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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #372738
Research Project: Strategies to Support Resilient Agricultural Systems of the Southeastern U.S.

Location: Plant Science Research

Title: Carryover of N-fertilization from corn to pasture in an integrated crop-livestock system

Author
item BERNARDON, ANGELA - Federal University Of Parana Polytechnic Center
item ASSMANN, TANGRIANI - Federal University Of Parana Polytechnic Center
item SOARES, ANDRE - Federal University Of Parana Polytechnic Center
item Franzluebbers, Alan
item MACCARI, MARCIELI - Federal University Of Parana Polytechnic Center
item DE BORTOLLI, MARCO - Federal University Of Parana Polytechnic Center

Submitted to: Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/26/2020
Publication Date: 4/7/2020
Citation: Bernardon, A., Assmann, T.S., Soares, A.B., Franzluebbers, A.J., Maccari, M., De Bortolli, M.A. 2020. Carryover of N-fertilization from corn to pasture in an integrated crop-livestock system. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science . https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2020.1749268.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2020.1749268

Interpretive Summary: Cycling of nitrogen in diverse cropping systems can become more efficient with better understanding of the temporal changes that occur. A scientist from USDA-Agricultural Research Service collaborated with scientists from the Federal Technical University of Parana to determine impacts of how nitrogen fertilizer was supplied to either cover crops for grazing or corn for grain harvest. Nitrogen supplied to corn was not able to carryover sufficient nitrogen to ryegrass cover crop. However, nitrogen supplied to ryegrass was able to fully meet the corn nitrogen requirements. Therefore, new system-level nitrogen fertilization strategies could be developed to help farmers become more efficient in resource utilization and economic return.

Technical Abstract: Nutrient cycling in pasture-crop rotations is not well understood. Our goal was to assess nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) sufficiency for corn and determine whether previous pasture phase N fertilization could ensure adequate nutrition for the succeeding corn crop. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with six replications, divided in two crop phases. On the first experimental phase, Pasture Phase, treatments were N pasture fertilization (0 and 200 kg N/ha). In the second experimental phase, corn was sown after cattle were removed, on each of the 12 experimental plots, four N corn fertilization levels (0, 100, 200, and 300 kg N/ha) were applied to corn using a split-split plot randomized block design. N corn application significantly increased plant dry matter (DM) accumulation and its N concentration. N concentration in corn biomass declined during the growing season in both N timing treatments. Previous application of N fertilizer to the cool-season pasture phase adequately maintained N concentration levels in corn even at lower N rates. The critical N dilution curve (N = 3.3 DM-0.37) was slightly different from that reported for corn. Our N dilution relationship serves as a reference to assess the status of N nutrition during crop growth in this Brazilian region. N fertilization of the previous pasture phase can maintain adequate N nutrition of the following corn crop.