Oakes
NO-TILL CROPPING SEQUENCE STUDIES UNDER DRYLAND AGRICULTURE AT AYR, ND
W.
Albus, L. Besemann, H. Eslinger and L Steinberger
Table
1. The response of strip-tilled dryland
corn on land previously corn, to fertilizer nitrogen.
A no-till cropping system study was initiated at Ayr, ND in the Spring of 2007. Three crop rotations are being studied: corn/corn, corn/soybean and corn/soybean/spring wheat. A fertilizer N-rate calibration component is a part of the corn treatment in each rotation. Each N‑rate study is arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The fertilizer N-rates were 15, 50, 100 and 150 lb N/acre with the treatment applications on May 21 as 32-0-0.
Corn and soybean land to be corn in 2007 was strip-tilled November 9, 2006 approximately 6 inches deep applying 15 lbs N/acre and 51 lbs P2O4 /acre as 10‑34‑0. All corn plots were planted to Dekalb DKC 38-33 on May 15, at 28,800 seeds/acre. Corn herbicide treatments consisted of: Cornerstone (40 oz/acre) + Aim (⅔ oz/acre) + AMS (1 lb/10 gal) + Interlock (6 oz/acre) on May 21; Cornerstone (40 oz/acre) + AMS (1 lb/10 gal) and Resource (4 oz/acre) + AMS (2 lb/acre) + Primier (1 qt/100 gal) + Sedate (1 pt/100 gal) on June 21.
A severe hailstorm went through the area on July 15. Except for the top three corn leaves, which emerged after the storm, all other leaves were moderately to severely damaged. Chlorophyll meter readings were taken on the third leaf from the top of the plant and leaves from the same position were sampled for total N on July 31. After the corn was mature (R6), eight-inch sections of the stalks were taken at a height six inches above the soil level and tested for nitrate-N. (commonly called the Iowa stalk test). There are four categories for this test: low (less than 250 ppm), marginal (250-700 ppm), optimum (700-2000 ppm) and excess (greater than 2,000 ppm). Soil samples from 0 to 24 inches were taken in the spring and fall. Plots were hand harvested on October 30 with a harvest area consisting of a five by twenty foot section.
Fertilizer N rate had no statistical effect on corn yield, test weight and grain moisture on either corn/corn or corn/soybean. Increasing fertilizer N rates increased grain protein in corn/soybean. Chlorophyll meter readings were increased by increasing fertilizer N rates in the corn/corn and one of the corn/soybean treatments. Previous high rates of fertilizer N applications on this site for several years of corn hybrid performance trials maybe responsible for the lack of response to fertilizer N. It’s possible there was build up of soil N below the 2-foot soil sampling depth that became available to the corn plants by mid-season.
The response of corn/corn to fertilizer N rate is shown in Table 1. The response of corn/soybean to fertilizer N is shown in Table 2 and Table 3. There were two corn/soybean treatments because this is the first year of the corn/soybean/spring wheat rotation. Only corn and soybean were planted at this location in 2006.
Dekalb RR DKB 0851 soybeans were
planted no-till, on May 15, at 174,000 seeds/acre in 30-inch wide rows. Herbicide treatments consisted of: Cornerstone (40 oz/acre) + Aim
(⅔ oz/acre) + AMS (1 lb/10 gal) + Interlock (6 oz/acre) applied to
soybean plots on May 21.
A herbicide application on June 21 consisted of: Cornerstone (40
oz/acre) + AMS (1 lb/10 gal) + Select (8 oz/acre). Roundup original max at 26 oz/acre + AMS (1lb/10gal) was applied on July 18. The July 15, hail storm removed 50% or more
of the soybean leaf area. Although the
soybeans resumed growth they didn’t recover sufficiently to reach their yield
potential. The two soybean plot areas
which totaled 1.6 acres were harvested as one field. The soybeans averaged 26 bu and had a test weight of 57.9 lb/bu.
Oxen hard
red spring wheat was no-till planted on April 25, at 1.5 million pls/acre. Affinity herbicide at 0.6 oz/acre and
headline fungicide at 3 oz/acre was applied on June 12. Rainfall was excessive in May and June as
the weather station at nearby Prosper totaled 10.9 inches for this period. The wheat plot area was lower on the
landscape and suffered from wet water logged conditions. The hail storm on July 15 further reduced
yield. The plot area consisting of 0.8
acres was harvested as one field. The
wheat averaged 25 bu/acre, a test weight of
60.4 lb/bu and a protein content of 14.3 percent.
