SRP1031 Kansas Fertilizer Research 2009€¦ · II 42 East Central Kansas Experiment Field 42 Impact of Planting at Different Distances from the Center of Strip-Tilled Fertilized

FERTILIZERRESEARCH

2009Report of Progress 1031

Kansas State UniversityAgricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative

Extension Service

KANSAS

This publication from the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service has been archived. Current information is available from http://www.ksre.ksu.edu.

I

Contents

IV Introduction

V Contributors

1 PrecipitationData

2 DepartmentofAgronomy2 SoybeanResponsetoFoliarApplicationofManganeseandZinc

6 FertilizationStrategiesforIron-DeficiencyChlorosisinSoybeanProduction

11 UseofNitrogenManagementProductsandPracticestoEnhanceYieldandNitrogenUptakeinNo-TillCorn

19 UseofNitrogenManagementProductsandPracticestoEnhanceYieldandNitrogenUptakeinNo-TillGrainSorghum

25 CorrectionofPotassiumDeficiencyinSoybeanProductioninKansas

29 NitrogenFertilizationofCornUsingSensorTechnology

32 TimingofNitrogenFertilizationofCorn

35 NitrogenFertilizationofNitrogen-StressedSoybean

37 TimingofNitrogenFertilizationofWheat

39 EffectsofPhosphorusFertilizerEnhancementProductsonCorn

KANSASFERTILIZERRESEARCH

2009


II

42 EastCentralKansasExperimentField42 ImpactofPlantingatDifferentDistancesfromtheCenterof

Strip-TilledFertilizedRowsonEarlyGrowthandYieldofCorn

46 EffectofVariousFertilizerMaterialsonDrylandGrainSorghum

48 KansasRiverValleyExperimentField48 MacronutrientFertilityonIrrigatedCornandSoybeanina

Corn/SoybeanRotation

51 EffectofVariousFoliarFertilizerMaterialsonIrrigatedSoybean

53 SouthCentralKansasExperimentStation53 EffectsofNitrogenRateandPreviousCroponGrainYieldin

ContinuousWheatandAlternativeCroppingSystemsinSouthCentralKansas

64 SoutheastAgriculturalResearchCenter64 TillageandNitrogenPlacementEffectsonYieldsinaShort-

SeasonCorn/Wheat/Double-CropSoybeanRotation

66 EffectofNitrogenandPhosphorusStartersonShort-SeasonCornGrowninConservation-TillageSystems

69 EffectsofPlantingDate,NitrogenPlacement,andTimingofSupplementalIrrigationonSweetCorn

71 EffectsofNitrogenFertilizerandPreviousDouble-CroppingSystemsonSubsequentCornYield

74 EffectsofFertilizerNitrogenRateandTimeofApplicationonCornandGrainSorghumYields

76 EffectofPreviousCrop,NitrogenPlacementMethod,andTimeofNitrogenApplicationonNo-TillWheatYield

78 ComparisonofFertilizerNitrogenSourcesAppliedinLateWinterforNo-TillWinterWheat


III

80 EffectsofPhosphorusandPotassiumFertilizerRateandTimeofApplicationinaWheatDouble-CroppingSystem

82 NitrogenManagementforCrabgrassHayProduction

87 WesternKansasAgriculturalResearchCenters87 Long-TermNitrogenandPhosphorusFertilizationof

IrrigatedGrainSorghum

90 Long-TermNitrogenandPhosphorusFertilizationofIrrigatedCorn


IV

IntroductionThe2009editionoftheKansasFertilizerResearchReportofProgressisacompilationofdatacollectedbyresearchersacrossKansas.InformationwascontributedbyfacultyandstafffromtheDepartmentofAgronomy,Kansasagronomyexperimentfields,andagriculturalresearchandresearch-extensioncenters.

WegreatlyappreciatethecooperationofmanyK-StateResearchandExtensionagents,farmers,fertilizerdealers,fertilizerequipmentmanufacturers,agriculturalchemicalmanufacturers,andrepresentativesofvariousfirmswhocontributedtime,effort,land,machinery,materials,andlaboratoryanalyses.Withouttheirsupport,muchoftheresearchinthisreportwouldnothavebeenpossible.

Amongcompaniesandagenciesprovidingmaterials,equipment,laboratoryanalyses,andfinancialsupportwere:Agrium,Inc.;Cargill,Inc.;DeereandCompany;U.S.Envi-ronmentalProtectionAgency;FMCCorporation;FluidFertilizerFoundation;Foun-dationforAgronomicResearch;Honeywell,Inc.;HydroAgriNorthAmerica,Inc.;IMC-GlobalCo.;IMCKalium,Inc.;KansasAgriculturalExperimentStation;KansasConservationCommission;KansasCornCommission;KansasDepartmentofHealthandEnvironment;KansasFertilizerResearchFund;KansasGrainSorghumCommis-sion;KansasSoybeanCommission;KansasWheatCommission;MKMinerals,Inc.;Monsanto;PioneerHi-BredInternational;ThePotashandPhosphateInstitute;PursellTechnology,Inc.;Servi-Tech,Inc;TheSulphurInstitute;WinfieldSolutions;andU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture-AgriculturalResearchService.

SpecialrecognitionandthanksareextendedtoTroyLynnEckartofExtensionAgron-omyforhelpwithpreparationofthemanuscript;KathyLowe,MariettaJ.Ryba,andMelissaMolzahn—thelabtechniciansandstudentsoftheSoilTestingLab—fortheirhelpwithsoilandplantanalyses;andMaryKnappoftheWeatherDataLibraryforpreparationofprecipitationdata.

Compiledby:DorivarRuizDiazExtensionSpecialistSoilFertilityandNutrientManagementDepartmentofAgronomyKansasStateUniversityManhattan,KS66506-5504

KANSASFERTILIZERRESEARCH

2009


V

ContributorsA.Bontrager,GraduateStudent,Dept.ofAgronomy,K-StateManhattan

M.Davis,GraduateStudent,Dept.ofAgronomy,K-State,Manhattan

W.F.Heer,Agronomist-in-Charge,SouthCentralKansasExperimentField,Hutchinson

K.A.Janssen,SoilManagementandConservation,EastCentralKansasExperimentField,Ottawa

K.W.Kelley,CropsandSoilsAgronomist,SoutheastAgriculturalResearchCenter,Parsons

A.M.Liesch,GraduateStudent,Dept.ofAgronomy,K-State,Manhattan

M.B.Kirkham,Professor,CropPhysiology,Dept.ofAgronomy,K-State,Manhattan

L.D.Maddux,Agronomist-in-Charge,KansasRiverValleyExperimentField,Topeka

J.D.Matz,GraduateStudent,Dept.ofAgronomy,K-State,Manhattan

K.L.Martin,AssistantProfessor,SouthwestResearch-ExtensionCenter,GardenCity

D.B.Mengel,Professor,SoilFertility,Dept.ofAgronomy,K-State,Manhattan

J.L.Moyer,ForageAgronomist,SoutheastAgriculturalResearchCenter,Parsons

N.O.Nelson,AssistantProfessor,SoilFertility/NutrientManagement,Dept.ofAgronomy,K-State,Manhattan

D.A.RuizDiaz,AssistantProfessor,SoilFertilityandNutrientManagement,Dept.ofAgronomy,K-State,Manhattan

A.J.Schlegel,Agronomist,SouthwestResearch-ExtensionCenter,Tribune

D.W.Sweeney,SoilandWaterManagementAgronomist,SoutheastAgriculturalResearchCenter,Parsons

A.Tran,UndergraduateStudent,Dept.ofAgronomy,K-State,Manhattan

A.N.Tucker,GraduateStudent,Dept.ofAgronomy,K-State,Manhattan

N.C.Ward,GraduateStudent,Dept.ofAgronomy,K-State,Manhattan

H.S.Weber,GraduateStudent,Dept.ofAgronomy,K-State,Manhattan


1

Precipitation Data

Month ManhattanSWRECTribune

SEARCParsons

ECKExp.Field

Ottawa

HCExp.Field

HesstonS-------------------------------------------in.-----------------------------------------

2008August 5.29 4.79 4.79 2.82 5.17September 5.42 0.83 6.80 6.93 4.92October 2.78 2.95 3.32 4.49 4.28November 1.34 0.37 3.44 1.62 1.93December 0.64 0.33 2.18 1.57 0.35Total2008 43.25 15.37 61.69 44.70 37.61Departurefromnormal

+8.45 -2.07 +19.60 +5.49 +4.54

2009January 0.04 0.30 0.13 1.25 0.03February 0.65 0.46 1.70 1.41 0.33March 3.01 0.93 4.10 4.09 2.20April 5.25 2.17 9.95 4.37 5.79May 0.98 1.00 6.17 6.81 3.11June 8.53 1.23 4.67 9.75 5.26July 6.55 2.83 7.30 8.61 5.25August 4.50 2.22 5.56 1.01 2.04September 2.03 2.66 12.61 3.71 4.29

Month

NCKExp.Field

BellevilleKRVExp.

Field

SCKExp.Field

Hutchinson ARC-Hays---------------------------------------------in.------------------------------------------

2008August 3.67 1.40 2.29 3.40September 4.28 5.51 5.73 1.42October 8.63 3.43 5.10 6.02November 0.01 0.62 1.06 0.70December 0.41 1.06 0.37 0.24Total2008 44.18 26.52 38.59 33.70Departurefromnormal

+14.86 -5.89 +8.27 +11.07

2009January 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.45February 0.25 0.15 0.23 1.30March 0.09 2.61 1.78 0.41April 2.36 3.90 5.94 1.95May 1.93 1.25 3.91 6.85June 6.23 5.85 4.58 1.85July 4.35 5.93 2.05 4.02August 4.28 4.00 4.13 3.40September 3.00 1.41 6.79 1.42SWREC=SouthwestResearchExtension-Center;SEARC=SoutheastAgriculturalResearchCenter;ECK=EastCentralKansas;HC=HarveyCounty;NCK=NorthCentralKansas;KRV=KansasRiverValley;SCK=SouthCentralKansas;ARC=AgriculturalResearchCenter.


2

Department of Agronomy

Soybean Response to Foliar Application of Manganese and Zinc

N.Nelson,L.Maddux,M.Davis,andA.Bontrager

SummaryThereisincreasedinterestinapplyingmicronutrientstosoybean.Theobjectiveofthisstudywastodetermineifsoybeanrespondedtofoliarapplicationsofmanganese(Mn)andzinc(Zn)appliedinvariousforms.ThestudywasconductedinarandomizedcompleteblockdesignattheAshlandBottomsandRossvilleexperimentfields.Treat-mentsincludeddifferentratesofMnandZnfoliarappliedtosoybeanatapproximatelytheV6growthstage.TreatmentsdidnotincreasetissueorgrainconcentrationsofMnorZn.Treatmentsdidnotaffectyield,moisture,ortestweight.AlthoughsoiltestZnwasnearthecriticallimitforrecommendedZnapplication,tissueZnconcentrationswereabovethecriticalvalueforplantgrowth.

IntroductionInterestinfoliarmicronutrientapplicationsonsoybeanhasrecentlyincreased.Applica-tionofthesefertilizerproductscanpotentiallybecombinedwithroutineglyphosateapplications,whichsavesonapplicationcosts.However,additionalresearchneedstobedonetodeterminetheyieldbenefitsfromthesemicronutrientapplicationsaswellasthepotentialforantagonisticeffectsoftheherbicideonnutrientabsorptionbytheplant.TheobjectiveofthisstudywastodetermineifsoybeanrespondedtofoliarapplicationsofMnandZnsuppliedinthreedifferentforms.Asecondaryobjectivewastodetermineifapplicationofmicronutrientsourcesinconjunctionwithglyphosateaffectedproductperformance.

