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Correcting Iron Deficiency in Corn with Seed Row–Applied Iron Sulfate
Author(s) -
Godsey Chad B.,
Schmidt John P.,
Schlegel Alan J.,
Taylor Randal K.,
Thompson Curtis R.,
Gehl Ronald J.
Publication year - 2003
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/agronj2003.1600
Subject(s) - hectare , yield (engineering) , chemistry , zea mays , calcareous , agronomy , sulfate , field experiment , grain yield , zoology , mathematics , agriculture , botany , biology , metallurgy , materials science , ecology , organic chemistry
Corn ( Zea mays L.) grown on calcareous, high‐pH soils is susceptible to Fe deficiency, which can reduce grain yield by as much as 20%. The objective of this study was to evaluate several treatments of FeSO 4 that could be used with precision‐farming technologies to alleviate Fe deficiency in irrigated corn. Three sites in 1999 and four in 2000 were selected (based on a history of Fe deficiency) for small‐plot (3 by 12.2 m) studies in western Kansas. In 1999, five treatments, including four rates of FeSO 4 ·H 2 O (0–81 kg ha −1 product) applied in the seed row and one foliar treatment (chelated Fe), were evaluated. In 2000, two additional treatments, CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O (85 kg ha −1 product) and liquid FeSO 4 ·7H 2 O (91 kg ha −1 product) applied in the seed row, were included. Grain yield increased linearly with increasing rates of FeSO 4 ·H 2 O at four of seven site‐years, increasing 0.02 Mg ha −1 for each kilogram per hectare of FeSO 4 ·H 2 O applied. Based on yield responses observed in this study, 81 kg ha −1 FeSO 4 ·H 2 O was the most consistent treatment for correcting Fe deficiency in corn. If the average yield response obtained in this study can be achieved on 15% of an individual cornfield, the expected return would be $3.00 ha −1 for the entire field. Current precision‐farming technologies allow application of FeSO 4 ·H 2 O only to areas susceptible to Fe deficiency. Employing these technologies provides a practical solution to the spatial heterogeneity of Fe deficiency in irrigated corn and increases the probability of crop response to the fertilizer application.