Go to top of corn response of strip-tilled corn to fertilizer nitrogen
Table 1. The response of strip-tilled dryland corn on land previously corn, to fertilizer nitrogen, at Ayr ND, 2007.
|
Fertilizer N Rate |
Yield |
Grain |
Test |
Spring-2007 |
Fall-2007 |
7/31/2007 |
Leaf |
Stalk |
Grain |
|
Soil |
Soil |
Chlorphyll |
N |
||||||
|
Moist |
Weight |
Nitrate-N |
Nitrate-N |
Reading |
Silking |
Nitrate-N |
Protein |
||
|
|
bu/ac |
% |
lb/bu |
lb/ac |
lb/ac |
|
% |
ppm |
% |
|
15 |
135 |
22.4 |
59.6 |
56 |
84 |
46.0 |
2.8 |
3084 |
8.1 |
|
50 |
118 |
22.2 |
59.3 |
53 |
36 |
46.7 |
2.8 |
1217 |
7.5 |
|
100 |
127 |
20.9 |
59.7 |
41 |
40 |
49.3 |
2.9 |
302 |
7.4 |
|
150 |
138 |
21.3 |
59.7 |
48 |
41 |
51.3 |
3.0 |
884 |
7.6 |
|
MEAN |
129 |
21.7 |
59.6 |
50 |
50 |
48.3 |
2.9 |
1372 |
7.7 |
|
C.V.% |
15.0 |
3.5 |
0.9 |
20.3 |
85.5 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
141.0 |
10.3 |
|
LSD (0.05) |
NS |
NS |
NS |
NS |
NS |
3.5 |
NS |
NS |
NS |
Go to top of corn response of strip-tilled corn to fertilizer nitrogen
Table
2. The response of strip-tilled dryland corn on land previously
soybean, to fertilizer nitrogen, at Ayr ND, 2007.
|
Fertilizer |
|
Grain |
Test |
Spring-2007 |
Fall-2007 |
7/31/2007 |
Leaf |
Stalk |
Grain |
|
Soil |
Soil |
Chlorphyll |
N |
||||||
|
N Rate |
Yield |
Moist |
Weight |
Nitrate-N |
Nitrate-N |
Reading |
Silking |
Nitrate-N |
Protein |
|
|
bu/ac |
% |
lb/bu |
lb/ac |
lb/ac |
|
% |
ppm |
% |
|
15 |
140 |
21.7 |
59.9 |
50 |
27 |
49.2 |
2.9 |
773 |
7.8 |
|
50 |
146 |
20.9 |
60.1 |
53 |
31 |
53.6 |
3.1 |
951 |
7.9 |
|
100 |
149 |
21.1 |
60.2 |
43 |
58 |
55.2 |
2.9 |
2688 |
8.1 |
|
150 |
149 |
20.6 |
59.8 |
44 |
38 |
54.3 |
3.2 |
2808 |
8.3 |
|
MEAN |
146 |
21.1 |
60 |
47.5 |
38.6 |
53.1 |
3 |
1805 |
8 |
|
C.V.% |
8 |
2.8 |
0.7 |
19.3 |
47 |
3.8 |
5.7 |
57 |
2.8 |
|
LSD (0.05) |
NS |
NS |
NS |
NS |
NS |
3.2 |
NS |
1636 |
0.4 |
Go to top of corn response of strip-tilled corn to fertilizer nitrogen
Table 3. The response of strip-tilled dryland corn on land previously soybean, to fertilizer nitrogen, at Ayr ND, 2007.
|
Fertilizer |
Yield |
Grain |
Test |
Spring-2007 |
Fall-2007 |
7/31/2007 |
Leaf |
Stalk |
Grain |
|
Soil |
Soil |
Chlorphyll |
N |
||||||
|
N Rate |
Moist |
Weight |
Nitrate-N |
Nitrate-N |
Reading |
Silking |
Nitrate-N |
Protein |
|
|
15 |
140 |
21.3 |
60.4 |
51 |
43 |
50.7 |
3.0 |
774 |
8.0 |
|
50 |
140 |
20.1 |
60.3 |
52 |
41 |
52.9 |
3.1 |
923 |
7.8 |
|
100 |
153 |
20.7 |
60.3 |
67 |
62 |
52.5 |
3.3 |
3839 |
8.2 |
|
150 |
144 |
20.6 |
60.7 |
45 |
76 |
54.3 |
3.3 |
4505 |
8.5 |
|
MEAN |
144 |
20.7 |
60.4 |
53.8 |
55.6 |
52.6 |
3.2 |
2510 |
8.1 |
|
C.V.% |
9 |
4.0 |
0.9 |
22 |
48 |
3.4 |
4.3 |
38.6 |
2.6 |
|
LSD (0.05) |
NS |
NS |
NS |
NS |
NS |
NS |
0.2 |
1549 |
0.3 |
Go to top of corn response of strip-tilled corn to fertilizer nitrogen
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