ProceduresThestudywasconductedattheAshlandBottomsandRossvilleagronomyexperimentfieldsnearManhattanandTopeka,KS,respectively.Twostudies—fullandreduced—wereimplementedatRossville.Thegrowingseasonwasverygood;ithadadequatemoistureandcooltemperatures.Harvestwasdelayed,butthisdidnotaffectyield.Althoughirrigationwaterwasavailable,irrigationwasnotappliedbecauseoffrequentrainsthroughoutthesummer.SoilanalysesforthelocationsareinTable1.

CulturalpracticesforeachlocationarelistedinTable2.Alllocationswereconven-tionallytilledwith30-in.rows.Plotsizesateachlocationwere10ftwideby30ftlong.Treatmentswerearrangedinarandomizedcompleteblockdesignwithfourreplica-tions(Table3).FortheAshlandBottomsandRossville2studies,treatmentsweretankmixedwithglyphosateunlessotherwisenoted.Glyphosatewasapplied2daysbeforetreatmentapplicationattheRossville1study.Glyphosatewasappliedat0.75lbae/awith1.5%ammoniumsulfate.GlucoheptonatemicronutrientproductwassuppliedbyBrandtConsolidated,Inc.,andthephosphatemicronutrientproductwassuppliedbyAgro-KCorporation.


3


LeafsampleswerecollectedfromtheuppermostfullydevelopedtrifoliateatR3(July24,2009andJuly25,2009atManhattanandRossville2,respectively)andanalyzedfortotalnutrientcontent.Thecentertworowsofeachplotwereharvested,andseedsampleswereanalyzedfortotalnutrientcontentbystandardmethods.

ResultsTreatmentsdidnotsignificantlyaffectyield,testweight,moisture,orplantanalysis(Tables4,5,and6).Lackofyieldresponsedoesnotnecessarilyindicatepoorperfor-manceoftheappliednutrientsource.CriticallimitsforMnandZninsoybeantissueare17and21ppm,respectively(Belletal.,1995).Asindicatedbythenutrientconcen-trationsinplantleavesatR3,thesoybeanplantswerenotdeficientineitherMnorZn.Therefore,plantresponsewouldnothavebeenexpectedintheseconditions.ThesoiltestZnatAshlandBottomswasrightatthecriticallevelforZn(1ppm);however,micronutrientavailabilitycanbeinfluencedbymultiplefactors.Therefore,acombina-tionofsoilanalysisandtissueanalysisisrecommendedforguidanceonmicronutrientapplications.

ReferencesBell,P.F.,W.B.Hallmark,W.E.Sabbe,andD.G.Dombeck.1995.Diagnosingnutrientdeficienciesinsoybean,usingM-drisandcriticalnutrientlevelprocedures.AgronomyJournal87:859-865.

Table 1. Selected analysis for soils used in the study

LocationOrganicmatter pH

SMPbuffer

pHMehlich

III-PNH4-

OAcKDTPA

ZnDTPA

FeDTPA

Mn% ––––––––––––––ppm––––––––––––––

Manhattan 1.5 5.1 6.7 48 330 1.0 69.4 39.2Rossville 1.3 6.7 na1 16 154 na na na1na,notavailable.

Table 2. Cultural and experimental details for the three study locations

Study VarietyPlanting

date Treatments1

Treatmentapplica-

tiondate HarvestdateAshlandBottoms NKS39-A3 5/22/09 all 7/2/09 10/19/09Rossville1 Taylor398 5/23/09 all 7/2/09 10/07/09Rossville2 Taylor398 5/23/09 1,3,4,5,7 7/9/09 10/07/091SeeTable3fortreatmentdescriptions.


4


Table 3. Micronutrient products, application rates, and timingTiming Product

applicationTreatment Glyphosate1 Treatment Mn Znqt/a lb/a lb/a

1.Control V6 V6 0 0 02.Mn/Zn-Glucoheptonate V6 V6 1 0.125 0.1753.Mn/Zn-Phosphite V6 V6 1 0.05 0.0754.DelayedMn/Zn-Phosphite V6 10dayslater 1 0.05 0.0755.Experimentalproduct V6 V6 46.HighMn/Zn-Glucoheptonate V6 V6 1.5 0.2 0.37.HighMn/Zn-Phosphite V6 V6 4 0.2 0.38.DelayedMn/Zn-

Glucoheptonate V610days

later 1 0.125 0.1751FortheAshlandandRossville2locations,glyphosatewastankmixedwithalltreatmentsexcept4and8.

Table 4. Soybean leaf tissue analysis at growth stage R3, seed analysis at harvest, seed moisture, test weight, and yield as affected by treatments at Ashland Bottoms study location

Plantanalysis SeedanalysisTreatment1 Mn Zn Mn Zn Moisture Testweight Yield2

––––––––––ppm–––––––––– % lb/bu bu/a1 89.3 35.4 26.8 29.3 13.0 na3 66.02 84.9 35.6 21.8 24.3 12.7 na 67.93 82.8 33.9 25.5 27.5 12.4 na 68.64 78.3 33.9 18.0 20.3 12.6 na 68.05 81.0 34.7 19.5 22.8 12.8 na 70.66 86.1 37.2 24.8 27.3 12.7 na 70.07 83.3 38.5 23.8 27.0 12.9 na 67.88 81.3 34.3 21.0 23.0 12.7 na 67.6P-value4 0.469 0.951 0.332 0.650 0.737 0.802LSD 10.1 8.9 8.1 10.5 0.7 6.2CV(%) 8.2 15.8 33.8 34.7 3.5 6.31TreatmentnumberscorrespondtothoselistedinTable3.2Correctedto13%moisture.3na,notavailable.4FromANOVAF-testfortreatmenteffects.


5


Table 5. Soybean moisture, test weight, and yield as affected by treatments at the Rossville1 study locationTreatment1 Moisture Testweight Yield2

% lb/bu bu/a1 12.1 54.8 43.32 12.4 55.0 47.93 12.8 55.0 48.54 12.2 55.0 47.35 12.3 54.6 45.86 12.3 54.9 46.37 12.1 53.8 42.68 12.3 54.0 46.2P-value3 0.485 0.122 0.875LSD 0.8 1.1 9.3CV(%) 3.9 1.5 13.01TreatmentnumberscorrespondtothoselistedinTable3.2Correctedto13%moisture.3FromANOVAF-testfortreatmenteffects.

Table 6. Soybean leaf tissue analysis at growth stage R3, seed analysis at harvest, seed moisture, test weight, and yield as affected by treatments at Rossville2 study location

Plantanalysis SeedanalysisTreatment1 Mn Zn Mn Zn Moisture Testweight Yield2

–––––––––––ppm–––––––––– % lb/bu bu/a1 54.8 28.5 19.0 18.0 11.3 54.5 54.63 54.0 29.8 19.3 18.3 11.0 54.3 55.54 54.8 29.5 21.3 23.0 11.7 50.6 52.25 52.8 31.8 21.0 22.0 11.3 54.1 59.47 55.5 31.0 20.0 20.0 11.1 54.3 55.2P-value3 0.872 0.547 0.944 0.606 0.191 0.285 0.867LSD 5.9 4.4 7.3 8.2 0.6 4.3 14.1CV(%) 8.4 9.7 29.0 36.7 3.3 5.6 15.61TreatmentnumberscorrespondtothoselistedinTable3.2Correctedto13%moisture.3FromANOVAF-testfortreatmenteffects.


6


Fertilization Strategies for Iron-Deficiency Chlorosis in Soybean Production

A.M.Liesch,D.A.RuizDiaz,andK.L.Martin

SummaryIron-deficiencychlorosisisacommonyield-limitingfactorforsoybeangrownoncalcar-eoussoilwithhighpHandhasbeenreportedbymanyresearchersintheGreatPlainsandnorthcentralUnitedStates.Aparticularchallengetostudyingandmanagingiron-deficiencyexpressionisthehighleveloftemporalandspatialvariability.Insomeyears,chlorosisdevelopsduringearlygrowthstagesanddisappearsastheplantsmature.Inmoreseverecases,chlorosiscanpersistthroughouttheentireseason.Chlorosisgenerallyoccursinlocalizedareasoffieldsandfrequentlyoccursinlowareas.Thisstudyevaluatedseedcoatingandfoliarfertilizationwithchelatediron(Fe)sourcesaswellasvarietyselection.Preliminaryresultsindicatethatfoliartreatmentseemedtoeffectivelyincreaseplantgreenness,butseedcoatingincreasedyieldacrosslocations.Selectionofasoybeanvarietythatistoleranttoiron-deficiencychlorosisseemstoprovidesignificantimprovementsforchlorosismanagement.Futurestudiesshouldevaluateeffectivenessoftheseedcoatingapproachforironfertilizationmanagementfromanagronomicandespeciallyaneconomicperspective.

IntroductionSoilpropertiesassociatedwithiron-deficiencychlorosishavebeenstudiedformanyyears.However,itisnotyetclearwhichfactorsaffectiron-deficiencychlorosis.Recentresearchhasshownthatiron-deficiencychlorosismaynotalwaysoccurinapatternconsistentwithchangesinsoiltypes.Previousstudiesindicatedseveralsoilfactorsaspotentialcontributorsofiron-deficiencychlorosissymptomsincludingsoilpH,carbon-ates,ironoxideconcentrationinthesoil,DTPA-extractableiron,soilelectricalconduc-tivity,andsoilwatercontent.

Ironiscrucialtothephotosynthesisprocess,andadeficiencycreatesseverechlorosis.Inmildcases,soybeansarestuntedandyieldisdiminished.Inseverecases,manychloroticpatchesinthefieldbecomenecroticandresultinplantdeath.Thecausesofironchloro-sisarecomplex,anddeterminingthebestmanagementpracticestoaddresstheproblemisnoteasy.Soybeanlinesarebredtohavevarietalresistancetoironchlorosis.Othercontrolpracticescanincludein-fieldfoliarapplicationofironchelatesafterchlorosishasappeared.Thepurposeofthisstudywastoevaluatetheeffectivenessofdifferentmanagementscenariosinreducingtheprevalenceofironchlorosisatfourfieldloca-tionsinwesternKansas.

Specificobjectivesforthisstudywereto(1)evaluatetheeffectofdifferentironfertilizerapplicationstrategiesonsoybeanyieldonsoilswithpotentialforiron-deficiencychlo-rosis,(2)determineinteractionsbetweensoilpropertiesandironfertilizerapplicationsonsoybeanyield,and(3)evaluateeconomicreturnsduetoironfertilizerapplicationsandvarietalresistanceselection.


7


ProceduresThisstudywasinitiatedin2009attheSouthwestResearch-ExtensionCenterinGardenCity,KS,andtwolocationsatcooperatorfieldsinLaneCounty,KS.ThesoilinGardenCitywasaUlyssessiltloam(mesicAridicHaplustolls)with2.22%organicmatterandpH8.12.ThesoybeancropinGardenCitywasnotregularlyirrigatedandreceivedonly1acre-inchofwater.SoilattheLaneCountylocationswasaRichfieldsiltloam(mesicAridicArgiustolls)with1.87%organicmatterandpH8.23(Table1).TheLaneCountylocationsreceivedregularirrigationasneeded.

Plotswerearrangedinthefieldinarandomizedcompleteblockdesignwithfourreplications.Twosoybeanvarietieswithdifferentgenetictolerancetoironchlorosisweregrown:AG2905hasverygoodchlorosistolerance,andAG3205haslowtoler-ance.Chelatediron(FeEDDHA6%)wasusedforseedcoating.Oneoftwoironchelates(Fe-EDDHAorFe-HEDTA)wasappliedasafoliartreatmentat0.1lb/aironatapproximatelyatthe2-to3-trifoliategrowthstage,andasecondapplicationwasappliedapproximately2to4weekslaterifdeficiencysymptomsreappeared.Waterusedincluded17lbofammoniumsulfateadditiveper100galofspraysolution.

