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Nitrogen and Sulfur Nutrition of Sweet Corn in Relation to Fertilization and Water Composition 1
Author(s) -
Daigger L. A.,
Fox R. L.
Publication year - 1971
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 - 10.2134/agronj1971.00021962006300050022x
Subject(s) - loam , human fertilization , zoology , randomized block design , agronomy , nitrogen , nitrification , irrigation , chemistry , field experiment , fertilizer , yield (engineering) , composition (language) , gypsum , soil water , biology , ecology , linguistics , materials science , philosophy , organic chemistry , metallurgy , paleontology
The external and internal S and N requirements of field‐grown sweet corn ( Zea mays ) were investigated. The experimental soil was a Bridgeport fine sandy loam of western Nebraska. It contained 4 ppm extractable sulfate‐S. Irrigation water contained 3 ppm S. Nitrification rate was 14 ppm during 10 days at 25 C. Five N levels (45, 90, 135, 180, and 225 kg/ha as NH 4 NO 3 ) and 3 S levels (0, 22, and 666 kg/ha as gypsum) were arranged factorial combination, randomized block with five replications. Increases in yield from S fertilization were observed at low rates of applied N. Critical levels of S and N in the ear leaf were about 0.24% and 2.9% respectively. Yields were closely associated with N percentage of the ear leaf and N percentage of the ear leaf was increased by both N and S fertilization. When no S was added, 225 kg N/ha was required for maximum yield (13.5 tons), but when 66 kg S/ha was applied, yield was maximum (13.4 tons) at 135 kg N/ha. A case for the usefulness N:S ratios could not be made from the data examined. Sampling at silking stage is probably too late for effective foliar diagnosis of S deficiency in corn. The probability that S was borderline deficient under these conditions suggests that the external requirement for SOM 4 ‐S in the soil solution is about 3 ppm.