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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Florence, South Carolina » Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #370928
Research Project: Improvement of Soil Management Practices and Manure Treatment/Handling Systems of the Southern Coastal Plain

Location: Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research

Title: Evaluating nitrogen management for corn production with supplemental irrigation on sandy soils of the Southeastern Coastal Plain region of the United States

Author
item Sohoulande, Clement
item Ma, Liwang
item Szogi, Ariel
item Sigua, Gilbert
item Stone, Kenneth
item Malone, Robert - Rob

Submitted to: Transactions of the ASABE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/22/2020
Publication Date: 7/21/2020
Citation: Sohoulande Djebou, D.C., Ma, L., Szogi, A.A., Sigua, G.C., Stone, K.C., Malone, R.W. 2020. Evaluating nitrogen management for corn production with supplemental irrigation on sandy soils of the Southeastern Coastal Plain region of the United States. Transactions of the ASABE. 63(3):731-740. https://doi.org/10.13031/trans.13885.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13031/trans.13885

Interpretive Summary: Nitrogen (N) fertilization contributes significantly to maintain high yields in corn production. However, a fraction of the applied N is often leached from the root zone and becomes unavailable to plants. Soils in the Southeastern Coastal Plain region of the United States (US) have sandy texture with poor water and nutrient holding capacities. The present study used the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) to simulate different N management scenarios in corn production for four sandy soils under supplemental irrigation. The trained model was used to simulate nine consecutive years of corn crop under four scenarios of N managements including two high rates of N applications (rate A = 224 kg N/ha + 25 kg N/ha at preplant; rate A’= 224 kg N/ha without preplant N), and two low rates of N applications (rate B = 157 kg N/ha + 25 kg N/ha at preplant; rate B’= 157 kg N/ha without preplant N). Results showed that without preplant N application, N leaching can be significantly reduced dependeding on the soil properties. The study concluded that field scale soil variability should be considered in N management strategies to reduce N percolation while maximizing corn yield goals.

Technical Abstract: Nitrogen (N) fertilization contributes significantly to maintain high yields in corn (Zea mays L.) production. However, a fraction of the nitrogen applied to corn fields is often leached from the root zone and becomes unavailable to plants. In the Southeastern Coastal Plain region of the United States (US) where soils are sandy with a poor water and nutrient holding capacity, N leaching is a concern in corn production. As the Southeastern US Coastal Plain soils belong to various taxonomic classes, research has shown significant corn yield differences among soil series. However, few studies have focused on integrating field scale soil variability, N leaching, and corn production. To address this knowledge gap, this study used the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) to simulate different N management scenarios in corn production for four sandy soil series under supplement irrigation. The calibrated model was used to simulate nine consecutive years of corn production under four N management scenarios including two high rates of N applications (i.e. rate A = 224 kg N/ha with 25 kg N/ha at preplant; rate A’= 224 kg N/ha without preplant N), and two low rates of N applications (i.e. rate B = 157 kg N/ha with 25 kg N/ha at preplant; rate B’= 157 kg N/ha without preplant N). Simulation results showed that without preplant N application, N leaching reduced up to 17% with no significant impact on corn yields depending on the soil series. Hence, the consideration of field scale soil variability could help improve N management by reducing N use and N leaching without impacting corn production.