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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Water Management and Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #409760
Research Project: Improving Crop Performance and Precision Irrigation Management in Semi-Arid Regions through Data-Driven Research, AI, and Integrated Models

Location: Water Management and Systems Research

Title: Nitrogen fertilizer and irrigation effects on plant and soil nitrogen dynamics

Author
item DONOVAN, TYLER - Colorado State University
item SCHNEEKLOTH, JOEL - Colorado State University
item Comas, Louise
item SCHIPANSKI, MEAGAN - Colorado State University

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/14/2023
Publication Date: 11/15/2023
Citation: Donovan, T., Schneekloth, J., Comas, L.H., Schipanski, M. 2023. Nitrogen fertilizer and irrigation effects on plant and soil nitrogen dynamics. Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Water and nitrogen (N) fertilizer can have direct and indirect and positive and negative effects on soil and plant nitrogen dynamics. Given that water and nitrogen are often the most limiting resources for agronomic crop growth, it is important to understand how different availabilities affect plant and soil processes. Our experiment was conducted on continuous no till corn at the USDA-ARS Central Great Plains site in Akron, CO, during the 2021 and 2022 growing season. We utilized two irrigation treatments of 100% ET and 70% ET representing full water and near dryland conditions for the region, and three nitrogen fertilizer treatments ranging from 22 – 275 kg/ha capturing low, optimal, and excess N. We found that end of season grain yield and total plant N uptake increased with water and N. N-acquiring soil enzyme activity increased with nitrogen fertilizer and was not affected by irrigation treatment. Plant available N increased with N fertilizer, was higher in 2022, and decreased as plants approached physiological maturity. A follow up 15N tracer study is being conducted to better understand what sources of N plants are utilizing under different resource availabilities.