Soilsamplesfromthe0-to6-and6-to12-in.depthsweretakenfromeachindividualplotandanalyzedforroutinesoilproperties.Severalmeasurementsweremadetodocu-menttherelativeeffectivenessofeachtreatment.OverallestablishedplantpopulationwasrecordedinJulyalongwiththefirstSPADmeterreading;thesemeasurementswerefollowedbythefirstfoliarapplicationtreatment.OnAugust21,asecondSPADreadingwastakenbeforethesecondfoliarapplication.Totalplantheightwastakenatmaturity.Plantswereharvestedandthreshedbyhand,andyieldwasadjustedto15.5%moisture.Analysisincludedsoilorganicmatter,soiltestphosphorus,soiltestpotas-sium,extractablecalciumandmagnesium,totalorganiccarbon,totalnitrogen,soilpH,carbonates,electricalconductivity/solublesalts,andDTPA-extractableiron.Studyareaswerecharacterizedbysoilmapunits.

ResultsAtlocation1,therewerenosignificantdifferencesinSPADreadingsduetovariety,seedcoating,foliarapplication,orplantpopulation(Table2).Therewasasignificantdifferenceinplantheightduetoseedcoatingandvariety.TheAG3205varietyisatallervarietyand,onaverage,is10cmtallerthanAG2905.Coatedseedsresultedinamuchtallerplantheightthannontreatedseeds.InAG2905,treatedseedsresultedinplantsthatwere15cmtallerthanplantsfromnontreatedseeds.InAG3205,treatedseedsresultedinplantsthatwere10cmtallerthanplantsfromnontreatedseeds.Seedcoat-ingstronglyaffectedtotalyieldforbothvarieties.Foliarapplicationdidnotsignificantlyincreaseanyofthecropcontrolparameters.

Atlocation2,therewerenosignificantdifferencesbetweenthefoliartreatmentsandthecontrol,butseedcoatingandvarietyselectionaffectedcropparameters(Table3).PlantsfromcoatedseedshadasignificantlyhigherSPADreadingthanplantsfromnontreatedseeds(Table2).Likelocation1,therewasasignificantdifferenceinheightbetweenseedtreatmentsandbetweenvarieties.InAG2905,plantsfromtreatedseedswere12cmtallerthanplantsfromnontreatedseeds,andinAG3205,plantsfrom


8


treatedseedswere15cmtaller.Seedcoatingalsosignificantlyincreasedyield.Theseedcoatingincreasedyieldbyanaverageof18bu/ainAG2905andby11bu/ainAG3205.

Atlocation3,plantsfromnontreatedseedsfromAG2905hadahigherSPADreadingthanplantsfromtreatedseeds,butforAG3205,whichisthelesstolerantvariety,theseedcoatingsignificantlyincreasedchlorophyllreadings(Table4).PlantsofAG2905were5cmshorterthanplantsofAG3205,whichwasexpectedbecauseAG2905isashortervariety.YieldforAG3205wasonly5bu/agreaterthanthatforAG2905.TheseedcoatingdecreasedyieldofAG2905by14bu/abutincreasedyieldofAG3205by10bu/a.Thisresultcouldbeduetoalackofpopulationstandinthesouthendoftheplots,whichwasdamagedbyanimals.PartialANOVAacrosslocationsisshowninTable5.

AcknowledgementsThisprojectisfundedbytheKansasSoybeanCommission.

Table 1. Preliminary soil test results at four field locations at the beginning of the project in 2009

Location County pH P K Fe Ca CaCO3

-----------------ppm----------------- %1 Lane 8.3 19 1050 3.5 3336 4.02 Lane 8.4 20 1018 2.9 4429 7.03 Finney 8.4 27 822 3.2 4628 9.04 Riley 7.8 82 372 3.9 4028 8.8

Table 2. Grain yield, plant population, plant height, and SPAD meter readings for location 1

VarietySeed

coatingFoliar

application YieldPopulation

per25-ftrow HeightSPAD

readings

bu/a cmAG2905 Yes EDDHA 60.43 73.75 64.79 36.38

HEDTA 65.22 77.50 66.25 36.23Notreatment 58.09 79.88 68.83 35.20

No EDDHA 31.45 76.00 50.92 35.58HEDTA 29.82 76.38 51.79 35.20

Notreatment 35.20 75.75 50.75 35.48AG3205 Yes EDDHA 59.87 79.13 75.25 35.83


No EDDHA 43.92 72.88 64.58 34.53HEDTA 37.42 81.25 63.58 35.38

NoTreatment 44.92 81.13 64.00 35.95


9



VarietySeed

coatingFoliar

application YieldPopulation

per25-ftrow HeightSPAD

readings



No EDDHA 44.09 70.63 50.83 28.65HEDTA 54.46 73.88 55.42 28.93



No EDDHA 46.18 73.88 61.00 29.58HEDTA 54.04 77.50 59.58 29.20

NoTreatment 48.79 76.13 59.58 29.55


VarietySeed

coatingFoliar

application YieldPopulationper

25-ftrow HeightSPAD

readings



No EDDHA 37.58 71.75 35.08 36.37HEDTA 36.46 65.63 34.50 38.40



No EDDHA 38.34 69.75 33.50 32.50HEDTA 23.20 63.125 33.75 34.55

NoTreatment 29.67 68.375 35.21 35.28


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Table 5. Partial ANOVA for effect of variety, seed coating, and foliar iron application on grain yield, SPAD readings, and plant height across locationsEffect Yield SPAD Height

------------------------------P>F-------------------------Variety 0.1399 0.3622

11


Use of Nitrogen Management Products and Practices to Enhance Yield and Nitrogen Uptake in No-Till Corn

H.S.WeberandD.B.Mengel

SummaryLong-termresearchhasshownthatnitrogen(N)fertilizerisusuallyneededtoopti-mizecornproductioninKansas.ResearchhasalsoshowndifferencesintheresponsetovariousNfertilizers,products,andpractices,particularlyintheeasternportionofthestate,wheresoilandclimaticconditionscanleadtoNloss.Aprojectwasinitiatedin2008andcontinuedin2009toquantifyhowanumberofcurrentlymarketedproductsandcommonlyusedmanagementpracticesperformedatsupplyingNtono-tillcorn.Conditionsin2009attheselocationswereconduciveforNlossfromammoniavola-tilization,immobilization,anddenitrification.AsignificantresponsetoNfertilizeraswellasasignificantdifferenceinperformanceamongNfertilizers,enhancementprod-ucts,andapplicationpracticeswasobserved.UsingcurrentlyavailabletoolstoprotectNfromvolatilization,immobilization,anddenitrificationlosssignificantlyincreasedyieldsintheseexperiments.

IntroductionThepurposeofthisstudywastoevaluatetheperformanceofdifferentNfertilizerproducts,fertilizeradditives,andapplicationpracticesusedinKansasanddeterminewhetherspecificcombinationsimprovedyieldandNuseefficiencyofno-tillcorn.Thelong-termgoalofthestudywastoquantifysomeoftheserelationshipstoassistfarm-ersinselectingspecificcombinationsoffertilizerproducts,additives,andapplicationtechniquesthatcouldenhanceyieldandprofitabilityontheirfarm.Inthisstudy,fivetoolsforpreventingNlosswereexamined:(1)fertilizerplacement,orputtingNbelowsurfaceresiduetoreduceammoniavolatilizationand/orimmobilization;(2)useofthecommercialureaseinhibitorAgrotaintoblocktheureasehydrolysisreactionthatconvertsureatoammoniaandpotentiallycouldreduceammoniavolatilization;(3)useofthecommerciallyavailableadditivesAgrotainPlusandSuperU,whichcontainbothaureaseinhibitorandanitrificationinhibitortoslowtherateofammoniumconver-siontonitrateandsubsequentdenitrificationorleachingloss;(4)useofacommercialproduct,NutriSphere-N,thatclaimsureaseandnitrificationinhibition;and(5)useofapolyurethaneplastic-coatedurea(ESN)todelayreleaseofureafertilizeruntilthecropcanuseitmoreeffectively.TheultimategoalofusingthesepracticesorproductsistoincreaseNuptakebytheplantandenhanceyield.

ProceduresThisstudywasinitiatedin2008attheAgronomyNorthFarmnearManhattan,KS.Thestudywascontinuedin2009attheAgronomyNorthFarmnearManhattan,theEastCentralKansasExperimentFieldnearOttawa,KS,andtheSouthCentralKansasExperimentFieldnearHutchinson,KS.Importantfactsconcerningthestud-ies,includingsoils,plantingdates,andhybridsused,aresummarizedinTable1.Plotswerearrangedinthefieldinarandomizedcompleteblockdesignwithfourreplications.


12


Starterfertilizerwasappliedtoalltreatments,includingtheno-Ncontrol,atarateof20lb/aNasureaammoniumnitrate(UAN).StarterNwasappliedusinga2×2placementatManhattanandasasurfacebandatOttawaandHutchinson.WinterapplicationsofbroadcastureaandbroadcastESNwereappliedFebruary4atManhat-tan,February6atOttawa,andFebruary27atPartridgetodeterminetheefficienciesofNapplicationsatsuchanearlytiming.NitrogenmanagementtreatmentswereappliedinlateMayatManhattan;thiswasapproximatelytheV-2growthstage.AtOttawaandHutchinson,plantingwasdelayedbecauseofmoistsoilsandspringapplicationswereappliedatthetimeofplanting.Treatmentswereappliedatarateof60lb/aNforatotalNapplicationwithstarterof80lb/aN.Treatmentsappliedatalllocationsconsistedofacheckplot(noNapplied);broadcastgranularurea;broadcastgranularureatreatedwithAgrotain;broadcastgranularureatreatedwithSuperU(acombina-tionofAgrotainanddicyandiamide,anitrificationinhibitor);broadcast-sprayedUAN;broadcast-sprayedUAN+NutriSphere-N;broadcast-sprayedUAN+AgrotainPlus;broadcastgranularESNurea(ureacoatedwithpolyurethane);a50/50ESN/ureablend;surface-bandtreatmentsofUAN,UAN+NutriSphere-N,andUAN+Agro-tainPlus;andanonvolatileNsourceofUANcoulterbandedorammoniumnitrate.AtManhattan,thisconsistedofCoulter-bandedUANplacedapproximately2in.belowthesoilsurfaceintherowmiddleson30-in.centers;atOttawaandHutchinson,ammoniumnitratewasbroadcastasthenonvolatileNsource.Broadcastureatreat-mentsof90,120,and150lb/aNwerealsoappliedtodeterminetheNresponsefunc-tionateachlocation.

Severalmeasurementsweremadetodocumenttherelativeeffectivenessofeachtreat-ment.EarleaveswerecollectedatsilkingtodeterminerelativeNcontent.Firingratings(numberofgreenleavesremainingbelowtheear)weremadetoevaluateNstresstotheplantsapproximately10daysafterpollination.Wholeplantsamplesweretakentomeasureplant/stoverNcontentatmaturity.Tenplantswereselectedatrandomfromtheplotandcutoffatgroundlevel.Earswereremoved,remainingvegetativeportionsoftheplantswereweighedandchopped,andasubsamplewascollectedtodetermineNanddrymattercontent.AtManhattanandHutchinson,plotswerehandharvested,cornwasshelled,andsampleswerecollectedforgrainmoistureandgrainNcontent.AttheOttawalocation,cornwasmechanicallyharvested.Yieldwasadjustedto15.5%moisture.

ResultsResultsfromtheseexperimentsaresummarizedinTables2and3.

RelativelylowlevelsofNintheearleaf(lessthan2.7%N,whichissuggestedascriti-cal)suggestthe80lb/aNapplicationwasnotadequateatthesesites(Table2).ThissuboptimalNratewasselectedtoensurethatdifferencesinefficienciesbetweenproductswerenotmaskedbyoverapplicationofN.ThepotentialforNlossthroughammoniavolatilizationorimmobilizationlossofsurface-appliedNwashighatallthreesitesbecauseofmoistsoilatthetimeofapplication,gooddryingconditions,andalargeamountofcropresidueonthesoilsurface.ThisistypicalofconditionsineasternKansasmostyears,especiallywherecornisgrowninrotationsthatincludewheat.


