Five years of straw incorporation and its effect on growth, yield and nitrogen nutrition of sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris)

1995 ◽  
Vol 125 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. F. Allison ◽  
H. M. Hetschkun

SUMMARYIn 1990–92, field experiments were performed at Broom's Barn Experimental Station to study the effect of 5 years' repeated straw incorporation on sugarbeet. Straw incorporation had no effect on plant population density. Processing quality was reduced by incorporated straw but N had a much larger effect. The effect of incorporated straw on the mineral N content of the soils and N uptake by beet was inconsistent, and this may be related to the amount of soil mineral N present when the straw was incorporated. The efficiency of fertilizer use was unaffected by straw incorporation. On Broom's Barn soils when straw was incorporated, the optimal economic N dressing was c. 120 kg N/ha, and in unincorporated plots it was c. 100 kg N/ha. At the optimal economic N rate, incorporated straw increased beet yields.

2001 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. SYLVESTER-BRADLEY ◽  
D. T. STOKES ◽  
R. K. SCOTT

Experiments at three sites in 1993, six sites in 1994 and eight sites in 1995, mostly after oilseed rape, tested effects of previous fertilizer N (differing by 200 kg/ha for 1993 and 1994 and 300 kg/ha for 1995) and date of sowing (differing by about 2 months) on soil mineral N and N uptake by winter wheat cv. Mercia which received no fertilizer N. Soil mineral N to 90 cm plus crop N (‘soil N supply’; SNS) in February was 103 and 76 kg/ha after large and small amounts of previous fertilizer N respectively but was not affected by date of sowing. Previous fertilizer N seldom affected crop N in spring because sowing was too late for N capture during autumn, but it did affect soil mineral N, particularly in the 60–90 cm soil horizon, presumably due to over-winter leaching. Tillering generally occurred in spring, and was delayed but not diminished by later sowing. Previous fertilizer N increased shoot survival more than it increased shoot production. Final shoot number was affected by previous fertilizer N, but not by date of sowing. Overall, there were 29 surviving tillers/g SNS.N uptakes at fortnightly intervals from spring to harvest at two core sites were described well by linear rates. The difference between sowings in the fitted date with 10 kg/ha crop N was 1 month; these dates were not significantly affected by previous fertilizer. N uptake rates were increased by both previous fertilizer N and late sowing. Rates of N uptake related closely to soil mineral N in February such that ‘equivalent recovery’ was achieved in late May or early June. At one site there was evidence that most of the residue from previous fertilizer N had moved below 90 cm by February, but N uptake was nevertheless increased. Two further ‘satellite’ sites behaved similarly. Thus at 14 out of 17 sites, N uptake until harvest related directly and with approximate parity to soil mineral N in February (R2 = 0·79), a significant intercept being in keeping with an atmospheric contribution of 20–40 kg/ha N at all sites.It is concluded that, on retentive soils in the UK, SNS in early spring was a good indicator of N availability throughout growth of unfertilized wheat, because the N residues arising from previous fertilizer mineralized before analysis, yet remained largely within root range. The steady rates of soil mineral N recovery were taken as being dependent on progressively deeper root development. Thus, even if soil mineral N equated with a crop's N requirement, fresh fertilizer applications might be needed before ‘equivalent recovery’ of soil N, to encourage the earlier processes of tiller production and canopy expansion. The later process of grain filling was sustained by continued N uptake (mean 41 kg/ha) coming apparently from N leached to the subsoil (relating to previous fertilizer use) as well as from sources not related to previous fertilizer use; significant net mineralization was apparent in some subsoils.


1987 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. M. Addiscott ◽  
A. P. Whitmore

