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Enhancing No‐Tillage Systems for Corn with Starter Fertilizers, Row Cleaners, and Nitrogen Placement Methods
Author(s) -
Vetsch Jeffrey A.,
Randall Gyles W.
Publication year - 2000
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/agronj2000.922309x
Subject(s) - loam , agronomy , fertilizer , starter , ammonium nitrate , chemistry , field experiment , tillage , mathematics , soil water , environmental science , biology , food science , organic chemistry , soil science
No‐till production of corn ( Zea mays L.) often gives slower early plant growth, lower yields, and reduced profitability in the northern Corn Belt. The objective of this field experiment was to determine if N source/placement method and row cleaner and starter fertilizer use on high‐phosphorus testing soils would enhance no‐till production of continuous corn (CC) and corn after soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] (CSb). Experiments were conducted for each cropping system on a tile‐drained Nicollet–Webster clay loam complex (fine‐loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Hapludoll and fine loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Endoaquoll, respectively) from 1996 to 1998. A 2 3 factorial design included combinations of with or without row cleaners, 0.0 or 93.5 L ha −1 (0 or 10 gal acre −1 ) of 10–15–0 starter fertilizer, and N sources anhydrous ammonia (AA) or spoke‐injected urea‐ammonium nitrate (UAN). A preplant broadcast application of UAN plus N‐(n‐butyl)thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) also was compared with spoke‐injected UAN. Averaged across 3 yr, surface residue coverage during the growing season remained >60% for CC and >40% for CSb for all treatments, but was about 8% lower with knife application of AA compared with spoke‐injecting UAN. Grain yields were not affected by N source. Yield response to starter fertilizer depended on N source and row cleaners. Continuous corn responded to starter fertilizer (0.5 Mg ha −1 or 7 bu acre −1 ) when AA was used, but not when UAN was used. Yields of CSb were increased 0.5 Mg ha −1 (8 bu acre −1 ) by starter fertilizer when row cleaners were not used, but by only 0.2 Mg ha −1 (3 bu acre −1 ) when row cleaners were used. Injecting UAN increased CC and CSb yields 0.7 Mg ha −1 (10 bu acre −1 ) and 0.4 Mg ha −1 (6 bu acre −1 ), respectively, compared with preplant broadcasting of UAN plus NBPT. The data suggest that no‐till corn yields on fine‐textured, high P testing soils can be enhanced most consistently by using starter fertilizer and by injecting N below the soil surface.