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Nitrogen deficiency and corn yield with delayed N application
Author(s) -
Nafziger Emerson D.,
Yoder Brian,
Mathesius Jeff,
Carter Paul
Publication year - 2021
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/agj2.20760
Subject(s) - sowing , yield (engineering) , zea mays , nitrogen , agronomy , mathematics , nutrient , zoology , chemistry , biology , materials science , organic chemistry , metallurgy
Delaying the application of N to corn ( Zea mays L.) may help to match N supply to N uptake, but may also increase the risk of yield loss if N is applied too late or N uptake is delayed. In a 3‐yr study with corn following soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] (SC) and corn following corn (CC), N application was either split, with half (112 kg N ha –1 ) at planting and the rest at stages ranging from V3 to R3; or with the entire increment (224 kg N ha –1 ) applied at these stages. In SC, there was no yield loss from delaying application of the second increment of N to as late as R3, but yields declined as the full increment of N was delayed, by 5% at V9 to 34% at R3. In CC, delaying the second N increment to stage R2 or R3 lowered yield by 5% compared to application at V3, and delaying the full increment of N increasingly lowered yield, by 8% at V6 to 40% at R3. Corn able to recover leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD) following delayed N application produced full yields, and cumulative N deficiency (CND, ΔSPAD × delay expressed as modified growing degree days over periods with ΔSPAD>0, SPAD‐MGGD) was linearly correlated with yield loss. With half of the N at planting, the remainder could be delayed to R1 or later without yield loss, but without N at planting, N needed to be applied before stage V9 in SC and before stage V6 in CC in order to assure maximum yield.