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AtManhattan,thebroadcasttreatmentofureaappliedatplantingperformedsignifi-cantlybetterthanthesametreatmentappliedinwinterbutwaslesseffectivethansomeofthealternativeproducts,suchasESNappliedatplanting(Table2).UseofureaseinhibitorswithureaorUANdidnotimproveperformance,thoughweatherconditionswerepresentforammoniavolatilization.Granularureawasmoreeffectivethanbroad-castUANatManhattan,likelybecausethehighlevelofsurfaceresiduewascapableofimmobilizingtheuniformlyappliedUAN.SurfacebandingdidnotimproveUANperformance,thoughcoulterbandingdid.Thebroadcasturea/ESNblendandtheurea+AgrotainPlustreatmentswerethehighestyieldingatManhattan.High-inten-sityrainfalleventsoccurred30to40daysafterfertilizerapplication,whichcreatedconditionsfordenitrificationloss.WinterapplicationsofESNwerenotaseffectiveasplantingtimeapplicationsofESNoranESN/ureablend.NutriSphere-Nwasnotbeneficialatthislocationwhenaddedtobroadcastorsurface-bandedUAN.

ResultsfromtheOttawalocationaresummarizedinTable2.YieldswerelowerthanthoseatManhattan,likelyaresultofdelayedplantingduetoheavyspringrainsandsignificantgreensnapofplantsthatoccurredwithathunderstormshortlyaftertassel-ing.Approximately30%oftheplantswerelostbecauseofstalkbreakage.PotentialforNlossduetoammoniavolatilization,immobilization,anddenitrificationwasalsohigh.EarleafNatOttawawaswellbelowthe2.7%suggestedcriticallevel.Ammoniavolatilizationwaslikelyhighatthissiteasindicatedbytheexcellentperformanceoftheammoniumnitrateapplication(nonvolatileNsource).ConditionswereexcellentforNlossfromvolatilizationanddenitrificationaswellasimmobilizationfollowingNappli-cations.SoilconditionsatthetimeofNapplicationweremoist,followedbya5-dayperiodofnorainfallandhightemperatures.Inthe3weeksfollowingfertilization,therewereseveralrainfallevents(4in.)thatcreatedconditionswithpotentialfordenitrification.Ingeneral,UANapplicationsofNseemedtobelesseffectivethanureaapplicationsregardlessofadditiveproductsused.UseofadditivesincreasedyieldsonlyslightlyatOttawain2009.Thiswaslikelyaresultofthehighdenitrificationlosspotentialoveranextendedperiodandthereducedeffec-tiveplantstandduetogreensnap.

ResultsfromHutchinsonarealsosummarizedinTable2.Yieldsweregoodatthisloca-tion;however,plantstandswerevariablebecauseoflackofseedclosureandaffectedplantmaturitythroughoutthegrowingseason.Thoughfieldvariabilityinstandanddenitrificationlikelywereresponsibleforthedifferencesinyields,thewinter-appliedureaandESNwerelesseffectivethanthespring-appliedureaandESNtreatments.NodifferenceamongNtreatmentswasobserved.

RelativeeffectivenessofdifferentNtreatmentsareshownincomparisontothestan-dardplantingtimebroadcastapplicationofureaforeachlocationinFigures1,2,and3.TheNresponsecurvefrombroadcastapplicationsofureaisshownforeachlocation.The60-lbureaapplicationrateandresultingyieldismarkedwithabrokenline.Theresultingyieldfromselectedothertreatmentsisthenshownontheresponsecurvetoestimatetheamountofureathatwouldhaveneededtobeappliedatplantingtoobtainsimilaryields.


14


Nitrogenuseefficiency(NUE),estimatedbyNrecovery,foreachsiteisshowninTable2.Worldwide,NUEincerealproductionisestimatedat35%;InKansas,anNUEof50%isusedtomakefertilizerrecommendations.AtManhattan,NUErangedfromalowof30%toahighof63%.Practicessuchasbroadcasturea,urea+SuperU,Agrotain,AgrotainPlusanduseofESNoraurea/ESNblendallgaveNUE>50%,whereasbroadcastorsurface-bandedUANwithorwithoutadditivesgaveNUE

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Table 2. Effect of nitrogen product and method of application on corn yields Manhattan2009 Ottawa2009 Hutchinson2009

Treatment TotalN YieldEarleaf

N GL1 YieldEarleaf

N GL Yield EarleafN GLlb/a bu/a % bu/a % bu/a %

Control 20 104 2.10 3.15 72 1.40 3.35 120 2.16 3Ureaatwinter 80 138 2.32 4 76 1.60 4.25 125 2.13 3.25BroadcastESN-coatedureaatwinter 80 154 2.36 4.1 84 1.62 5.25 129 2.15 3.8Urea 80 165 2.53 5.15 87 1.56 5.3 141 2.22 3.8Broadcasturea+Agrotain 80 169 2.56 5.75 89 1.61 4.95 133 2.19 4.35Broadcasturea+SuperU 80 173 2.38 4.8 91 1.81 5.4 138 2.16 3.4BroadcastESN-coatedurea 80 167 2.36 5.55 88 1.71 5.85 140 2.13 4Broadcast50%urea+50%ESNurea 80 174 2.40 5.2 82 1.80 5.3 121 2.19 3.4BroadcastUAN 80 148 2.37 4.3 81 1.49 3.8 135 2.23 4.05BroadcastUAN+AgrotainPlus 80 142 2.36 4.5 79 1.55 4.35 138 2.19 4.2BroadcastUAN+NutriSphere-N 80 149 2.34 3.65 71 1.50 4.05 143 2.29 3.55SurfacebandUAN 80 148 2.28 4.3 79 1.59 4.1 126 2.03 3.95SurfacebandUAN+AgrotainPlus 80 157 2.44 5.05 78 1.69 4.5 139 2.09 4SurfacebandUAN+NutriSphere-N 80 148 2.39 4.15 80 1.64 4.3 125 2.15 3.45CoulterbandUAN 80 162 2.35 5.35 106 1.82 5.8 145 2.22 4.65Broadcasturea 110 181 2.61 5.45 92 1.66 5.1 138 2.18 4.45Broadcasturea 130 179 2.60 6.1 96 1.76 5.8 127 2.27 4.2Broadcasturea 170 196 2.62 60 108 1.78 6.2 147 2.27 4.5LSD(0.10) 19 0.16 0.81 10 0.25 0.62 20 0.19 0.157

1GL,greenleavesbelowtheearleaf.


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Table 3. Effect of nitrogen product and method of application on nitrogen uptakeManhattan2009 Ottawa2009 Hutchinson2009

Treatment TotalN GrainNTotalNUptake NUE1 GrainN

TotalNUptake NUE GrainN

TotalNUptake NUE

lb/a % lb % % lb % % lb %Control 20 0.93 66 na 0.86 44 na 1.35 95 naUreaatwinter 80 1.04 89 30 0.85 50 7 1.42 111 30BroadcastESN-coatedureaatwinter 80 1.02 98 41 0.87 54 13 1.46 116 25Urea 80 1.13 114 61 0.87 56 14 1.54 137 49Broadcasturea+Agrotain 80 1.12 117 63 0.89 59 19 1.57 130 44Broadcasturea+SuperU 80 1.10 114 60 0.87 53 11 1.57 129 42BroadcastESN-coatedurea 80 1.08 111 56 0.90 59 18 1.47 122 51Broadcast50%urea+50%ESNurea 80 1.08 111 57 0.91 52 13 1.53 115 22BroadcastUAN 80 1.04 101 44 0.88 53 11 1.58 129 42BroadcastUAN+AgrotainPlus 80 1.03 93 34 0.85 52 10 1.51 128 41BroadcastUAN+NutriSphere-N 80 0.97 81 20 0.87 48 6 1.51 127 40SurfacebandUAN 80 0.99 92 33 0.85 52 9 1.46 111 31SurfacebandUAN+AgrotainPlus 80 1.04 100 43 0.90 55 13 1.50 129 41SurfacebandUAN+NutriSphere-N 80 0.99 92 33 0.82 50 7 1.48 110 31CoulterbandUAN 80 1.07 106 46 0.89 66 27 1.58 133 47Broadcasturea 110 1.20 130 55 0.86 60 15 1.62 145 45Broadcasturea 130 1.22 129 42 0.85 60 9 1.55 129 36Broadcasturea 170 1.29 149 47 0.91 69 13 1.66 164 40LSD(0.10) 0.08 14 19 0.05 7 9 0.14 20 29

1NUE,nitrogenuseefficiency.


17


Tab

le 3

. Effe

ct o

f nitr

ogen

pro

duct

and

met

hod

of ap

plic

atio

n on

nitr

ogen

upt

ake

Man

hatt

an2

009

Ott

awa2

009

Hut

chin

son

2009

Tre

atm

ent

Tot

alN

Gra

inN

Tot

alN

U

ptak

eN

UE1

Gra

inN

Tot

alN

U

ptak

eN

UE

Gra

inN

Tot

alN

U

ptak

eN

UE

lb/a

%lb

%%

lb%

%lb

%C

ontr

ol20

0.93

66na

0.86

44na

1.35

95na

Ure

aatw

inte

r80

1.04

8930

0.85

507

1.42

111

30Br

oadc

astE

SN-c

oate

dur

eaat

win

ter

801.

0298

410.

8754

131.

4611

625

Ure

a80

1.13

114

610.

8756

141.

5413

749

Broa

dcas

ture

a+A

grot

ain

801.

1211

763

0.89

5919

1.57

130

44Br

oadc

astu

rea+

Sup

erU

801.

1011

460

0.87

5311

1.57

129

42Br

oadc

astE

SN-c

oate

dur

ea80

1.08

111

560.

9059

181.

4712

251

Broa

dcas

t50%

ure

a+5

0%E

SNu

rea

801.

0811

157

0.91

5213

1.53

115

22Br

oadc

astU

AN

801.

0410

144

0.88

5311

1.58

129

42Br

oadc

astU

AN

+A

grot

ain

Plus

801.

0393

340.

8552

101.

5112

841

Broa

dcas

tUA

N+

Nut

riSph

ere-

N80

0.97

8120

0.87

486

1.51

127

40Su

rfac

eban

dU

AN

800.

9992

330.

8552

91.

4611

131

Surf

aceb

and

UA

N+

Agr

otai

nPl

us80

1.04

100

430.

9055

131.

5012

941

Surf

aceb

and

UA

N+

Nut

riSph

ere-

N80

0.99

9233

0.82

507

1.48

110

31C

oulte

rban

dU

AN

801.

0710

646

0.89

6627

1.58

133

47Br

oadc

astu

rea

110

1.20

130

550.

8660

151.

6214

545

Broa

dcas

ture

a13

01.

2212

942

0.85

609

1.55

129

36Br

oadc

astu

rea

170

1.29

149

470.

9169

131.

6616

440

LSD

(0.1

0)0.

0814

190.

057

90.

1420

291 N

UE,

nitr

ogen

use

effici

ency

.

Equivilant urea rate, lb/a

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180

Yiel

d, b

u/a

0

50

100

150

200

250

AgrotainESNWinter ureaBr UAN CB UANBlendWinter ESN80 lb urea

Figure 1. Response of no-till corn to 80 lb nitrogen applied using different products and application methods, Manhattan, 2009.


Yiel

d, b

u/a

0 50 100 150 200 2500

20

40

60

80

100

120

AgrotainESNWinter urea Br UANAm. nitrateBlendWinter ESN80 lb urea

Figure 2. Response of no-till corn to 80 lb nitrogen applied using different products and application methods, Ottawa, 2009.