summaryThe computer model described simulates changes in soil mineral nitrogen and crop uptake of nitrogen by computing on a daily basis the amounts of N leached, mineralized, nitrified and taken up by the crop. Denitrification is not included at present. The leaching submodel divides the soil into layers, each of which contains mobile and immobile water. It needs points from the soil moisture characteristic, measured directly or derived from soil survey data; it also needs daily rainfall and evaporation. The mineralization and nitrification submodel assumes pseudo-zero order kinetics and depends on the net mineralization rate in the topsoil and the daily soil temperature and moisture content, the latter being computed in the leaching submodel. The crop N uptake and dry-matter production submodel is a simple function driven by degree days of soil temperature and needs in addition only the sowing date and the date the soil returns to field capacity, the latter again being computed in the leaching submodel. A sensitivity analysis was made, showing the effects of 30% changes in the input variables on the simulated amounts of soil mineral N and crop N present in spring when decisions on N fertilizer rates have to be made. Soil mineral N was influenced most by changes in rainfall, soil water content, mineralization rate and soil temperature, whilst crop N was affected most by changes in soil temperature, rainfall and sowing date. The model has so far been applied only to winter wheat growing through autumn, winter and spring but it should be adaptable to other crops and to a full season.The model was validated by comparing its simulations with measurements of soil mineral N, dry matter and the amounts of N taken up by winter wheat in experiments made at seven sites during 5 years. The simulations were assessed graphically and with the aid of several statistical summaries of the goodness of fit. The agreement was generally very good; over all years 72% of all simulations of soil mineral N to 90 cm depth were within 20 kg N/ha of the soil measurements; also 78% of the simulations of crop nitrogen uptake were within 15 kg N/ha and 63% of the simulated yields of dry matter were within 25 g/m2 of the amounts measured. All correlation coefficients were large, positive, and highly significant, and on average no statistically significant differences were found between simulation and measurement either for soil mineral N or for crop N uptake.


Soil Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme D. Schwenke ◽  
David F. Herridge ◽  
Clemens Scheer ◽  
David W. Rowlings ◽  
Bruce M. Haigh ◽  
...  

The northern Australian grains industry relies on nitrogen (N) fertiliser to optimise yield and protein, but N fertiliser can increase soil fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4). We measured soil N2O and CH4 fluxes associated with wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) using automated (Expts 1, 3) and manual chambers (Expts 2, 4, 5). Experiments were conducted on subtropical Vertosol soils fertilised with N rates of 0–160kgNha–1. In Expt 1 (2010), intense rainfall for a month before and after sowing elevated N2O emissions from N-fertilised (80kgNha–1) wheat, with 417gN2O-Nha–1 emitted compared with 80g N2O-Nha–1 for non-fertilised wheat. Once crop N uptake reduced soil mineral N, there was no further treatment difference in N2O. Expt 2 (2010) showed similar results, however, the reduced sampling frequency using manual chambers gave a lower cumulative N2O. By contrast, very low rainfall before and for several months after sowing Expt 3 (2011) resulted in no difference in N2O emissions between N-fertilised and non-fertilised barley. N2O emission factors were 0.42, 0.20 and –0.02 for Expts 1, 2 and 3, respectively. In Expts 4 and 5 (2011), N2O emissions increased with increasing rate of N fertiliser. Emissions were reduced by 45% when the N fertiliser was applied in a 50:50 split between sowing and mid-tillering, or by 70% when urea was applied with the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole-phosphate. Methane fluxes were typically small and mostly negative in all experiments, especially in dry soils. Cumulative CH4 uptake ranged from 242 to 435g CH4-Cha–1year–1, with no effect of N fertiliser treatment. Considered in terms of CO2 equivalents, soil CH4 uptake offset 8–56% of soil N2O emissions, with larger offsets occurring in non-N-fertilised soils. The first few months from N fertiliser application to the period of rapid crop N uptake pose the main risk for N2O losses from rainfed cereal cropping on subtropical Vertosols, but the realisation of this risk is dependent on rainfall. Strategies that reduce the soil mineral N pool during this time can reduce the risk of N2O loss.


HortScience ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily R. Vollmer ◽  
Nancy Creamer ◽  
Chris Reberg-Horton ◽  
Greg Hoyt

Cover crops of foxtail millet ‘German Strain R’ [Setaria italica (L.) Beauv.] and cowpea ‘Iron & Clay’ [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] were grown as monocrops (MIL, COW) and mixtures and compared with a bare ground control (BG) for weed suppression and nitrogen (N) contribution when followed by organically managed no-till bulb onion (Allium cepa L.) production. Experiments in 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 were each conducted on first-year transitional land. Mixtures consisted of cowpea with high, middle, and low seeding rates of millet (MIX-70, MIX-50, MIX-30). During onion production, each cover crop treatment had three N rate subplots (0, 105, and 210 kg N/ha) of surface-applied soybean meal [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]. Cover crop treatments COW and BG had the greatest total marketable onion yield both years. Where supplemental baled millet was applied in 2006–2007, onion mortality was over 50% in MIL and MIX and was attributed to the thickness of the millet mulch. Nitrogen rates of 105 and 210 kg N/ha increased soil mineral N (NO3– and NH4+) on BG plots 2 weeks after surface application of soybean meal each year, but stopped having an effect on soil mineral N by February or March. Split applications of soybean meal could be an important improvement in N management to better meet increased demand for N uptake during bulb initiation and growth in the spring.


