North Dakota State University * Dickinson Research Extension Center
1089 State Avenue, Dickinson, ND 58601-4642 Voice: (701) 483-2348 FAX:
(701) 483-2005
Methods of Fertilizer Application on Corn
In 1960, a trial to determine the effects of different methods of fertilizer application on corn was begun at the Dickinson Station. In this experiment, the following three fertilizer treatments are compared:
Table 8. Corn Silage Yields on Different Fertilizer Application Methods, 1960 | |||||
Treatment | 1 | 2 | 3 | Av./Lbs. | |
Yield @ 70% Moisture | |||||
A. | Starter Application at Seeding | 5052 | 2143 | 3676 | 3624 |
B. | Broadcast & Plowdown only | 3148 | 3148 | 3200 | 3165 |
C. | Plowdown plus Starter Application | 4600 | 5750 | 4750 | 5033 |
D. | Check | 5720 | 2516 | 5063 | 4433 |
Fertilized corn usually makes more rapid early spring growth, and for this reason, weed control may be improved. Whether this reason alone will be enough to continue use of fertilizer in southwestern North Dakota is a question that remains to be answered.
The importance of the question of the use of fertilizer on our corn crop is pointed out in the 1959 U. S. Agricultural Census which shows that approximately one million dollars worth of fertilizer was used on 4,418 farms in North Dakota in 1959. If we are to make the most of our fertilizer dollar, we need to know which crops give us the most profitable returns from commercial fertilizer application.