Oakes Irrigation Research Site
Carrington Research Extension Center * North Dakota State University
P.O. Box 531, Oakes, ND 58474-0531, Phone: (701) 742-2744, FAX: (701) 742-2700, E-mail: Blaine.Schatz@ndsu.edu
Leonard.Besemann@ndsu.edu
Strip-Till, Corn on Soybean, Nitrogen Rate Study
L. Besemann and H. Eslinger
        The objective of this study was to compare corn yields of a corn/soybean rotation to those in a companion corn/corn rotation and to find differences in N response and other agronomic measurements in no-till rotations, utilizing strip-till.  
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Soil: Embden sandy loam, Embden loam, Gardena loam and Maddock sandy loam; pH=7.1; 1.6% organic matter; Soil N average 12 lbs/acre; soil-P and soil-K was very high; soil-S was medium. 
Previous Crop: 2013 – soybean.  
Seedbed preparation: Strip-till May 9 with an Orthman strip-till machine.
Hybrid: Pioneer P9917AMX
Planting: Planted May 18 @ 33,000 plants per acre in 30-inch rows.
Plots: Plots were 37 ft long by 15 ft (6 rows) wide.  There were four replications.
Fertilizer: All plots received 10 lbs N/acre as 10-34-0 via strip-till May 9.  Stream‑bar all plots with 10 lbs N/acre and 23 lbs S/acre as 12‑0-0-26 May 22.  Stream-bar 79 lbs N/acre as 28-0-0 to the 100 lb treatment and 44 lbs N/acre as 28‑0-0 to the 100D, 150 and 200 lb treatments May 23.  Sidedress N treatments as 28‑0-0 (three inches deep) June 17; 200 lb treatments received 135 lbs N/acre, the 150 lb treatment received 85 lbs N/acre and the 100D received 35 lbs N/acre.
Irrigation: Overhead sprinkler irrigation as needed.
Pest control: Harness (2 pt/acre) May 22, Laudis (3 oz/acre) + AAtrex 9-O (0.5 lb ai/acre) + Destiny (0.05%v/v) + AMS (1½ lbs/acre) June 3.
Remote sensing: Remote sensing was achieved with an Opti-Sciences CCM 200 Plus chlorophyll meter and a Holland Crop Circle ACS active canopy sensor (normalized difference red edge – NDRE).
Harvest: Hand harvest October 16.  Harvest area was the two center rows from each plot (72 feet of total row).
RESULTS
       Determining nitrogen sufficiency in time is important to achieve N efficiency.  Remote sensing utilizing a Holland Crop Circle ACS 430 active canopy sensor (normalized difference red edge – NDRE) and an Opti-Science CCM 200 chlorophyll meter were tested to determine ability to measure N sufficiency.  
       Increasing nitrogen rates (N) increased grain yield, chlorophyll meter readings and normalized difference red edge (NDRE).  Remote sensing by chlorophyll meter and the Crop Circle Sensor did well in predicting corn N status.
Table 1.  Strip-till, corn on soybean nitrogen rate study at the Oakes Irrigation Research Site in 2014.
  Grain  Chlorophyll  
Fertilizer Grain Yield Harvest Test Meter Nitrate-N Seed Seed Seed Emerge Silk Mature
N Rate Yield1 2009-14 Moisture Weight Reading2 NDRE3 Stalk Fall Soil Population Protein Oil Starch Date Date Date
lb/acre bu/ac bu/ac % lb/bu 4-Aug 4-Aug ppm lbs/ac plants/ac ----------%-----------
22 108.3 125.9 16.3 53.0 11.7 0.1859 35 11 35142 6.4 2.3 75.7 25-May 23-Jul 21-Sep
100 141.9 177.8 15.9 52.5 21.6 0.2719 52 11 35025 6.7 2.1 75.6 25-May 22-Jul 19-Sep
100d 179.5 192.3 16.5 53.5 34.6 0.2942 14 11 35436 7.4 2.1 75.3 25-May 21-Jul 19-Sep
150 207.2 223.7 17.0 54.3 43.9 0.3052 100 11 35967 8.2 2.3 74.6 25-May 21-Jul 19-Sep
200 226.6 234.5 15.8 54.7 49.7 0.3332 258 15 35849 8.5 2.3 74.2 25-May 21-Jul 18-Sep
Mean 172.7   16.3 53.6 32.3 0.2781 91.7 11.8 35484 7.4 2.2 75.1 25-May 21-Jul 19-Sep
C.V. % 4.6 8.2 1.0 8.9 9.96 137.8 25.5 2.0 3.4 10.1 0.6 0.7 0
LSD 0.10 10.1 NS 0.7 3.6 0.0349 NS NS NS 0.3 NS 0.6 0.6 0.5
LSD 0.05 12.4   NS 0.9 4.5 0.0427 NS NS NS 0.4 NS 0.7   0.8 0.6
Planting Date = May 10; Harvest Date = October 16; Previous Crop = Soybean
1 Yield adjusted to 15.5% moisture.
2 Opti-Science CCM 200.            
3 Holland Crop Circle ACS active canopy sensor (normalized difference red edge) - NDRE.
Oakes Irrigation Research Site
Variety trials Crop index Home page Report 2014
Other corn Studies 2014
Corn hybrid performance trial - dryland
Corn hybrid performance trial - irrigated
Strip-till continuous corn N-rate
Stover removal corn/corn and corn/soybean rotation