TY - JOUR
T1 - Tile drainage nitrate losses and corn yield response to fall and spring nitrogen management
AU - Pittelkow, Cameron M.
AU - Clover, Matthew W.
AU - Hoeft, Robert G.
AU - Nafziger, Emerson D.
AU - Warren, Jeffery J.
AU - Gonzini, Lisa C.
AU - Greer, Kristin D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. 5585 Guilford Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA.
PY - 2017/9/1
Y1 - 2017/9/1
N2 - Nitrogen (N) management strategies that maintain high crop productivity with reduced water quality impacts are needed for tile-drained landscapes of the US Midwest. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of N application rate, timing, and fall nitrapyrin addition on tile drainage nitrate losses, corn (Zea mays L.) yield, N recovery efficiency, and postharvest soil nitrate content over 3 yr in a corn-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation. In addition to an unfertilized control, the following eight N treatments were applied as anhydrous ammonia in a replicated, field-scale experiment with both corn and soybean phases present each year in Illinois: fall and spring applications of 78, 156, and 234 kg N ha-1, fall application of 156 kg N ha-1 + nitrapyrin, and sidedress (V5-V6) application of 156 kg N ha-1. Across the 3-yr study period, increases in flow-weighted NO3 concentrations were found with increasing N rate for fall and spring N applications, whereas N load results were variable. At the same N rate, spring vs. fall N applications reduced flow-weighted NO3 concentrations only in the corn-soybean-corn rotation. Fall nitrapyrin and sidedress N treatments did not decrease flowweighted NO3 concentrations in either rotation compared with fall and spring N applications, respectively, or increase corn yield, crop N uptake, or N recovery efficiency in any year. This study indicates that compared with fall N application, spring and sidedress N applications (for corn-soybean-corn) and sidedress N applications (for soybean-corn-soybean) reduced 3-yr mean flow-weighted NO3 concentrations while maintaining yields.
AB - Nitrogen (N) management strategies that maintain high crop productivity with reduced water quality impacts are needed for tile-drained landscapes of the US Midwest. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of N application rate, timing, and fall nitrapyrin addition on tile drainage nitrate losses, corn (Zea mays L.) yield, N recovery efficiency, and postharvest soil nitrate content over 3 yr in a corn-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation. In addition to an unfertilized control, the following eight N treatments were applied as anhydrous ammonia in a replicated, field-scale experiment with both corn and soybean phases present each year in Illinois: fall and spring applications of 78, 156, and 234 kg N ha-1, fall application of 156 kg N ha-1 + nitrapyrin, and sidedress (V5-V6) application of 156 kg N ha-1. Across the 3-yr study period, increases in flow-weighted NO3 concentrations were found with increasing N rate for fall and spring N applications, whereas N load results were variable. At the same N rate, spring vs. fall N applications reduced flow-weighted NO3 concentrations only in the corn-soybean-corn rotation. Fall nitrapyrin and sidedress N treatments did not decrease flowweighted NO3 concentrations in either rotation compared with fall and spring N applications, respectively, or increase corn yield, crop N uptake, or N recovery efficiency in any year. This study indicates that compared with fall N application, spring and sidedress N applications (for corn-soybean-corn) and sidedress N applications (for soybean-corn-soybean) reduced 3-yr mean flow-weighted NO3 concentrations while maintaining yields.
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U2 - 10.2134/jeq2017.03.0109
DO - 10.2134/jeq2017.03.0109
M3 - Article
C2 - 28991986
AN - SCOPUS:85029669774
SN - 0047-2425
VL - 46
SP - 1057
EP - 1064
JO - Journal of Environmental Quality
JF - Journal of Environmental Quality
IS - 5
ER -