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Yiel

d, b

u/a

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 2000

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

AgrotainESNWinter urea Br UANAm. nitrateBlendWinter ESN80 lb urea

Figure 3. Response of no-till corn to 80 lb nitrogen applied using different products and application methods, Hutchinson, 2009.


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Use of Nitrogen Management Products and Practices to Enhance Yield and Nitrogen Uptake in No-Till Grain Sorghum

H.S.WeberandD.B.Mengel

Summary Long-termresearchshowsthatnitrogen(N)fertilizerisusuallyneededtooptimizeproductionofgrainsorghuminKansas.Grainsorghumisgrownunderdrylandcondi-tionsacrossthestateandistypicallygrowninno-tillproductionsystems.Thesesystemsleavealargeamountofresidueonthesoilsurface,whichcanleadtoammoniavolatil-izationlossesfromsurfaceapplicationsofurea-containingfertilizersandimmobiliza-tionofNfertilizersplacedincontactwiththeresidue.Leachinganddenitrificationcanalsobeaproblemonsomesoils.Aprojectwasinitiatedin2008andexpandedin2009toquantifytheeffectofanumberofcommerciallyavailableproductsmarketedtoenhanceNutilizationbysorghum.Conditionsatthesitesusedvariedwidelyin2009.ConditionsthatcouldleadtoammoniavolatilizationandimmobilizationofNwerepresentatmostsites,andconditionsatsomesitescouldleadtodenitrificationandleaching.AtlocationswhereNlosslimitedyield(i.e.,ManhattanandOttawa)useoftheseproductsandpracticesenhancedyield.However,atlocationswhereNlosswasminimalorlowyieldsunrelatedtoNfertilizationlimitedNresponse(i.e.,TribuneandPartridge),useofthesepracticeswasnothelpful.

IntroductionThepurposeofthisstudywastoevaluatedifferentNfertilizers,products,andapplica-tionpracticesusedinKansasanddeterminewhetherspecificcombinationsimprovedyieldandNuseefficiencyinno-tillgrainsorghum.Thelong-termgoalofthisstudyistoquantifysomeoftheserelationshipstoassistfarmersinselectingspecificcombina-tionsthatcouldenhanceyieldandprofitabilityontheirfarm,undertheirconditions.Inthisstudy,fivetoolsforpreventingNlosswereexamined:(1)fertilizerplacement,orplacingNinbandsontheresidue-coveredsoilsurfacetoreduceimmobilization;(2)useofaureaseinhibitor(Agrotain)thatblockstheureasehydrolysisreactionthatconvertsureatoammoniaandpotentiallycouldreduceammoniavolatilization;(3)useofanadditive(AgrotainPlusorSuperU)thatcontainsbothanitrificationinhibitorandaureaseinhibitortoslowtherateofammoniumconversiontonitrateandsubsequentdenitrificationorleachingloss;(4)useofacommercialproduct(NutriSphere-N)thatclaimsbothnitrificationinhibitionandureaseinhibition;and(5)useofapolyurethaneplastic-coatedurea(ESN)todelayreleaseofureafertilizeruntilthecropcanuseitmoreeffectively.TheultimategoalofusingthesepracticesorproductsistoincreaseNuptakebytheplantandenhanceyield.

ProceduresThisstudywasinitiatedin2008andcontinuedin2009attheAgronomyNorthFarmnearManhattan,KS,theEastCentralKansasExperimentFieldnearOttawa,KS,andtheSouthCentralKansasExperimentFieldnearPartridge,KS.AnadditionalsiteattheSouthwestResearch-ExtensionCenternearTribune,KS,wasaddedin2009.Previ-


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ouscropsonthesesitesweresoybeanatManhattan,double-cropsoybeanafterwheatatOttawaandPartridge,andwheatatTribune.SorghumhybridsDKSA54-00,P54G62,P84G62,andP86G32wereplantedMay18,May21,June25,andJune1atManhat-tan,Ottawa,Partridge,andTribune,respectively.WinterapplicationsofbroadcastureaandbroadcastESNwereappliedFebruary4atManhattan,February6atOttawaandFebruary27atPartridgetodeterminetheefficienciesofNapplicationsatsuchanearlytiming.Tribunedidnotreceivewinter-appliedtreatments.NitrogenmanagementtreatmentswereappliedfromlateMaytomid-Juneatapproximatelythesametimeasplanting.Treatmentsappliedatalllocationsconsistedofacheckplot(noNapplied);broadcastgranularurea;broadcastgranularureatreatedwithAgrotain;broadcastgranularureatreatedwithSuperU(acombinationofAgrotainanddicyandiamide,anitrificationinhibitor);broadcast-sprayedureaammoniumnitrate(UAN);broadcast-sprayedUAN+NutriSphere-N;broadcast-sprayedUAN+AgrotainPlus;broadcastgranularESNurea(ureacoatedwithpolyurethane);a50/50ESN/ureablend;surface-bandtreatmentsofUAN,UAN+NutriSphere-NandUAN+AgrotainPlus;andanonvolatileNsource.AtManhattan,thisconsistedofcoulter-bandedUANplacedapproximately2in.belowthesoilsurfaceintherowmiddleson30-in.centers.AtOttawa,Partridge,andTribune,ammoniumnitratewasbroadcastasthenonvolatileNsource.Broadcastureatreatmentsof30,90,and120lb/aNwereappliedtodefinetheNresponsecurveateachlocation.

Treatmentswerearrangedinthefieldinarandomizedcompleteblockdesignwithfourreplications.Plotsizewasfourrows(10ft)wideby50ftlong.Apreemergenceherbi-cidewasusedatalllocationstocontrolweeds.Preplantsoilsampleswerecollectedfromeachlocationtodeterminenutrientstatusofthesite.FlagleaveswerecollectedathalfbloomatalllocationsexceptPartridgeasameasureofplantNcontent.

ThemiddletworowsofeachplotweremachineharvestedatOttawaandTribune.A17.3-ftsegmentofthemiddletworowsofeachplotwashandharvestedatManhattanandPartridge.HarvestdateswereOctober5atManhattan,November6atOttawa,November24atPartridge,andDecember1atTribune.GrainsampleswerecollectedfromeachplotforgrainmoistureandNcontent.Yieldswereadjustedto13%moisture.

ResultsResultsfromtheseexperimentsaresummarizedinTable1.AsignificantresponsetoNwasobtainedinthisstudyatManhattan,Ottawa,andTribune.NoresponsetoNwasseenatPartridge,probablybecauseofthelowyieldsthatresultedfromalateplantingdateaswellasherbicidedamageatemergence.RelativelylowlevelsofNintheflagleaf(lessthan2.7%N,whichissuggestedascritical)wereobservedatManhattanandOttawa,whichsuggeststhe60lb/aNapplicationwasnotadequateatthesesites.However,increasingtheamountofbroadcastureaappliedatplantingdidnotresolvetheissue.

AtManhattan,nosignificantyieldincreasesoverthestandardpracticeofbroadcastinggranularureawereseenwiththeuseofnitrogenproducts,exceptfortheuseofESNatbothwinterandplantingtimeapplications.Broadcastandsurface-bandedUANtreat-mentswerenotstatisticallydifferent;however,thesurface-bandedUAN+AgrotaiPlus


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andNutriSphere-NtreatmentsweresignificantlyhigherthanthebroadcastUAN+AgrotainPlusorNutriSphere-Ntreatments.

AtOttawa,winter-appliedbroadcastESNyieldedsignificantlyhigherthanwinter-appliedurea.YieldsforthebroadcastESNatplanting,broadcastESN/ureablend,andnonvolatileNtreatmentofammoniumnitratewereallsignificantlyhigherthanyieldsfromthe60-lbureatreatmentappliedatplanting.

AtPartridge,yieldswerelow,andtherewerenodifferencesintreatmentyields.AttheTribunelocation,nodifferenceamongNtreatmentswasobserved.

Figures1,2,and3demonstrateefficienciesoftheNproductsandapplicationtimingscomparedwiththestandardtreatmentofbroadcastingureaatplanting.

ThesedataclearlyshowthatinconditionswhereNlossisoccurring,suchasatManhat-tanandOttawain2009,useofproductsthatenhanceNusecanenhanceyieldwhileminimizingtotalNinputs.Usingthistypeproducttoaddressspecificconcernsorlossmechanismscanbemoreefficient,andpotentiallymorecost-effective,thansimplyincreasingNapplicationrate.


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Table 1. Effect of nitrogen product and method of application on sorghum flag leaf percentage nitrogen and yield, 2009 Manhattan Ottawa Partridge Tribune

TreatmentTotal

NFlag

leafNGrain

N YieldFlag

leafNGrain

N YieldGrain

NFlag

leafN YieldFlag

leafNGrain

N Yieldlb/a -----%----- bu/a -----%----- bu/a -----%----- bu/a -----%----- bu/a

Control 0 2.12 0.89 104 1.78 0.93 70 1.30 --- 41 2.64 1.1925 89Broadcastureaatwinter 60 2.13 0.91 123 1.84 0.92 86 1.27 --- 51 --- --- ---BroadcastESNatwinter 60 2.32 0.92 138 2.00 0.94 101 1.30 --- 43 --- --- ---Broadcasturea 60 2.31 0.92 137 1.93 0.94 96 1.29 --- 42 2.82 1.42 113Broadcasturea+Agrotain 60 2.50 0.96 144 1.98 0.94 105 1.31 --- 49 2.76 1.43 116Broadcasturea+SuperU 60 2.26 0.91 140 1.88 0.94 105 1.31 --- 46 2.75 1.42 109BroadcastESN-coatedurea 60 2.45 0.94 151 2.06 0.95 110 1.33 --- 45 2.80 1.38 105Broadcast50%urea+50%

ESNurea60 2.34 0.92 133 1.93 0.94 108 1.25 --- 42 2.82 1.40 113

BroadcastUAN 60 2.16 0.88 117 1.87 0.92 89 1.24 --- 55 2.91 1.41 112BroadcastUAN+Agrotain

Plus60 2.26 0.88 109 1.93 0.91 98 1.29 --- 56 2.88 1.39 111

BroadcastUAN+NutriSphere-N

60 2.33 0.89 120 1.87 0.95 85 1.31 --- 56 2.90 1.39 109

SurfacebandUAN 60 2.47 0.90 121 1.91 0.90 86 1.26 --- 40 2.73 1.39 106SurfacebandUAN+

AgrotainPlus60 2.35 0.92 126 1.91 0.95 84 1.35 --- 43 2.89 1.38 110

SurfacebandUAN+NutriSphere-N

60 2.43 0.93 139 1.94 0.94 89 1.28 --- 39 2.85 1.35 109

NonvolatileN 60 2.58 0.96 141 2.06 0.97 110 1.34 --- 49 2.78 1.39 107Broadcast30Urea 30 2.14 0.89 114 1.84 0.90 83 1.29 --- 52 2.80 1.35 104Broadcast90Urea 90 2.47 0.95 147 2.00 0.94 110 1.25 --- 53 2.85 1.50 111Broadcast120Urea 120 2.43 1.03 156 2.05 0.96 104 1.24 --- 54 3.05 1.55 109LSD(0.10) 0.17 0.04 10 0.16 0.05 12 0.09 --- NS 0.13 0.08 9


23


Tab

le 1

. Effe

ct o

f nitr

ogen

pro

duct

and

met

hod

of ap

plic

atio

n on

sorg

hum

flag

leaf

per

cent

age n

itrog

en an

d yi

eld,

200

9

Man

hatt

anO

ttaw

aPa

rtrid

geT

ribun

e

Tre

atm

ent

Tot

al

NFl

ag

leaf

NG

rain

N

Yiel

dFl

ag

leaf

NG

rain

N

Yiel

dG

rain

N

Flag

le

afN

Yiel

dFl

ag

leaf

NG

rain

N

Yiel

dlb

/a---

--%---

--bu

/a---

--%---

--bu

/a---

--%---

--bu

/a---

--%---

--bu

/aC

ontr

ol0

2.12

0.89

104

1.78

0.93

701.

