Abstract
Gagnon, B., Ziadi, N. and Grant, C. 2012. Urea fertilizer forms affect grain corn yield and nitrogen use efficiency. Can. J. Soil Sci. 92: 341-351. Controlled-release urea may be a good management strategy to increase the efficiency of N fertilizers. In a 3-yr study (2008-2010) conducted on a clay soil near Quebec City, Canada, we compared the effect of polymer-coated urea (PCU), nitrification inhibitor urea (NIU), dry urea and urea ammonium nitrate 32% (UAN) on corn yield, plant N accumulation and soil NO3-N remaining at harvest. Corn was fertilized with urea and PCU at 50, 100 and 150 kg N ha-1 in addition to an unfertilized control (0 N), and NIU and UAN at 150 kg N ha-1. Urea, PCU, and NIU were pre-plant broadcast whereas UAN was side-banded at the six-leaf stage of corn. Response to N fertilization occurred in all years, but the magnitude of the response varied with years. In wet years (2008 and 2009), PCU and NIU resulted in higher grain yield than urea, but the increase was greater for PCU (+0.8 to 1.6 Mg ha-1) than for NIU (+0.3 to 0.6 Mg ha-1). In a dry year (2010), no significant difference was found between urea, PCU and NIU. Yields and apparent N recovery were comparable for PCU and UAN except in the dry year, when plant N accumulation was much higher for the UAN treatment. At harvest, soil NO3-N was increased by PCU in all years. Economic analysis revealed that despite 30% higher cost, PCU gave comparable net returns at equivalent N rate than UAN in wet years. We conclude that controlled-release urea, particularly PCU, would be an additional option to farmers instead of sidedressed UAN application for fertilizing corn grown in eastern Canada.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization elicited a corn response in every year, with year-dependent magnitude.
- Taxon
- corn
Zea mays subsp. mayst0 - Treatment
- N fertilizatione0
- Outcome
- Responsee0
- Qualifier
- all yearse0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Response to N fertilization occurred in all years, but the magnitude of the response varied with years.”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
In wet years, PCU raised corn grain yield above urea by 0.8 to 1.6 Mg ha-1.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- PCUe0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- +0.8 to 1.6 Mg ha-1e0
- Qualifier
- wet years (2008 and 2009)e0
- Comparator
- ureae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In wet years (2008 and 2009), PCU and NIU resulted in higher grain yield than urea, but the increase was greater for PCU (+0.8 to 1.6 Mg ha-1) than for NIU (+0.3 to 0.6 Mg ha-1).”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
In wet years, NIU raised corn grain yield above urea by 0.3 to 0.6 Mg ha-1.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- NIUe0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- +0.3 to 0.6 Mg ha-1e0
- Qualifier
- wet years (2008 and 2009)e0
- Comparator
- ureae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In wet years (2008 and 2009), PCU and NIU resulted in higher grain yield than urea, but the increase was greater for PCU (+0.8 to 1.6 Mg ha-1) than for NIU (+0.3 to 0.6 Mg ha-1).”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Urea, PCU and NIU showed no significant yield difference in the dry year.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- PCUe0
- Outcome
- grain yielde1
- Direction
- no significant differencee0
- Qualifier
- dry year (2010)e0
- Comparator
- ureae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In a dry year (2010), no significant difference was found between urea, PCU and NIU.”
e1“grain yield”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
PCU and UAN gave comparable yields.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Yields and apparent N recovery were comparable for PCU and UAN except in the dry year, when plant N accumulation was much higher for the UAN treatment.”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
PCU and UAN gave comparable apparent nitrogen recovery.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- PCUe0
- Outcome
- apparent N recoverye0
- Direction
- comparablee0
- Comparator
- UANe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Yields and apparent N recovery were comparable for PCU and UAN except in the dry year, when plant N accumulation was much higher for the UAN treatment.”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
In the dry year, UAN led to much higher plant nitrogen accumulation than PCU.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- UAN treatmente0
- Outcome
- plant N accumulatione0
- Direction
- much highere0
- Qualifier
- dry yeare0
- Comparator
- PCUe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Yields and apparent N recovery were comparable for PCU and UAN except in the dry year, when plant N accumulation was much higher for the UAN treatment.”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
PCU increased soil nitrate at harvest in all years.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- PCUe0
- Outcome
- soil NO3-Ne0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- all yearse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“At harvest, soil NO3-N was increased by PCU in all years.”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Despite 30% higher cost, PCU gave comparable net returns to UAN at equivalent nitrogen rate in wet years.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- PCUe0
- Outcome
- net returnse0
- Direction
- comparablee0
- Qualifier
- 30% higher coste0
- Comparator
- UANe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“despite 30% higher cost, PCU gave comparable net returns at equivalent N rate than UAN in wet years.”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors propose PCU as an additional option to sidedressed UAN for eastern Canadian corn.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Outcome
- additional option to farmers instead of sidedressed UAN applicatione0
- Setting
- eastern Canadae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“controlled-release urea, particularly PCU, would be an additional option to farmers instead of sidedressed UAN application for fertilizing corn grown in eastern Canada.”
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