1996 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 581 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Evans ◽  
NA Fettell ◽  
GE O'Connor

Grain legume-cereal rotations are unsustainable on acid soils because they promote acidification of surface soil through nitrate leaching. Two field experiments were conducted on red, clay-loams in the cropping zone of central western New South Wales to determine whether soil mineral N concentrations during crop growth are higher under pea than barley, and whether the nitrate concentration under pea crops can be decreased by ammending soil with cereal straw before sowing.Significantly higher mineral N, particularly nitrate, was found under pea than under barley, as early as 6 weeks following autumn sowing, and also in spring. The pea effect represented an increase of up to 23 kg N/ha of mineral N (0-30 cm). It is proposed that the source of higher nitrate concentration under pea may be residual soil nitrate not utilised by pea, or nitrate derived from the mineralisation of pea roots or exudate. The increase in soil nitrate during pea growth contributes to greater postharvest soil mineral N and higher wheat yields after pea, but also increases the risk of soil acidification. Soil ammendment with cereal straw was partially effective in reducing nitrate concentration under pea, but a more effective treatment is required.


1994 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Webb ◽  
R. Sylvester-Bradley

SUMMARYNitrogen nutrition of two succeeding wheat crops was studied after ploughing of grassland in July 1987 on a clay soil at ADAS Drayton. The four plots of grassland had received 100, 250, 450 and 750 kg N/ha per year for 4 years from 1984 and were grazed by beef cattle at stocking densities which varied according to grass growth.Determinations of soil mineral N taken to 60 cm every 3 weeks from July to the following May were particularly variable. However, in the first 2 years after ploughing the means of the series of mineral N measurements were directly proportional to the amounts of fertilizer N applied to the grass.N offtake in winter wheat grain without fertilizer N was directly proportional to fertilizer N applied to grass but this had little effect on maximum grain yields. Large soil N supplies did not necessarily predispose the wheat crops to large grain N concentrations because fertilizer N caused grain N offtake to reach a similar maximum, irrespective of previous grass N.Optimum amounts of fertilizer N for the wheat were 188, 147, 87 and nil kg/ha in 1988 and 152,130, 89 and 25 kg/ha in 1989 after 100, 250, 450 and 750 kg N/ha per year applied to the grass. Soil N supply as indicated by both the amount of fertilizer applied to grass and means of mineral N measurements accounted for almost all of this variation. Mean soil mineral N over winter was no better as an indicator of soil N supply than the amount of N applied to the grass. However, before adopting N applied to grass as a more general index of N supply, it would need to be adjusted for variation in N removed and lost during grass growth; these were controlled in this experiment.


1999 ◽  
Vol 8 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 423-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. PIETOLA ◽  
R. TANNI ◽  
P. ELONEN

The role of plant growth regulators (PGR) in nitrogen (N) fertilization of spring wheat and oats (CCC), fodder barley (etephon/mepiquat) and oilseed rape (etephone) in crop rotation was studied in 1993–1996 on loamy clay soil. Carry over effect of the N fertilization rates (0–180 kg ha-1 ) was evaluated in 1997. N fertilization rate for the best grain/seed yield (120–150 kg ha-1 ) was not affected by PGRs. The seed and N yields of oilseed rape were improved most frequently by recommended use of PGR. The yields of oats were increased in 1995–96. Even though PGR effectively shortened the plant height of spring wheat, the grain yield increased only in 1995. N yield of wheat grains was not increased. Response of fodder barley to PGR was insignificant or even negative in 1995. The data suggest that PGRs may decrease some N leaching at high N rates by improving N uptake by grain/seeds, if the yield is improved. The carryover study showed that in soils with no N fertilization, as well as in soils of high N rates, N uptake was higher than in soils with moderate N fertilization (60–90 kg ha-1 ), independent of PGRs. According to soil mineral N contents, N leaching risk is significant (15–35 kg ha-1 ) only after dry and warm late seasons. After a favourable season of high yields, the N rates did not significantly affect soil mineral N contents. ;


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