30---

412.

641.

1925

89Br

oadc

astu

reaa

twin

ter

602.

130.

9112

31.

840.

9286

1.27

---51

------

---Br

oadc

astE

SNat

win

ter

602.

320.

9213

82.

000.

9410

11.

30---

43---

------

Broa

dcas

ture

a60

2.31

0.92

137

1.93

0.94

961.

29---

422.

821.

4211

3Br

oadc

astu

rea+

Agr

otai

n60

2.50

0.96

144

1.98

0.94

105

1.31

---49

2.76

1.43

116

Broa

dcas

ture

a+S

uper

U60

2.26

0.91

140

1.88

0.94

105

1.31

---46

2.75

1.42

109

Broa

dcas

tESN

-coa

ted

urea

602.

450.

9415

12.

060.

9511

01.

33---

452.

801.

3810

5Br

oadc

ast5

0%u

rea+

50%

ES

Nu

rea

602.

340.

9213

31.

930.

9410

81.

25---

422.

821.

4011

3

Broa

dcas

tUA

N60

2.16

0.88

117

1.87

0.92

891.

24---

552.

911.

4111

2Br

oadc

astU

AN

+A

grot

ain

Plus

602.

260.

8810

91.

930.

9198

1.29

---56

2.88

1.39

111

Broa

dcas

tUA

N+

N

utriS

pher

e-N

602.

330.

8912

01.

870.

9585

1.31

---56

2.90

1.39

109

Surf

aceb

and

UA

N60

2.47

0.90

121

1.91

0.90

861.

26---

402.

731.

3910

6Su

rfac

eban

dU

AN

+

Agr

otai

nPl

us60

2.35

0.92

126

1.91

0.95

841.

35---

432.

891.

3811

0

Surf

aceb

and

UA

N+

N

utriS

pher

e-N

602.

430.

9313

91.

940.

9489

1.28

---39

2.85

1.35

109

Non

vola

tileN

602.

580.

9614

12.

060.

9711

01.

34---

492.

781.

3910

7Br

oadc

ast3

0U

rea

302.

140.

8911

41.

840.

9083

1.29

---52

2.80

1.35

104

Broa

dcas

t90

Ure

a90

2.47

0.95

147

2.00

0.94

110

1.25

---53

2.85

1.50

111

Broa

dcas

t120

Ure

a12

02.

431.

0315

62.

050.

9610

41.

24---

543.

051.

5510

9LS

D(0

.10)

0.17

0.04

100.

160.

0512

0.09

---N

S0.

130.

089


Yiel

d, b

u/a

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 1400

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Agrotain ESN Br UAN Am. nitrateBlend 60 lb urea

Figure 1. Response of no-till grain sorghum to 60 lb N applied using different products and application methods, Tribune, 2009.


Yiel

d, b

u/a

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 1400

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

AgrotainESNBr UANBr UANAm. nitrateBlend Winter ESN 60 lb urea

Figure 2. Response of no-till grain sorghum to 60 lb N applied using different products and application methods, Ottawa, 2009.


24



Yiel

d, b

u/a

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 1400

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

AgrotainESNWinter ureaBr UANCB UANBlendWinter ESN60 lb urea

Figure 3. Response of no-till grain sorghum to 60 lb N applied using different products and application methods, Manhattan, 2009.


25


Correction of Potassium Deficiency in Soybean Production in Kansas

J.D.Matz,A.Tran,andD.B.Mengel

SummaryThisreportcoversthefirstyearofamultiyearprojectdesignedtoaddressissueswithpotassium(K)fertilizationofsoybeanandrotationalcrops.During2009,fourfieldresearchstudieswereestablished,allonfieldsinwhichsoiltestKlevelswerebelowthecurrentcriticallevelof130ppm.LatersoiltestingduringthegrowingseasonrevealedthatKlevelshadunexpectedlyincreasedwellabovethestandardcriticallevel.Byharvesttime,however,theKsoiltestlevelshadfallenbackdowntotherangeoftheinitialKbaseline,wellbelowthecriticallevelof130ppm.Ourdata,togetherwithdatacollectedbyfarmersandcropconsultants,showsignificantfluctuationinexchangeableKlevelsofupto50%onayearlyandevenmonthlybasis.ThisraisesquestionsabouthowreliablelabproceduresareinextrapolatingexchangeableK.

Inastudydesignedtoassesstheeffectofsampledryingandtemperature(factorsthatinfluenceKavailability),field-moistsampleswerecollectedandpreparedforanalysisandthenairdriedandovendriedat40°C,60°C,80°C,and100°Cforvariouslengthsoftime.Resultsshowedlessthana10%decreaseinexchangeableKduetohigh-temper-aturedrying(Figure1)buta50%changeinexchangeableKinthefieldovertime.Potassiumuptakewasmonitoredbyusingtissueanalysis.Resultsshowedthatbroadcastandhigh-ratesurface-bandapplicationsincreasedKuptakeslightlyin2009;themajor-ityofthetreatments,includingcontroltreatments,werewithinthenormalconcentra-tionrangeof1.7%to2.3%,indicatingnoKdeficienciesduringlatevegetativeandearlyreproductivegrowth.NocleareffectsofKfertilizationrateorplacementonsoybeanyieldwereobserved.Thisresearchwillcontinuein2010.

Introduction Withinthelastdecade,KdeficiencyinsoybeanhasbecomeatremendousconcernintheeasternhalfofKansas.TheKcontentofmanyKansassoilsthathadnaturallyelevatedKavailabilityhasdeclinedbecauseofcontinuouscroppingandplantinghigh-K-extractingcropssuchassoybeanwithoutreplacingtheKremoved.Themoreweath-eredsoilsinthesoutheasternpartofthestate,whichhavelowercationexchangecapac-ityandexhaustedKreserves,areencounteringincreasedoccurrenceofKdeficiency.Inaddition,theincreasedpopularityofno-tillsystemshasraisedadditionalconcernsofverticalstratificationandpositionalunavailabilityduetodrysoilconditionsthatresultinincreasedKfixationandreduceddiffusionrates.

Thisstudywasinitiatedin2009todeterminetheoverallimpactofKdeficienciesonsoybeanyieldsandwhatmanagementpracticescouldbeimplementedtoovercomeanyadverseeffects.Amainfocuswastodeterminewhichfertilizerapplicationmethods,includingbroadcastandsurfacebanding,efficientlycorrectedtheproblem.


26


ProceduresTheprojectwasconductedoncooperatingfarmers’fieldsinsoutheastKansas.FoursiteswereselectednearHallowell,KS,inCherokeeCounty.ThepredominantsoiltypeatallfourlocationswasaCherokeesiltloamwithanaverageKexchangeablelevelof145ppm.Plotswerearrangedinthefieldinarandomizedcompleteblockdesignwithfourreplications.Maturitygroup5soybeanswereplantedonJune25followingtheharvestofawheatcropataseedingrateof110,000seeds/a.FertilizerwasappliedshortlyafterplantingonJuly1usingKClasthefertilizersource.

Tendifferenttreatmentswereappliedtodouble-cropsoybean:anunfertilizedcheck;annualbroadcastapplicationattheraterecommendedbyKansasStateUniversity;annualbroadcastapplicationof30and60lb/aK2O;biannualbroadcastapplicationof60,120,and180lb/aK2O;andbiannualsurface-bandapplicationof60,120,and180lb/aK2O.SurfacebandingconsistedofapplyingalltheKClinaconcentratedband4to5in.wideimmediatelyadjacenttothecroprow.

Measurementoftreatmenteffectsincludedsoilsamplingevery1to2monthstotrackKlevels,leafKlevelsatpodsetandpodfill,soybeanyield,andgrainKlevels.Residualeffectsofthebiannualappliedtreatmentswillbemeasuredbycontinuingthestudyforasecondyear.Similarmeasurementswillbemadeontherotationalcorncrop.

ResultsPotassiumsoiltestlevelsinthefieldweresubstantiallyhigherthanexpectedfromroutinefieldsoiltestsconductedinthewinterof2007–2008(Table1).AllsitesshowedKlevelsapproximately50%higherthanthosein2007andwellabovetheacceptedcriticallevelof130ppmexchangeableK.ThefertilizerprogrampracticedbythegrowerwasthetraditionalK-Statenutrientsufficiencyprogram.Therefore,fertilizeraddedonthebasisofthe2007soiltestswouldhavebeensubstantiallylessthancropremovalandwouldnotexplainthesignificantincreases.Samplingthroughthegrowingseasonshowedthatthesehighlevelsremaineduntilmid-October,whensoiltestsagaindroppedtolevelsatorapproachingthosefoundin2007.

PotassiumuptakeintheleafwasgenerallyhighandwassignificantlyincreasedinmanytreatmentswhenKClfertilizerwasappliedbroadcastorsurfacebandedatahigherrate(Table2).TherelativelyhighlevelsfoundintheleaftissueareconsistentwithsoiltestKlevelsabovethecriticallevel,whichwereobservedthroughoutthegrowingseason.

NoconsistentresponsetoKfertilizationorplacementwasobservedintheyielddata(Table3).TheSWBrownandSEBrownlocationsyielddatadidshowsomesignificantdifferencesthatweareattributingtoharvestlostduetosoybeanlodgingissuesratherthantoatreatmenteffect(Table3).

Thesignificantfindingsofthisfirstyears’datarelatetothelargechangeinsoiltestKlevelsseenbetween2007and2009andatthefinalsamplingin2009.Itwillbeimpor-tanttounderstandthemechanismresponsibleforthesechangesandwhattriggersthesechangesbeforeroutinemanagementrecommendationscanbedeveloped.


27


Table 1. Soil test exchangeable potassium results at different sampling dates by siteLocation Nov.30,2007 July30,2009 Aug.31,2009 Oct.13,2009

------------------------------ppm------------------------------SWJennings 90 140 136 104SEBrown 88 155 162 109SWBrown 106 155 165 112Delmont 99 157 144 96

Table 2. Potassium in soybean leaf tissue at pod set (early) and pod fill (late) by treat-ment and site

SWJennings SEBrown SWBrown DelmontTreatment1 Early Late Early Late Early Late Early Late

-------------------------------%----------------------------Control 1.68 0.99 1.75 0.99 1.79 1.03 1.76 1.00BRK-State 1.75 1.09 1.75 0.95 1.82 1.11 1.75 1.02BR30 1.75 1.05 1.78 0.98 1.85 1.10 1.78 1.10BR60 1.79 1.10 1.79 1.02 1.87 1.09 1.78 1.09BR60,biannual 1.74 1.11 1.80 1.00 1.86 1.09 1.80 1.09BR120,biannual 1.77 1.14 1.84 1.03 1.85 1.15 1.76 1.16BR180,biannual 1.85 1.11 1.95 1.03 1.96 1.20 1.94 1.21SB60,biannual 1.82 1.20 1.80 0.98 1.84 1.09 1.85 1.07SB120,biannual 1.80 1.11 1.83 1.01 1.91 1.14 1.77 1.17SB180,biannual 1.81 1.19 1.84 1.06 1.87 1.15 1.88 1.14LSD(0.05) 0.10 0.11 0.19 0.09 0.13 0.11 0.15 0.15

1Treatments:annualbroadcast(BR)applicationattheK-State-recommendedrateand30and60lb/aK2O;bian-nualapplicationat60,120,and180lb/aK2O;andbiannualsurfaceband(SB)applicationof60,120,and180lb/aK2O.


