 kg N ha −1 for these southeastern U.S. soils. This study suggests that winter canola grown in a humid subtropical region of the United States can be a successful winter crop for a double‐crop production system and provide seed yields comparable to yields from major winter canola production areas.