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Sugarbeet Response to Incremental Application of Nitrogen with High Frequency Sprinkler Irrigation
Author(s) -
Roberts S.,
Weaver W. H.,
Richards A. W.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1981.03615995004500020045x
Subject(s) - sucrose , irrigation , evapotranspiration , sugar beet , petiole (insect anatomy) , thinning , mathematics , nitrogen , sugar , zoology , lysimeter , horticulture , yield (engineering) , agronomy , chemistry , botany , environmental science , biology , soil water , soil science , physics , ecology , hymenoptera , biochemistry , organic chemistry , thermodynamics
Applying N in sprinkler H 2 O during June and July was compared with topdressing earlier at thinning for sugarbeets ( Beta vulgaris L.) grown in a split‐plot experiment with high‐frequency irrigation treatments of 50, 75, and 100% replacement of evapotranspiration (ET). Nitrogen was applied preplant at a rate of 70 kg/ha in all treatments. Sprinkling N too late in July significantly decreased sucrose content, averaged over N rates of 112, 224, and 336 kg/ha and moisture regimes, to 17.2% compared with 17.7% for topdressed N. Sugarbeet yield and percent sucrose at each combination of N rate and irrigation regime were similar with both methods of supplemental N application. Deficit irrigation (50 or 75% ET replacement) gave significantly higher sucrose percentages than full (100%) replacement, but the 50% ET‐replacement regime decreased beet yields by 10 metric tons/ha for a net loss of sugar yield. The optimum N rate was 224 kg/ha, with petiole NO 3 ‐N averaging just under 1% at the end of July and approaching 0.1% by the end of August. Results show that sugarbeet yields were only slightly lower, with two thirds of the total N at the optimum N rate applied in sprinkler H 2 O than by topdressing at thinning in early June. However, percent sucrose was significantly lower with N applications in sprinkler H 2 O, which resulted in much lower sugar yields with delayed N applications.