28


Table 3. Influence of potassium fertilizer rate and treatment on soybean yield by loca-tion, 2009Treatment1 SWJennings SEBrown SWBrown Delmont

------------------------------bu/a------------------------------Control 39 36 29 38BRK-State 37 32 36 38BR30 39 37 34 37BR60 39 31 35 36BR60,biannual 41 39 36 34BR120,biannual 38 32 34 36BR180,biannual 41 33 30 38SB60,biannual 39 36 31 38SB120,biannual 40 33 34 39SB180,biannual 39 31 36 34LSD(0.05) NS 8 6 NS

1Treatments:annualbroadcast(BR)applicationattheK-State-recommendedrateand30and60lb/aK2O;bian-nualapplicationat60,120,and180lb/aK2O;andbiannualsurfaceband(SB)applicationof60,120,and180lb/aK2O.

y = -6.4857x + 251.98 R = 0.90177

0 20 40 60 80

100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Moist Air dry 40°C 60°C 80°C 100°C

K le

vel,

ppm

Figure 1. Effect of drying and drying temperature on exchangeable potassium, SW Brown location, 2009.


29


Nitrogen Fertilization of Corn Using Sensor Technology

A.N.TuckerandD.B.Mengel

SummaryLong-termresearchshowsthatnitrogen(N)fertilizerisgenerallyneededtooptimizecornyieldsinKansas.Cornisfairlysusceptibletoenvironmentalstresses;thus,grainyieldsandnitrogendemandcanbehighlyvariablefromyeartoyear.Also,optimumNratesarevariablebecauseofdifferencesinresidualsoilNlevels,variationsinNminer-alizationfromsoilorganicmatterandpreviouscropresidue,Nloss,andgrainyield.Duringtheperiodofthisstudy(2007–2009),optimumNratesvariedfromlocationtolocation.Useofsensortechnologyatlateside-dressingtimewaseffectiveatestimatingyieldpotentialandNneedsofcorn.

IntroductionThisstudywasinitiatedin2007todeterminetheeffectivenessofactivesensortechnol-ogiesatestimatingNneedsandresponseofcorn.Sensortechnologyhasbeensuccess-fullyusedtomakein-seasonNrecommendationsforseveralcrops,includingwinterwheat,grainsorghum,andcotton.However,workwithcornhasbeenlesssuccessful.

ProceduresThestudywasconductedattheKansasRiverValleyExperimentFieldnearRossville,KS,from2007to2009,SouthwestResearch–ExtensionCenternearTribune,KS,from2007to2009,andNorthwestResearch–ExtensionCenternearColby,KS,from2008to2009.NitrogenfertilizertreatmentsattheColby,Rossville,andTribunesitesconsistedofratesof0,100,140,and180lb/aNwithapplicationtimingsofallpreplantorasplitapplication.Inaddition,threevariableratetreatmentsdevelopedonthebasisofrecentlydevelopedcropsensortechnologies(GreenSeeker;NTechIndustries,Ukiah,CA)and/orachlorophyllmeterwereused.TheRossvillelocationhadadditionaltreat-mentsdevelopedbyusingtheCropCirclesensor(HollandScientific,Lincoln,NE)withandwithoutachlorophyllmeter.AtotalpreplantNapplicationof120lb/aNwasusedwiththesesensor-basedtreatments,theopticalsensors(GreenSeekerandCropCircle)wereusedtoestimateyieldpotentialattheV8orV9growthstage,andaddi-tionalNwasappliedaccordinglyonthebasisoftheOklahomaStateUniversitysensor-basedN-ratecalculatorfortheU.S.GrainBelt.

ThechlorophyllmeterwasusedtomeasuregreennessoftheplotrelativetothatofthehighestpreplantNplots.Whentheplotofinteresthadarelativegreennesslessthan95%or90%ofthereference,anadditional30or60lb/aN,respectively,wasapplied.AllpreplantNtreatmentswereappliedimmediatelybeforeplanting,whereasside-dresstreatmentswereappliedattheV8orV9growthstage.Allplotsreceived20lb/aNasstarterappliedwiththeplanterandwereirrigatedasneeded.Atalllocations,a200lb/aNpreplanttreatmentservedasthereferencestripforsensing.CornwasplantedinlateAprilorearlyMaywithahybridadaptedtothatarea.Normalizeddiffer-encevegetationindexwascollectedwithaGreenSeekersensorattheV9growthstage.


30


Thecentertworowsofeachplotwereharvestedafterphysiologicalmaturity.Grainyieldwasadjustedto15.5%moisture.

Additionalstudieswereconductedonfarmers’fieldsnearSt.Marys,KS.Sensor-basednitrogentreatmentswereappliedneartheV16growthstagewithahigh-clearancesprayerequippedwithGreenSeekersensorsandoperatedbyJ.B.PearlofSt.Marys.Thesefieldsweresplitinhalfwithhalfmanagedaccordingtothesensor-basedtreat-mentsandtheotherhalfmanagedbythefarmer.Fieldswereharvestedwithacombineequippedwithyieldmonitorsafterphysiologicalmaturity.

DatafromallexperimentswereanalyzedstatisticallyusingSASversion9.1andthePROCGLMprocedurewithanalphalevelof0.05forallmeanseparations.

ResultsFertilizingaccordingtosensortechnologyresultedingoodperformanceatColby,Rossville,andTribuneandonthefarmers’fieldsnearSt.Marys(Tables1,2,3,and4).Atalllocations,sensor-basedtreatmentsperformedstatisticallyaswellasthehighestpreplantNratebutappliedsignificantlylessN.TheseresultsindicatesensortechnologyhaspotentialtomakeappropriatemidseasonNrecommendationsforcornfromtheV8toV16growthstages.

AcknowledgmentsWethankDrs.RobertAiken,LarryMaddux,andAlanSchlegelfortheirhelpwiththisprojectandtheCornCommissionandKansasFertilizerResearchFundforfinancialsupportofthiswork.WealsothankHowardParr,JimGentry,andFrancisKelseyforhostingexperimentsontheirfarmsandJ.B.PearlandCo.forsharingdataontheirrecentexperienceswithsensortechnology.

Table 1. Effect of nitrogen fertilization on corn grain yields, Colby, 2008–2009Preplant Starter Side-dress Total Yield

-------------------------------------lb/a----------------------------------- bu/a0 20 0 20 139b100 20 0 120 171a140 20 0 160 178a180 20 0 200 176a40 20 60 120 163a60 20 80 160 182a80 20 100 200 187a100 20 GreenSeeker 136 170a100 20 CropCircle 133 175a100 20 SPAD 128 166a100 20 GreenSeeker+SPAD 148 168a100 20 CropCircle+SPAD 140 167a

MeansfollowedbythesameletterarenotsignificantlydifferentatP

31


Table 2. Effect of nitrogen fertilization on corn grain yields, Rossville, 2007–2009Preplant Starter Side-dress Total Yield

-----------------------------------lb/a----------------------------------- bu/a0 20 0 20 102d100 20 0 120 214c140 20 0 160 218bc180 20 0 200 230ab40 20 60 120 219bc60 20 80 160 229ab80 20 100 200 229ab100 20 GreenSeeker 145 222ab100 20 CropCircle 149 235a100 20 SPAD 133 215bc100 20 GreenSeeker+SPAD 126 225abc100 20 CropCircle+SPAD 145 222abcMeansfollowedbythesameletterarenotsignificantlydifferentatP

32


Timing of Nitrogen Fertilization of Corn


SummaryNitrogen(N)lossisanimportantproblemincornproductionineasternKansas.ManyfarmersquestionwhethercornwillrespondtoadditionofNfertilizerslateinthegrowingseason.In2009,aseriesoffieldplotswasestablishedtoaddressthisques-tion.ResultsindicatethatgoodresponsefromNapplicationduringthelatevegeta-tivegrowthstage(V16,the16-leafstageorjustpriortotassel)canbeobtained.ThisprovidesnewopportunitiestomakeNapplicationstocorrectNdeficienciesthatcandevelopbecauseofdenitrificationorleachingduringwetyears.Italsosuggeststhatuseofopticalsensorsmountedonhigh-clearancesprayerscouldbeeffectivelyusedtomakesite-specificNapplicationlateinthegrowingseasontofinetuneNapplicationsystems.

IntroductionResearchhasshownthatNfertilizerisgenerallyneededtooptimizecornyieldsinKansas,thoughtheoptimumratevarieswidelyacrosslocationsandyears.OptimumNratesvaryforanumberofreasons,includingcropyieldandNuptake,residualNfrompreviouscropspresentinthesoilatplanting,variationsinorganicNmineralizedfromsoilorganicmatterandcropresidue,andNlossduringthegrowingseason.

Duringthepastfewyears,alargeamountofcornintheeasternpartofKansashasbeendeficientinNbecauseofin-seasonNloss.Thisstudywasinitiatedin2009todeterminetheeffectivenessofNapplicationtimingoncorngrainyieldsand,inparticular,whethercornwillrespondtolate-seasonNfertilizerapplications.

ProceduresThisstudywasconductedattheKansasStateUniversityAgronomyNorthFarminManhattan,KS,theKansasRiverValleyExperimentFieldnearRossville,KS,andontwofarmers’fieldsnearSt.Marys,KS.Initialapplicationsof60lb/aNweremadeatorshortlybeforeplanting(ureaatManhattanandRossvilleandanhydrousammoniaattheSt.Maryssites).CornwasplantedinlateAprilorearlyMaywithahybridadaptedtothatarea.NitrogenfertilizertreatmentsconsistedoffourratesofN(0to90lb/aN)asureaappliedattheV8andV16growthstagesatManhattanandonlyattheV16growthstagesattheRossvilleandSt.Maryslocations.

Plotswerearrangedinthefieldinarandomizedcompleteblockdesignwithfourrepli-cations.Thecentertworowsofeachplotwereharvestedbyhandafterphysiologicalmaturity,andcornwasdriedandshelled.Grainyieldwasadjustedto15.5%moisture.

DatawereanalyzedstatisticallywithSASversion9.1andthePROCGLMprocedurewithanalphalevelof0.05forallmeanseparations.

ResultsSignificantNresponseswereseenattheManhattanandRossvillesites,butthefarm-ers’fieldsdidnotrespondtoadditionalN(Tables1and2).AtManhattan,delayingN


33


fertilizationtotheV16growthstageproducedhighergrainyieldsthanapplyingNattheV8growthstageatthetwohighestNrates.ThisislikelyduetodenitrificationlossthatoccurredaftertheV8growthstage.Delayingapplicationsanadditional30daysreducedNloss,resultinginhigheryields.

AtRossville,cornwasNstressedatthetimeofNapplication.Althoughaportionofthisstresswasovercomebythelate-seasonfertilizerapplication,yieldswerestillsubstantiallylowerthanthoseofadjacentcornthatreceivedadequateNearlierinthegrowingseasonanddidnotdemonstrateNstress.

Atthetwofarmers’fields,noNstresswasobservedthroughouttheseason,andnoresponsetolate-seasonNwasobserved.ThisdemonstratesthatconsiderableNcanbesuppliedbythesoil,evenonsandysoilswithrelativelyloworganicmatter.

ApplyingNlateinthevegetativegrowthperiodofcorncanbeausefultoolforover-comingearlyseasonNdeficiencyandminimizingNlossduringearlierperiodsofvegetativegrowthonsoilswithhighpotentialforNloss.However,forthispracticetobesuccessful,adequateNmustbeavailableduringkeyearlygrowthstagestosupportearandkerneldifferentiation.

AcknowledgmentsWethankDr.LarryMaddux,KelseyFarms,GentryFarms,andJ.B.PearlCo.fortheirhelpwiththisproject.


