Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Soil Management and Sugarbeet Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #350568
Research Project: Management Practices for Long Term Productivity of Great Plains Agriculture

Location: Soil Management and Sugarbeet Research

Title: Potential to use nitrogen management practices to increase yields and nitrogen use efficiencies in the Northern Plains

Author
item Delgado, Jorge
item HALVORSON, ARDELL - Retired ARS Employee
item Stewart, Catherine
item Del Grosso, Stephen - Steve
item Manter, Daniel
item D Adamo, Robert
item Floyd, Bradley

Submitted to: Proceedings Great Plains Soil Fertility Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/23/2018
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Since 1999 we have been studying the effects of nitrogen management on irrigated no-till (NT) corn yields in a Fort Collins clay loam soil at the CSU ARDEC near Fort Collins, CO. We have been studying the effects of different sources of nitrogen fertilizer (e.g. controlled release fertilizers), nitrification inhibitors, and different crop rotations. For example, for irrigated NT corn, the average rate of nitrogen fertilizer for the plots has been 0, 34, 67, 134, 202 and 246 kg N ha-1 from 1999 to 2015. Biomass was monitored by collecting samples at about 146 days after planting to determine corn grain, cob, stalk and total aboveground biomass. For corn, harvest grain yields were determined by harvesting 15 m of row at about 173 DAP. Other crops that have been monitored are small grains, sorghum sudan grass, and dry beans. Results from these long-term studies suggest that net N losses from the system are large. However, there is potential to use crop rotations and nitrogen management to increase yields and nitrogen use efficiencies. Results from these long-term studies on the effects of nitrogen management practices on N budgets, yields, and nitrogen use efficiencies will be presented.