RESPONSE OF SILAGE AND GRAIN CORN TO IRRIGATION AND N FERTILIZER

1980 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 445-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. K. KROGMAN ◽  
M. D. MACDONALD ◽  
E. H. HOBBS
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Maximum Yield ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Soil Test ◽  
Fertilizer N ◽  
Plant Yield ◽  
Whole Plant ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
Plant Yields ◽  
Corn Hybrid

An early corn hybrid (Warwick SL209) and a medium-maturing hybrid (Idahybrid 330) recommended in southern Alberta for grain and silage, respectively, were not irrigated or were irrigated until early July, late July, or for the entire growing season. When rainfall was 126–163 mm during May to September (40–77 mm less than normal), irrigating throughout the growing season was required for maximum whole-plant yield of Idahybrid 330 and to late July or for the entire growing season for maximum yield of grain of Warwick SL209. When rainfall was 312 mm (109 mm more than normal), irrigation was required only until early July for maximum whole-plant yield and was not required for maximum yield of grain. With soil water nonlimiting and low soil test NO3-N, maximum yield of grain occurred when fertilizer N was applied at 84 kg/ha and maximum whole-plant yields tended to occur where N was applied at 252 kg/ha. Evapotranspiration (ET) peaked between 5 and 7 mm/day.

scholarly journals FEEDING VALUE OF SILAGE FROM A TILLERING AND A NONTILLERING HYBRID CORN

1975 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 955-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. BOWDEN ◽  
N. B. McLAUGHLIN ◽  
S. FREYMAN
Keyword(s):  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
Average Weight ◽  
Corn Hybrids ◽  
Total Period ◽  
Whole Plant ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
Feeding Value ◽  
Daily Gain ◽  
Matter Energy ◽  
Corn Hybrid

Whole-plant silages made from a tillering corn hybrid (Zea mays L.) and a nontillering corn hybrid had similar digestibilities of dry matter, energy, and protein as assessed with wether sheep. When the silages were fed as the only feed for 56 days to yearling Hereford steers weighing an average of 370 kg, the intake of silage from the nontillering corn tended to be low and the steers only maintained their weight. Steers fed silage from the tillering corn gained 0.45 kg/day. However, with supplemental steamed, rolled barley being given for the remainder of the 112 days, average weight gains for the total period did not differ significantly (P < 0.05) between steers on the two silages. When barley was fed with each of the silages at 0.5% of body weight, the average daily gain of steers for 112 days was the same for the two silages (0.79 kg/day). The digestible energy consumed per unit of gain did not differ significantly (P < 0.05) between the two silages. We conclude that, when fed with a limited amount of barley, silages of equal feeding value could be made from tillering and nontillering corn hybrids grown in southern Alberta.

Influence of streambank fencing and river access for cattle on riparian zone soils adjacent to the Lower Little Bow River in southern Alberta, Canada

2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Miller ◽  
T. Curtis ◽  
D. S. Chanasyk ◽  
W. D. Willms
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Soil Nutrients ◽  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Riparian Zone ◽  
Soil Bulk Density ◽  
Soil Test ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
Soil Test P

Miller, J. J., Curtis, T., Chanasyk, D. S. and Willms, W. D. 2014. Influence of streambank fencing and river access for cattle on riparian zone soils adjacent to the Lower Little Bow River in southern Alberta, Canada. Can. J. Soil Sci. 94: 209–222. Cattle grazing in riparian pastures adjacent to rivers may increase soil compaction and increase soil nutrients, such as N and P. We conducted a 4-yr study with sampling in 3 yr (2009, 2010, 2012) of riparian zone soils adjacent to fenced and unfenced reaches of the Lower Little Bow River in southern Alberta. We examined the effect of grazing, access of cattle to the river (access versus no-access), and distance (0.25, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 m) from the river on surface soil bulk density, volumetric water content, NH4-N, NO3, and soil test P. Penetration depth was also measured in 2012. The three grazing treatments consisted of one fenced reach (ungrazed treatment), one unfenced and grazed reach with high cattle impact (high-impact grazed treatment), and one unfenced and grazed reach with low cattle impact (low-impact grazed treatment). We hypothesized that soil compaction would be greater, soil nutrients would be enriched, and soil water content would be lower for grazed compared with ungrazed treatments, and that this same trend would occur for access compared with no-access locations. The soil properties in our study were generally significantly (P≤0.05) influenced by grazing, access, and distance from the riverbank. However, treatment effects were generally dependent on two- or three-way interactions with the other factors. Soil bulk density in 2009 and 2012 was 8 to 20% greater at access compared with no-access locations within 2 m of the riverbank, suggesting soil compaction by cattle was confined close to the wetter riverbank soils. Most soil properties generally supported our hypothesis of greater soil compaction and nutrient enrichment for unfenced compared with fenced reaches, as well as for access compared with no-access locations. The exceptions were soil water content and soil test P results that did not support the grazing hypothesis, and soil water content and NH4-N results that did not support the cattle-access hypothesis.