34


Table 1. Effect of timing of nitrogen fertilization on corn grain yields, Manhattan, 2009

StarterN PreplantN V10N V16N TotalNGrainyield

------------------------------lb/a------------------------------ bu/a20 0 0 0 20 95f20 40 0 0 60 133e20 40 30 0 90 158d20 40 60 0 120 173cd20 40 90 0 150 185bc20 40 0 30 90 166d20 40 0 60 120 192ab20 40 0 90 150 207aMeansfollowedbythesameletterarenotsignificantlydifferentatP

35


Nitrogen Fertilization of Nitrogen-Stressed Soybean


SummaryPlantingsoybeanwithoutinoculationintosoilswheresoybeanhasneverbeengrowncanresultinpoornodulationandnitrogen(N)deficiency.Similarproblemscanoccurwheninoculationfailsorseverelyacidsoilslimitnodulation.Inthesesituations,farm-ersoftenwonderifsoybeanwillrespondtoNfertilizers.In2009,anopportunityarosetostudythissituationbecauseofafailureofinoculationinafieldwithnohistoryofsoybeanproduction.SignificantandeconomicresponsestoNfertilizerwereobtained,uptothemaximumrateof120lb/aNapplied.

IntroductionWhenadequatelevelsofactive,appropriaterhizobiabacteriaarepresentinthesoil,soybeanplantswillnodulateandfixnitrogenandnormallynotrespondtoapplicationsofNfertilizer.Whensoybeanisplantedintogroundthathasnohistoryofsoybeanproductionoralongintervalbetweensoybeancrops,naturallevelsofrhizobiamaynotbepresentforsuccessfulnodulationandNfixation,andthecropwillbeNdeficient.Commercialinoculantsareusuallyappliedtotheseedtosupplyneededrhizobiaandprovideadequatenodulation.

In2009,soybeanplantedinto“virgin”soybeangroundorreturnedconservationreserveprogramgroundinnorthcentralKansasfieldswasobservedtobepoorlynodulatedandNdeficient,eventhoughtheseedwasproperlyinoculatedwithcommercialinoculants.Afieldstudywasestablishedinoneofthosefieldstodeterminewhethertheunnodu-latedsoybeanplantswouldrespondtoappliedNfertilizersand,ifso,howmuchcouldsuccessfullybeused.

ProceduresThisstudywasconductedonafarmer’sfieldnearSolomon,KS,thathadanotice-ablyN-deficientsoybeancrop.SoybeanvarietyNKS39-A3wasplantedno-tillintosorghumresiduefromthepreviousyearonMay20,2009,at140,000seeds/a.Aliquidinoculantwassprayedonthesoybeanseedsastheywereloadedintotheplanter.Thisfieldhadnohistoryofsoybeanproduction.NitrogenfertilizerwasappliedonJuly20,2009,tosoybeandisplayingN-deficiencysymptomsattheR1toR2growthstages.AsimpleN-ratestudywithfiveNratesrangingfrom0to120lb/aNwaslaidoutinthefieldinarandomizedcompleteblockdesignwithfourreplications.TheNwasappliedasureabysurfacebandingthematerialbetweenthesoybeanrows.RainfalloccurredwithinafewhoursofNapplication.

Thetwocenterrowsofthefourrowplotsweremachineharvestedatmaturity.Grainmoisturewasadjustedto13%moisturecontent.DatawereanalyzedstatisticallywithSASversion9.1andthePROCGLMprocedurewithanalphalevelof0.05forallmeanseparations.


36


ResultsResultsaresummarizedinTable1.Therewasanear-linearsignificantresponsetoNatthislocation.The120lb/aNratehada21bu/ayieldadvantageovertheunfertilizedcheck.Fertilizationwasclearlyeconomicalinthissituation.AdditionalresearchwillbeconductedtofurtherrefineappropriateNratesifopportunitiesdevelopinthefuture.

AcknowledgmentsWethankTomMaxwell,agricultureandnaturalresourcesagentintheK-StateResearchandExtensionCentralKansasDistrict,forhishelpwiththisproject.

Table 1. Effect of nitrogen fertilization on yield of nitrogen-deficient soybean, 2009NRate Yield

lb/a bu/a0 28d

30 37c60 42b90 43b

120 49aMeansfollowedbythesameletterarenotsignificantlydifferentatP

37


Timing of Nitrogen Fertilization of Wheat


SummaryLong-termresearchshowsthatnitrogen(N)fertilizermustbeappliedtooptimizeproductionofwinterwheatinKansas.Wheatisgrownthroughoutthestatewithmultipleplantingdates,followingmultiplecrops,andwithbothtillageandno-till.Becauseofenvironmentalconditions,sometimeswheatdoesnotgetfertilizedatopti-mumtimes.ThisstudycomparestheeffectsoflateNfertilizationwithnormalapplica-tiontimingsonwheatgrainyieldandproteincontentatlocationswherewheatwasplantedwithandwithoutfall-appliedstarterN.Grainyieldsforthisstudyrangedfrom49to84bu/a,whereasproteincontentrangedfrom9.3%to13.3%.Ingeneral,slightdecreasesinyieldandincreasesinproteincontentwereobservedasNapplicationwasdelayed.

IntroductionThisstudywasconductedin2009attheKansasStateUniversityAgronomyNorthFarmnearManhattan,KS.TheobjectivewastoevaluatetheresponseofwheattoNfertilizationatFeekes4,5,7,and9growthstagesatlocationswherefallNhadbeenappliedandwherenofallNhadbeenapplied.GrainyieldandproteinlevelswereusedtomeasuretheresponsetoNapplicationtiming.

ProceduresHardredwinterwheatvarietySantaFewasno-tillplantedintosoybeanstubbleat90lb/ainlateOctoberwithaCrustBusterno-tilldrill.FortypoundsofP2O5wereappliedwiththedrillinfurrowatseeding.Nitrogenwasappliedbytreatment.ActualtreatmentsusedarelistedinTable1,buttheseincluded0or30lbNinthefallandtopdressratesappliedinthespringatFeekes4,5,7,or9.Thecenter5ftofeachplotwasmachineharvestedafterphysiologicalmaturitywithaplotcombine,andgrainyieldwasadjustedto12.5%moisture.

DatawereanalyzedusingSASversion9.1andthePROCGLMprocedurewithanalphalevelof0.05forallmeanseparations.

ResultsGrainyieldandproteinvalueswereincreasedwithNfertilizer(Table1),buttheresponsewaslimited.IncreasingNratesabove30lb/aNgenerallywasnotproduc-tiveatthissite.However,proteincontentincreasedwithincreasingNrateandwithlaterapplications.Thehighestproteinlevelswerefoundwith90lbtotalNwith60lbappliedatFeekes7orFeekes9.


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Table 1. Effect of nitrogen timing and rate on wheat grain yield and protein content, 2009

FallNFeekes

4NFeekes

5NFeekes

7NFeekes

9N TotalN Yield Protein---------------------------------lb/a--------------------------------- bu/a %

0 0 0 0 0 0 49h 9.3h120 0 0 0 0 120 78abcd 12.3bcd0 30 0 0 0 30 70defg 10.3g0 60 0 0 0 60 84ab 10.5fg0 90 0 0 0 90 77bcde 11.6cde0 0 30 0 0 30 83ab 11.2ef0 0 60 0 0 60 85a 11.6de0 0 90 0 0 90 81abc 12.4bc30 0 0 0 0 30 80abc 10.5fg30 30 0 0 0 60 74cdef 10.2g30 60 0 0 0 90 83ab 11.5e30 0 0 60 0 90 79abc 12.9ab30 0 0 0 30 60 70efg 11.7cde30 0 0 0 60 90 65g 13.3aMeansfollowedbythesameletterarenotsignificantlydifferentatP

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Effects of Phosphorus Fertilizer Enhancement Products on Corn

N.C.WardandD.B.Mengel

SummaryFieldstudieswereestablishedinspring2008toevaluatetheperformanceoftwowidelymarketedproductsthatclaimtoenhanceavailabilityofsoilorfertilizerphosphorus(P):Avail,aPfertilizerenhanceraddedtocommercialfertilizer,andJumpStart,aseedinoculantthatinfectscornrootsandenhancesavailabilityofnativesoilP.Thisstudywascontinuedin2009atfivelocationsacrossnorthcentralandnortheasternKansas.AllfivesiteshadsoiltestPlevelsbelowthecurrentcriticallevelof20ppmandwouldhavebeenexpectedtorespondtoapplicationofPfertilizers.

Excellentcornyields,above200bu/a,wereobtainedatfourofthefivesites.However,significantresponsestoappliedPwereobtainedonlyatScandia.NosignificantincreaseinyieldduetotheuseofAvailorJumpStartwasseenatanysitewherePresponsewasobserved.

IntroductionInrecentyears,thevolatilepriceofPfertilizershascreatedinterestamongproducersinusingproductstoenhancetheefficiencyoffertilizersbeingapplied.ThisprojectwasdevelopedtotesttwosuchproductswidelyadvertisedinKansas:Avail,along-chainorganicpolymercreatedtoreducefixationoffertilizerPbyaluminumandcalcium,andJumpStart,aPenicilliam bilaiiseedinoculantthatincreasesavailabilityofnativesoilPtoplantroots.

ProceduresThisstudywasestablishedatfivelocationsinnortheasternandnorthcentralKansas:Manhattan(Readingsiltloam),Scandia(Cretesiltloam),Rossville(Eudorasandyloam),Ottawa(Woodsonsiltloam),andSilverLake(Rossvillesiltloam).TheRossville,Scandia,andSilverLakelocationsreceivedsupplementalirrigationduringthegrowingseason.Mehlich-3Psoiltestsateachsitewere:Manhattan,13ppm;Scandia,14ppm;Rossville,15ppm;Ottawa,11ppm;andSilverLake,13ppm.

Alllocationswereplantedwithhybridsadaptedtotheareaatpopulationsappropriatetotherespectivesoilsandcroppingsystems.

Plotswerearrangedinthefieldinarandomizedcompleteblockdesignwithfourrepli-cations.Therewere14totaltreatmentsconsistingoffourratesofPfertilizer(0,10,20,and40lb/aP2O5broadcastappliedasmonoammoniumpolyphosphate;MAP)withandwithoutadditionofAvailPenhancerwitheachofthefertilizer/AvailtreatmentsplantedwithorwithouttheJumpStartseedtreatment.NoJumpStarttreatmentswereappliedatSilverLake.BroadcastfertilizertreatmentswereappliedbyhandbeforeplantingusingMAPandMAPcommerciallyimpregnatedwithAvail,obtainedlocally.AllPtreatmentswerebalancedfornitrogenwithurea,whichwasbroadcastbeforeplanting.Atotalof160lb/aNwasapplied.


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WholeplantsamplesweretakenatapproximatelytheV4growthstage,andearleafsamplesweretakenatgreensilk.DrymatteraccumulationandPuptakewerecalculatedatthetimesofwholeplantsampling.EarleafsampleswereanalyzedforPconcentra-tiononly.Resultsoftheplantanalysesarenotincludedinthisreport.Atharvest,yield,moisture,andPcontentofthegrainweremeasured.Allyieldswerecorrectedto15.5%grainmoisture.

AtOttawa,significantdamagetoallplotsoccurredbecauseofgreensnapfromaseverethunderstormthatoccurredattheV16-V18growthstage.Nearlyallplantswerelodged,andapproximately30%werebrokenatthebase.Theunbrokenplants“goose-necked”backupandproducedears.

ResultsIndividualtreatmentmeansforeachlocationandstatisticalanalysesusingplannedcomparisonsandcontrastsarereportedinTable1.InitialpreplantsoiltestsindicatedlowavailablePatalllocations.AresponsetoappliedP,asindicatedbythecontrastnoPvs.P,wasobservedonlyatScandia.NoresponsetoappliedPwasobservedattheotherlocations,eventhoughthesoiltestswerebelowthecritical20ppmlevel.OnepossibleexplanationforthislackofresponsetoappliedPisthegoodgrowingcondi-tionsandadequatesoilmoisturethroughoutthegrowingseason.Phosphorusisknowntomovetotherootforuptakethroughthesoilsolutionbydiffusion.Increasingsoilmoistureresultsinagreaterportionofsoilporesfilledwithwater;thiscreatescontinu-ouswaterfilmsfromsoilparticlesurfacestotherootsurface,reduci

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