N Application Rates (n + application_rate)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium Removal by Brown Midrib Sorghum Sudangrass in the Northeastern USA

JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY AND CROP SCIENCE, Issue 6 2006
Q. M. Ketterings
Abstract For the long-term sustainability of the dairy industry in the Northeastern USA, manure nutrient application rates should not exceed crop nutrient removal once above-optimum soil fertility levels are reached. Dairy producers have shown a growing interest in brown midrib (BMR) forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.) × sudangrass (Sorghum sudanense Piper) hybrids (S × S) as a more environmentally sound alternative to maize (Zea mays L.) but data on S × S nutrient removal rates are scant. Our objectives were to determine N, P, K, Ca and Mg removal with harvest as impacted by N application rate, using six N rate studies in New York. One of the six sites had a recent manure history. Although site-to-site differences existed, N application tended to decrease P and K and increase N, Ca and Mg concentrations in BMR S × S forage. Nutrient removal and yield were highly correlated for all sites except one location that showed a K deficiency. The crop removed large amounts of P and K in the manured site, suggesting that BMR S × S is an excellent scavenger of these nutrients. If manure is applied mid-season, forage K levels are likely too high for feeding to non-lactating cows. [source]


Nitrate leaching from cut grassland as affected by the substitution of slurry with nitrogen mineral fertilizer on two soil types

GRASS & FORAGE SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010
J. J. Schröder
Abstract A field experiment was conducted to find out whether there is any difference in risk of N leaching to groundwater when cattle slurry and/or mineral fertilizer-N was applied to cut grassland. The experiment was carried out over two consecutive years on two sites (one with a relatively wet sandy soil and one with a relatively dry sandy soil). Treatments were mineral fertilizer-N at annual rates of 0,510 kg N ha,1 year,1 and combinations of sod-injected cattle slurry (85, 170, 250 and 335 kg N ha,1 year,1) and mineral fertilizer-N (289, 238, 190 and 139 kg N ha,1 year,1). Yield responses indicated that in the short run, 0·44,0·88 (average 0·60) of the slurry-N was as available as mineral fertilizer-N. The total N input from mineral fertilizer and slurry was a worse predictor of nitrate leaching ( 0·11) than the N surplus (i.e. the difference between total N input and harvested N) ( 0·60). The effective N surplus, based on the difference between the summed inputs of the plant-available N and harvested N, proved to be the best indicator of leaching ( 0·86). Annual N application rates of up to 340 kg plant-available N ha,1 complied with the target nitrate concentration in groundwater of 11·3 mg N L,1 set by the European Union in both years on the wet sandy soil, whereas on the dry sandy soil none of the treatments did. [source]


Effect of frequency of application of inorganic nitrogen fertilizer within a rotational paddock-grazing system on the performance of dairy cows and inputs of labour

GRASS & FORAGE SCIENCE, Issue 2 2008
C. P. Ferris
Abstract As herd sizes and labour costs increase, and the availability of skilled labour decreases, efficient use of available labour becomes more important in dairy cow systems. Two experiments were conducted to examine the effect of reducing the frequency of application of inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilizer on inputs of labour and performance of dairy cows. Experiments 1 (duration of 169 d) and 2 (duration of 179 d) involved fifty-eight and forty multiparous Holstein,Friesian dairy cows, respectively, in mid-lactation. In each experiment, in the ,infrequent' treatment fertilizer was applied to all paddocks on a single occasion at the start of each grazing cycle, while in treatment ,frequent', fertilizer was applied on three occasions each week, within 2 or 3 d of each paddock having been grazed. The experimental treatments were started from 30 March and 29 March in Experiments 1 and 2 respectively. Total N application rates were approximately 360 and 250 kg N ha,1 in Experiments 1 and 2 respectively. Concentrate feed (4·0 kg per cow) was offered daily in both experiments. With the ,infrequent' treatment, highest concentrations of crude protein and nitrate in herbage were observed in swards grazed approximately 10 d after N fertilizer was applied. Treatment had no significant effect on milk yield, milk fat and protein concentrations, and final live weight and body condition score of cows in either experiment. Milk urea and plasma urea concentrations were not significantly affected by treatment. Calculated application times of fertilizer for a herd of 100 dairy cows were 107 and 83 min week,1 for the ,frequent' and ,infrequent' treatments respectively. [source]


Strategies to Improve the Use Efficiency of Mineral Fertilizer Nitrogen Applied to Winter Wheat

JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY AND CROP SCIENCE, Issue 3 2002
K. Blankenau
Recovery of fertilizer nitrogen (N) applied to winter wheat crops at tillering in spring is lower than that of N applied at later growth stages because of higher losses and immobilization of N. Two strategies to reduce early N losses and N immobilization and to increase N availability for winter wheat, which should result in an improved N use efficiency (= higher N uptake and/or increased yield per unit fertilizer N), were evaluated. First, 16 winter wheat trials (eight sites in each of 1996 and 1997) were conducted to investigate the effects of reduced and increased N application rates at tillering and stem elongation, respectively, on yield and N uptake of grain. In treatment 90-70-60 (90 kg N ha,1 at tillering, 70 kg N ha,1 at stem elongation and 60 kg N ha,1 at ear emergence), the average values for grain yield and grain N removal were up to 3.1 and 5.0 % higher than in treatment 120-40-60, reflecting conventional fertilizer practice. Higher grain N removal for the treatment with reduced N rates at tillering, 90-70-60, was attributed to lower N immobilization (and N losses), which increased fertilizer N availability. Secondly, as microorganisms prefer NH4+ to NO3, for N immobilization, higher net N immobilization would be expected after application of the ammonium-N form. In a pot experiment, net N immobilization was higher and dry matter yields and crop N contents at harvest were lower with ammonium (ammonium sulphate + nitrification inhibitor Dicyandiamide) than with nitrate (calcium nitrate) nutrition. Five field trials were then conducted to compare calcium nitrate (CN) and calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) nutrition at tillering, followed by two CAN applications for both treatments. At harvest, crop N and grain yield were higher in the CN than in the CAN treatment at each N supply level. In conclusion, fertilizer N use efficiency in winter wheat can be improved if N availability to the crops is increased as a result of reduced N immobilization (and N losses) early in the growth period. N application systems could be modified towards strategies with lower N applications at tillering compensated by higher N dressing applications later. An additional advantage is expected to result from use of nitrate-N fertilizers at tillering. Strategien zur Verbesserung der Effizienz von Düngerstickstoff in Winterweizen Aus früheren Versuchen mit Winterweizen ist bekannt, daß zur Ernte die Wiederfindung von im Frühjahr zur Bestokkung gedüngtem Stickstoff (N) geringer ist, als die von N aus Spätgaben. Die Ursachen liegen in einer höheren mikrobiell-bedingten Netto-N-Immobilisation, aber auch N-Verlusten zwischen Bestockung und Schoßbeginn im Vergleich zu späteren Wachstumstadien begründet. In den vorliegenden Versuchen wurden zwei Strategien getestet, um insbesondere die früh in der Vegetation auftretende Netto-N-Immobilisation zu vermindern. Die dadurch erwartete erhöhte N-Verfügbarkeit sollte zu einer erhöhten N-Effizienz (höherer N-Entzug/Ertrag bezogen auf die N-Düngung) führen. 1996 und 1997 wurden jeweils 8 Feldversuche mit Winterweizen durchgeführt, um den Einfluß einer reduzierten Andüngung bei gleichzeitig erhöhter Schossergabe im Vergleich zur konventionellen N-Düngung zu untersuchen. Tatsächlich wurden in dem Prüfglied 90-70-60 (N-Sollwertdüngung: 90 kg N ha,1, Schossergabe: 70 kg N ha,1, Ährengabe: 60 kg N ha,1) im Mittel bis zu 3.1 % höhere Erträge und 5.0 % höhere N-Abfuhren mit dem Korn im Vergleich zur konventionellen Variante 120-40-60 (N-Sollwertdüngung: 120 kg N ha,1, Schossergabe: 40 kg N ha,1 und Ährengabe: 60 kg N ha,1) erzielt. Die höhere N-Abfuhr kann auf eine erhöhte N-Verfügbarkeit infolge geringerer mikrobieller N-Festlegung zurückgeführt werden. Da die vornehmlich heterotrophen Bodenmikroorganismen bevorzugt NH4+ gegenüber NO3, immobilisieren, kann eine höhere N-Immobilisation bei Ammonium-Düngung erwartet werden. Tatsächlich wurden in einem Gefäßversuch nach Düngung von Ammoniumsulfat (+ Nitrifikationshemmer Dicyandiamid) geringere Trokkenmasseerträge und N-Aufnahmen von Weizenpflanzen erzielt als mit Calciumnitrat. Für die Ammoniumsulfatvariante ergab sich eine höhere Netto-N-Immobilisation. Danach wurde in fünf Feldversuchen mit Winterweizen der Einfluß einer Andüngung mit Nitrat (Calciumnitrat) im Vergleich zur Verwendung des ammoniumhaltigen Kalkammonsalpeters (KAS) auf die N-Aufnahme und den Kornertrag untersucht (beide Varianten erhielten KAS als Spätgaben). In der nitratangedüngten Variante wurden zum Teil signifikant höhere Ertäge und N-Aufnahmen in Korn und Stroh ermittelt. Aus den dargestellten Versuchen kann gefolgert werden, daß die Düngerstickstoff-Effizienz verbessert werden kann, wenn vor allem die N-Immobilisation (und eventuell auch N-Verluste) in frühen Wachstumsstadien zwischen Bestockung und Schoßbeginn verringert und so die N-Verfügbarkeit erhöht wird. Es kann empfohlen werden Winterweizenbestände mit geringeren N-Mengen , als nach N-Sollwert 120 kg N ha,1 vorgesehen , anzudüngen und die Schossergabe entsprechend zu erhöhen. Die Verwendung von nitrathaltigen Düngern bei der Andüngung ist von Vorteil. [source]