Soil water dynamics over 12 seasons on irrigated dry bean–potato–wheat–sugar beet rotations

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Francis J. Larney ◽  
Drusilla C. Pearson ◽  
Gregg H. Dill ◽  
Timothy D. Schwinghamer ◽  
Francis Zvomuya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Beet ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Soil Water Dynamics ◽  
Dry Bean ◽  
Neutron Probe ◽  
Southern Alberta

Dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) are mainstays of irrigated crop production in southern Alberta. Concerns about soil quality and sustainability instigated a 12 yr (2000–2011) rotation study to compare conventional (CONV) with conservation (CONS) management practices (reduced tillage, narrow-row dry bean, compost addition, and cover cropping). Plant-available water (PAW) was measured using a neutron probe (10–16 count days·season−1, n = 148) on all phases of 4 yr (dry bean–potato–wheat–sugar beet) rotations under CONS and CONV management. A visual monitoring approach was used for irrigation scheduling. For dry bean and sugar beet, management allowable depletion (MAD) was exceeded on only 11%–15% of neutron probe count days over 12 yr. However, MAD was exceeded on 30% of count days for wheat and 43% for potato. Significant crop × management interactions showed that PAW was higher with CONS management most frequently on potato, followed by dry bean, wheat, and sugar beet. This order reflected the prevalence of CONS practices directly impacting each crop. Regression analyses showed that potato, wheat, and sugar beet yield increased significantly as mean growing season water table depth (WTD) increased. This was explained by yield suppression due to excessive soil wetness in seasons with high rainfall and shallow WTD. This study provided comparative soil water dynamics for four major irrigated crops in southern Alberta, over a 12 yr period, which included record high and low growing season precipitation.

scholarly journals Characterizing Growing Season Length of Subtropical Coniferous Forests with a Phenological Model

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Yuan Gong ◽  
Christina L. Staudhammer ◽  
Susanne Wiesner ◽  
Gregory Starr ◽  
Yinlong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Soil Water Availability ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Phenological Model

Understanding plant phenological change is of great concern in the context of global climate change. Phenological models can aid in understanding and predicting growing season changes and can be parameterized with gross primary production (GPP) estimated using the eddy covariance (EC) technique. This study used nine years of EC-derived GPP data from three mature subtropical longleaf pine forests in the southeastern United States with differing soil water holding capacity in combination with site-specific micrometeorological data to parameterize a photosynthesis-based phenological model. We evaluated how weather conditions and prescribed fire led to variation in the ecosystem phenological processes. The results suggest that soil water availability had an effect on phenology, and greater soil water availability was associated with a longer growing season (LOS). We also observed that prescribed fire, a common forest management activity in the region, had a limited impact on phenological processes. Dormant season fire had no significant effect on phenological processes by site, but we observed differences in the start of the growing season (SOS) between fire and non-fire years. Fire delayed SOS by 10 d ± 5 d (SE), and this effect was greater with higher soil water availability, extending SOS by 18 d on average. Fire was also associated with increased sensitivity of spring phenology to radiation and air temperature. We found that interannual climate change and periodic weather anomalies (flood, short-term drought, and long-term drought), controlled annual ecosystem phenological processes more than prescribed fire. When water availability increased following short-term summer drought, the growing season was extended. With future climate change, subtropical areas of the Southeastern US are expected to experience more frequent short-term droughts, which could shorten the region’s growing season and lead to a reduction in the longleaf pine ecosystem’s carbon sequestration capacity.

Characterization of barley silage – maturity relationships for Central Alberta

1992 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 1009-1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. S. Baron ◽  
A. C. Dick ◽  
M. S. Wolynetz
Keyword(s):  
Harvest Index ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
Simple Relationship ◽  
Grain Production ◽  
Hordeum Vulgare L ◽  
Standard Type ◽  
Plant Yield ◽  
Whole Plant

