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Corn Yield as Influenced by In‐season Application of Nitrogen with Limited Irrigation 1
Author(s) -
Anderson C. K.,
Stone L. R.,
Murphy L. S.
Publication year - 1982
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/agronj1982.00021962007400020032x
Subject(s) - agronomy , irrigation , dry matter , growing season , nitrogen , grain yield , yield (engineering) , soil water , fertilizer , nitrogen fertilizer , zea mays , environmental science , poaceae , mathematics , biology , chemistry , soil science , materials science , organic chemistry , metallurgy
With limited irrigation of corn ( Zea mays L.) on medium or fine textured soils, the initial application of water (and thus of N being water applied) would perhaps be no earlier than when corn is at the 12 or 14‐leaf growth stage. This experiment was established to evaluate the effects of delaying N application until the 14‐leaf or silk emergence growth stages on yield of corn on a medium‐textured soil. The study soil is a coarse‐silty, mixed, mesic, Fluventic Hapludoll near Manhattan, Kansas. Ten treatments (combinations of N application time and rate, each replicated three times in a completely randomized design) were applied in each of 3 years. Nitrogen was broadcast applied (preplant) and applied with irrigation water (at the 14‐leaf stage and/or at early silking). Grain N content increased as N fertilizer rates increased and as N application time was delayed. No corn grain or dry matter yield advantage was found for split applications or for in‐season applications of N over preplant application. Corn receiving 101 kg N/ha at the 14‐leaf stage produced 94% of the grain obtained when 101 kg N/ha was applied preplant. Corn receiving 101 kg N/ha at silk emergence produced 71% of the grain obtained when the same N rate was applied preplant. Our findings indicate that with limited irrigation of corn on medium to fine‐textured soils, all N should be applied preplant rather than in‐season with irrigation.