Abstract
Fertilizer management practices for nutrients like nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), and zinc (Zn) in corn production are heavily dependent on tillage system. Many long-term no-till producers, confined largely to surface fertilizer applications, struggle with nutrient stratification and potential surface P runoff or gaseous N losses shortly after broadcast nutrient applications. Strip-till systems offer alternative nutrient placement options in both fall and spring. This strip-till study focused on pre-plant, coulter-based mixing of the upper Ap soil horizon in the future corn row zones with and without simultaneous incorporation of urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) and/or a commercial granular N, P, S, and Zn fertilizer, MicroEssentials® SZ™ (MESZ). Different strip-tillage timings (fall, spring, or fall and spring) and nutrient placements (zone-banded or surface broadcast) were compared both with and without starter (N and P) fertilizer applications during the precision-guided corn planting operation. The pre-plant P rate applied with the MESZ product equaled that applied in the sub-plots with starter (67 kg P ha-1). Corn was grown in rotation with soybean for two location-years on high organic matter prairie soils with a mean soil-test P concentration of 14.9 ppm (2013) and 24.1 ppm (2014) in non-fertilized control treatments (both no-till and fall strip-till). Total N application at 202 kg ha-1 was constant for all treatments. Treatments were evaluated by measuring soil nutrient distributions, whole-plant nutrient uptake (V6, R1 earleaf, R6), and final grain yields. Soil fertility samples, collected at 3 depths (0-5, 5-10, and 10-20 cm) shortly after planting, revealed successful incorporation of MESZ in the zone-banded area, largely confined to a depth of 5 cm. Zone banding, therefore, changed the soil P stratification little, though it did mix the fertilizer with soil in that zone. Early (V6) plant growth and nutrient (N, P, and S) uptake was significantly increased with fall applied MESZ, regardless of placement, compared to a no-till (NT) check treatment, but not consistently relative to strip-tilled treatments with no MESZ. Early Zn uptake response was less consistent; only the fall zone-banded MESZ placement with no spring zone-banded UAN resulted in a consistent significant Zn uptake advantage over NT. As the season progressed, significant responses to main treatment differences diminished. Earleaf samples collected at silking revealed treatment differences only in N concentration, with slightly higher values for treatments without added MESZ. No R6-stage nutrient uptake or final grain yield differences were significant among main treatments. Spring zone banding of a 50 kg N ha-1 in the form of UAN provided no growth, nutrient or yield benefits relative to the more common sidedress UAN application at the higher N rate. Grain yields averaged 14.7 Mg ha-1 in 2013 and 15.0 Mg ha-1 in 2014. Systems with fall zone-banded MESZ produced the highest yield (0.6 Mg ha -1, 4.2%) above the NT treatment, but this advantage was not significant. The slight (0.2 Mg ha-1) yield increase for zone-banded MESZ over the broadcast MESZ placement was also not significant. However, application of starter fertilizer, regardless of main treatment effects, significantly increased both early plant growth and nutrient uptake (N, P, and S; Zn 2013 only) and final grain yield (0.1 Mg ha-1 in 2013 and 0.2 Mg ha-1 in 2014). With constant N rates for all treatments, on moderate to high fertility soils, fall zone-banding N, P, S, and Zn resulted in significantly increased early growth and nutrient uptake but non-significant final nutrient uptake and grain yield benefits compared to NT planted with no additional P, S or Zn fertilizer. Zone banding of these nutrients thus provided little immediate corn production benefit on these soils, but the potential environmental benefits, especially with fall P application, merit additional investigation.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Fall MESZ increased early corn growth and N, P and S uptake versus no-till check.
