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Residual Maize Fertilizer Nitrogen Availability to Wheat on the Southeastern Coastal Plain
Author(s) -
Camberato J. J.,
Frederick J. R.
Publication year - 1994
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/agronj1994.00021962008600060007x
Subject(s) - agronomy , loam , leaching (pedology) , fertilizer , environmental science , soil water , subsoil , crop , coastal plain , sowing , tillage , biology , soil science , ecology
In southeastern Coastal Plain soils, little emphasis is placed on adjusting N fertilization of a crop based on the residual N left from the preceding crop because of the perception of coarse‐textured surface soils, winter rainfall in excess of evapotranspiration, and shallow‐rooted crops. However, estimates of annual water surplus do not include a winter crop, which may reduce NO 3 ‐N leaching, nor consider current tillage practices, which enable deep rooting, and assimilation of subsoil NO 3 ‐N. This study was conducted to determine the contribution of N applied to a maize ( Zea mays L.) crop to the N supply of a subsequent winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) crop. Wheat was grown following maize fertilized with various rates of N and poultry litter on a Rains/Lynchburg sandy loam soil complex (fine‐loamy, siliceous, thermic Typic/Aeric Paleaquult) in 1990 and on a Noboco loamy sand (fine‐loamy, siliceous, thermic Typic Kandiudult) in 1991. Maize fertilizer N increased soil NO 3 ‐N at the time of wheat planting. Residual N increased wheat dry matter, N content, and grain yield. An increase in maize N rate of 134 kg N ha −1 increased N supply to the subsequent wheat crop by approximately 15 kg ha −1 and increased wheat grain yield by 0.8 Mg ha −1 . Poultry litter did not differ from fertilizer N in providing residual N to the wheat. This research demonstrates that previous crop fertilization rate may impact N supply to the subsequent crop, even on coarse‐textured Coastal Plain soils.