Production of high-quality whole-plant barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) silage requires an understanding of the relationships among whole-plant percent dry matter (WPDM), whole-plant yield parameters reflecting both whole plant and kernel maturity, grain-to-straw ratio (harvest index) and in vitro digestible organic matter (IVDOM) over the grain-filling period. Eight six-row, standard-type barley cultivars, representative of the range of maturity and stature of cultivars recommended for grain production in Alberta, were grown at Lacombe, Alberta during 1983 and 1984. Seven weekly whole-plant harvests were carried out on each cultivar beginning at heading. Fresh and dry weights on whole-plant and kernel fractions at each harvest allowed calculation of the essential parameters. Regression analyses were used to determine whether several production-related response variables could be predicted from variables such as WPDM, days after heading and cumulative growing degree days (DD) greater than 5 °C after heading. All cultivars exhibited similar trends with DD after heading for these relationships over two years of very different climatic conditions. IVDOM did not vary (P > 0.05) during the growing seasons indicating that IVDOM content cannot be a criterion for determining harvest date. Other relationships indicated that if whole-plant harvest occurred at 30% WPDM it would precede the time of maximum whole-plant yield and grain maturity by 160 and 208 DD, respectively, resulting in a loss in potential whole-plant yield of about 17%. Cultivars which produce more herbage but are too late maturing for grain production could be used to offset this yield loss and there may be a place in barley breeding programs for late-maturing, tall, strong-strawed cultivars specifically for silage production. For havest index, a large difference (8%) between years indicated that a simple relationship between harvest index and DD was not adequate to routinely predict grain content in barley silage.Key words: Silage, whole-plant maturity, barley, forage, yield

Soil water retention dynamics in a Mollisol during a maize growing season under contrasting tillage systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 209 ◽  
pp. 104953
Author(s):  
Xinjun Huang ◽  
Hengfei Wang ◽  
Meng Zhang ◽  
Rainer Horn ◽  
Tusheng Ren
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Soil Water Retention ◽  
Tillage Systems

Effect of Irrigated Crop Rotation and Phosphorus Fertilizer-Manure on Soil Water Repellency of a Clay Loam Soil in Southern Alberta

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim J. Miller ◽  
Mallory Owen ◽  
Ben Ellert ◽  
Xueming Yang ◽  
Craig F. Drury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Repellency ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Clay Loam ◽  
P Fertilization ◽  
Soil Water Repellency ◽  
Hydrophobic Coatings ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
P Fertilizer ◽  
Loam Soil

Soil water repellency (SWR) was measured for a 28 yr field study under irrigation on a clay loam Dark Brown soil in southern Alberta. The objectives were to study the effect of legume-cereal crop rotations, feedlot manure, and phosphorus (P) fertilizer application on soil hydrophobicity (SH) and soil water repellency index (RI) under irrigation. Mean SH and RI were similar (P > 0.05) for a legume-cereal and cereal rotation, and were unaffected by P fertilization. However, P fertilization shifted the RI classification from slight to sub-critical. In contrast, SH was significantly greater for manured than non-manured treatments, while RI was unaffected. Soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) correlated with SH (r=0.74), but not with RI (r=-0.17). This suggested a closer association between the quantity of SOC and quantity of hydrophobic compounds (SH method) compared to the hydrophobic coatings inhibiting infiltration of water (RI method). No significant correlation between SH and RI (r=-0.09) suggests that SH is not a good predictor of SWR using the RI method. Overall, manure application increased SH and P fertilization shifted the RI classification from slight to sub-critical. In contrast, legume-cereal rotations had no influence on SH and SWR using RI method compared to continuous cereal.

Use of hot KCl-NH4-N to estimate fertilizer N requirements

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Campbell ◽  
Y. W. Jamel ◽  
A. Jalil ◽  
J. Schoenau
Keyword(s):  
N Mineralization ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Order Rate Constant ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Fertilizer N ◽  
Available N ◽  
Mineralizable N ◽  
Potentially Mineralizable N

We need an easy-to-use chemical index for estimating the amount of N that becomes available during the growing season, to improve N use efficiency. This paper discusses how producers may, in future, use crop growth models that incorporate indices of soil N availability, to make more accurate, risk-sensitive estimates of fertilizer N requirements. In a previous study, we developed an equation, using 42 diverse Saskatchewan soils, that related potentially mineralizable N (N0) to NH4N extracted with hot 2 M KCl (X), (i.e., N0 = 37.7 + 7.7X, r2 = 0.78). We also established that the first order rate constant (k) for N mineralization at 35°C is indeed a constant for arable prairie soils (k = 0.067 wk−1). We modified the N submodel of CERES-wheat to include k and N0 (values of N0 were derived from the hot KCl test). With long-term weather data (precipitation and temperature) as input, this model was used to estimate probable N mineralization during a growing season and yield of wheat (grown on fallow or stubble), in response to fertilizer N rates at Swift Current. The model output indicated that the amount of N mineralized in a growing season for wheat on fallow was similar to that for wheat on stubble, as we hypothesized. Further the model indicated that rate of fertilizer N had only minimal effect on N mineralized. We concluded that, despite the importance of knowing the Nmin capability of a soil, it is available water, initial levels of available N and rate of fertilizer N that are the main determinants of yield in this semiarid environment. The theoretical approach we have proposed must be validated under field conditions before it can be adopted for use. Key words: N mineralization, Hot KCl-NH4-N, potentially mineralizable N, CERES-wheat model

