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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Southeast Watershed Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #352941
Title: Corn grain yield from broiler litter (BL) and flue gas desulfurized gypsum (FGDG) amended coastal plain soil

Author
item Endale, Dinku
item Strickland, Timothy
item Bosch, David
item Schomberg, Harry
item Pisani, Oliva
item Coffin, Alisa

Submitted to: American Society of Agronomy Meetings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/25/2018
Publication Date: 11/4/2018
Citation: Endale, D.M., Strickland, T.C., Bosch, D.D., Schomberg, H.H., Pisani, O., Coffin, A.W. 2018. Corn grain yield from broiler litter (BL) and flue gas desulfurized gypsum (FGDG) amended coastal plain soil [abstract]. American Society of Agronomy Meeting, November 4-7, 2018, Baltimore, Maryland.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The area planted to corn in six southeastern states (AL, GA, MS, SC, NC, and TN) averaged 227, 000 ha per year per state from 2013 to 2017. Soil and weather related factors present challenges to increased corn production. BL and FGDG are two regionally important industrial byproducts that can be used as soil amendments to improve soil productivity. Corn grain yield was assessed from 2014 through 2016 in Tifton, GA, under two sets of fertilizer treatments each laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. In one, treatments were inorganic fertilizer as NPK, BL, and BL+FGDG on 3.05 m by 5.5 m (six rows) plots. In the second, treatments were NPK and NPK+FGDG on 2.13 m by 5.5 m plots. BL and FGDG rates were 13.45 kg/ha. BL and BL+FGDG producer significantly greater grain mass than NPK in 2015 and 2016 (in kg/ha: 8968 & 7672 BL and 9222 & 7937 BL+FGDG versus 8007 & 7233 NPK). BL+FGDG had significantly greater yield than BL in 2014 only. Yield was significantly greater under NPK in 2014 likely due to greater N application to match an assumed 70% N mineralization from BL (we assumed 50% for the other two years). In the 2nd set of treatments, FGDG+NPK produced significantly more grain than NPK each year (6792 to 7122 versus 6367 to 6675 kg/ha). The study suggests that corn yield can be enhanced on Southeastern Coastal Plain soils with FGDG amendment. Additional field size studies are needed using multiple FGDG rates to determine optimum management.