- Taxon
- Corn
Zea mays subsp. mayst0 - Treatment
- fall applied MESZe0
- Outcome
- plant growth and nutrient (N, P, and S) uptakee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- no-till (NT) check treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Early (V6) plant growth and nutrient (N, P, and S) uptake was significantly increased with fall applied MESZ, regardless of placement, compared to a no-till (NT) check treatment”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Fall zone-banded MESZ without spring UAN had a consistent significant Zn uptake advantage over no-till.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- fall zone-banded MESZ placement with no spring zone-banded UANe0
- Outcome
- Zn uptakee0
- Direction
- advantagee0
- Comparator
- NTe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“only the fall zone-banded MESZ placement with no spring zone-banded UAN resulted in a consistent significant Zn uptake advantage over NT”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Silking earleaf N concentration was slightly higher without MESZ.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Organ / stage
- Earleafe0
- Treatment
- treatments without added MESZe0
- Outcome
- N concentratione0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Earleaf samples collected at silking revealed treatment differences only in N concentration, with slightly higher values for treatments without added MESZ”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Main treatments showed no significant R6 nutrient uptake differences.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Organ / stage
- R6-stagee0
- Treatment
- main treatmentse0
- Outcome
- R6-stage nutrient uptakee0
- Direction
- Noe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“No R6-stage nutrient uptake or final grain yield differences were significant among main treatments”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Main treatments showed no significant final grain yield differences.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- main treatmentse0
- Outcome
- final grain yielde0
- Direction
- Noe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“No R6-stage nutrient uptake or final grain yield differences were significant among main treatments”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Spring zone-banded UAN supplied no growth, nutrient or yield benefit over sidedress UAN.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- Spring zone banding of a 50 kg N ha-1 in the form of UANe0
- Outcome
- growth, nutrient or yield benefitse0
- Direction
- noe0
- Comparator
- sidedress UAN application at the higher N ratee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Spring zone banding of a 50 kg N ha-1 in the form of UAN provided no growth, nutrient or yield benefits relative to the more common sidedress UAN application at the higher N rate”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Corn grain yield averaged 14.7 Mg ha-1 in 2013.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Outcome
- Grain yieldse0
- Value
- 14.7 Mg ha-1e0
- Qualifier
- 2013e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Grain yields averaged 14.7 Mg ha-1 in 2013 and 15.0 Mg ha-1 in 2014”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Corn grain yield averaged 15.0 Mg ha-1 in 2014.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Outcome
- Grain yieldse0
- Value
- 15.0 Mg ha-1e0
- Qualifier
- 2014e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Grain yields averaged 14.7 Mg ha-1 in 2013 and 15.0 Mg ha-1 in 2014”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Fall zone-banded MESZ yielded 0.6 Mg ha -1 above no-till, without significance.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- fall zone-banded MESZe0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- abovee0
- Value
- 0.6 Mg ha -1e0
- Comparator
- NT treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Systems with fall zone-banded MESZ produced the highest yield (0.6 Mg ha -1, 4.2%) above the NT treatment, but this advantage was not significant”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Zone-banded MESZ yielded 0.2 Mg ha-1 more than broadcast MESZ, without significance.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- zone-banded MESZe0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 0.2 Mg ha-1e0
- Comparator
- broadcast MESZ placemente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“slight (0.2 Mg ha-1) yield increase for zone-banded MESZ over the broadcast MESZ placement was also not significant”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Starter fertilizer significantly increased early growth and N, P and S uptake.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- starter fertilizere0
- Outcome
- early plant growth and nutrient uptake (N, P, and S; Zn 2013 only)e0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“application of starter fertilizer, regardless of main treatment effects, significantly increased both early plant growth and nutrient uptake (N, P, and S; Zn 2013 only)”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Starter fertilizer increased final grain yield by 0.1 Mg ha-1 in 2013.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- starter fertilizere1
- Outcome
- final grain yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 0.1 Mg ha-1e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“application of starter fertilizer”
e0“significantly increased both early plant growth and nutrient uptake (N, P, and S; Zn 2013 only) and final grain yield (0.1 Mg ha-1 in 2013 and 0.2 Mg ha-1 in 2014)”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Starter fertilizer increased final grain yield by 0.2 Mg ha-1 in 2014.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- starter fertilizere1
- Outcome
- final grain yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 0.2 Mg ha-1e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“application of starter fertilizer”
e0“significantly increased both early plant growth and nutrient uptake (N, P, and S; Zn 2013 only) and final grain yield (0.1 Mg ha-1 in 2013 and 0.2 Mg ha-1 in 2014)”
t0“Corn”
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