Factors influencing grain N concentration of hard red spring wheat in the semiarid prairie

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Campbell ◽  
F. Selles ◽  
R. P. Zentner ◽  
B. G. McConkey ◽  
R. C. McKenzie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Soil Test ◽  
Fertilizer N ◽  
Degree Days ◽  
Hard Red Spring Wheat ◽  
Brown Soil ◽  
Soil Zone ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
N Concentration

Prairie producers are now being rewarded with significant premiums for producing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) of high protein concentration. We analyzed data from two 12-yr experiments conducted on a medium-textured Orthic Brown Chernozem at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, to determine and quantify factors influencing grain N concentration of hard red spring wheat grown on stubble land. Results of one of the 12-yr studies, a snow management × fertilizer N, zero-tillage experiment, showed that under hot, dry conditions, grain N concentration was very high and increased with moderate rates of fertilizer N (FN), then levelled off at higher rates of N. Under cool, wet conditions, grain N first decreased (due to N dilution by yield) then increased with further addition of FN. Under warm intermediate moisture conditions, grain N concentration increased at moderate rates in response to FN. Data for the two 12-yr experiments were pooled and multiple regression, with backward elimination, and stepwise selection used to develop the relationship:Grain N (g kg−1) = −7.63 + 0.05 WU − 0.000094 WU2 + 0.30 SN − 0.0022 SN2 − (0.0010 SN × WU) + (0.0017 FN × SN) + 0.0189 DD (R2 = 0.64, P = 0.001, n = 262)where WU = water use (mm), SN = soil test N (kg ha−1), FN = (kg ha−1), and DD = degree-days >5 °C (°C-days) from 1 May to 31 August. WU was available spring soil water in 0- to 1.2-m depth plus 1 May to 31 July precipitation, and SN was NO3-N in the 0- to 0.6-m depth, measured in the fall. We attempted to validate this model using data from a long-term crop rotation and a fertilizer trial experiment in the Brown soil zone, a tillage × rotation experiment in the Dark Brown soil zone in Saskatchewan, and an irrigation × N fertilizer experiment in the Brown soil zone of southern Alberta. Validation met with only modest success (R2 up to 0.70, P = 0.001). Generally, estimated grain N concentrations were lower than the measured values. Water use (negatively related) and temperature (DD) (positively related) were the most important factors influencing grain N, while FN and SN (positively related) were much less important. Because of the complexity of response in grain N to the aforementioned factors, and since farmers cannot predict weather conditions, fertilizer management to achieve high protein remains a challenge under dryland conditions. Key words: Soil test N, fertilizer N, available water, degree-days

scholarly journals Hybrid-specific nutrient and water use of maize on chernozem soil

2013 ◽  
pp. 51-54
Author(s):  
Lajos Karancsi
Keyword(s):  
Maximum Yield ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Chernozem Soil ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The University ◽  
Optimum Nutrition ◽  
Corn Hybrid ◽  
Yield Decrease

The field research was set up on chernozem soil at the Látókép AGTC KIT research area of the University of Debrecen. The study focused on yield, water utilization, nutrient reaction and the amount of yield per kg fertilizer of corn hybrid NX 47279 in 2011 and 2012. Based on the yield results it can be concluded that the largest yield in 2011 was 15 963 kg ha-1 at level N120+PK, while in 2012, the maximum yield amounted to 14 972 kg ha-1 at level N90+PK. Surplus yield per kg fertilizer proved that in 2011 level N30+PK resulted in the highest surplus yield (42.3 kg kg-1) compared to the control treatment. In 2012, yield growth was 18.0 kg kg-1 compared to the control treatment. We measured at level N60+PK 17,5 kg kg-1 compared to at level N30+PK, at the N90+PK 17,7 kg kg-1 compared to at level N60+PK. level N30+PK kg kg-1, 17.5 kg kg-1 at level N60+PK and 17.7 kg kg-1 at level N90+PK compared to the control treatment. Results of the regression analysis showed that the amount of nitrogen fertilizer was 117 kg ha-1 in 2011 and 111 kg ha-1 in 2012 in order to reach maximum yield. Doses of fertilizers above the amounts previously mentioned resulted in yield decrease. Our results indicated that in the drought year of 2012 the hybrid used available water more efficiently than in 2011. The hybrid produced 59 kg ha-1 yield in 2012 and 51.9 kg ha-1 in 2011 at an optimum nutrition level.

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