December 25, 2024 | 00:00 GMT +7

  • Click to copy
Tuesday- 13:35, 14/06/2022

New model analyzes pre-planting weather for better fertilizer applications

(VAN) As nitrogen fertilizer costs and environmental concerns increase, informed fertilizer rate decisions are more important than ever.
Photo: Adobe stock

Photo: Adobe stock

The latest modeling effort from the University of Illinois examines the role of pre-growing season weather on soil nitrogen dynamics and end-of-season corn yield.

The new study, “Assessing the impacts of pre-growing-season weather conditions on soil nitrogen dynamics and corn productivity in the U.S. Midwest,” was published in Field Crops Research.

“When farmers plant corn in spring, they already know what happened during the pre-growing season, from the previous fall to the spring,” said Ziyi Li, doctoral researcher at U of I and lead author on the new study, in a news release. “Unlike the upcoming growing season, which we can’t reliably forecast, we can use pre-growing season information to guide farmers to adjust their fertilizer application.”

Li used an advanced agroecosystem model known as ecosys to understand the correlation between temperature and precipitation in the pre-growing season with soil inorganic nitrogen content and yield.

“The ecosys model has been extensively used for a lot of different cases for agriculture, and this study further demonstrates that ecosys can perform well for simulating nitrogen cycles,” said Kaiyu Guan, associate professor at U of I and principle investigator for the study, in a news release. “The validation data set we used came from decades of nitrogen trials conducted by our collaborators at Illinois and other Midwestern states. We found the model actually can reproduce these patterns, not only the Illinois data, but patterns from the broader Midwest.”

Li’s model found increased nitrogen leaching in wetter pre-growing seasons, leading to a 5 to 14% yield reduction when no spring fertilizer was applied. Even when 150 lbs nitrogen per acre was applied, the 2018 Illinois yield dropped 1 to 3% due to heavy pre-season precipitation.

“In our analysis, we found applying more fertilizer can mitigate and even eliminate the yield loss induced by excess pre-growing-season precipitation,” Li said. “Based on our model, if an Illinois farmer applies 150 lb of nitrogen per acre, the 1-3% yield loss can be prevented by adding about 16 lb more nitrogen.”

Reduced soil microbial activity and enhanced leaching also reduced soil inorganic nitrogen in colder than normal pre-growing seasons.

“The effects of cold pre-growing season temperatures on yield cannot be eliminated by adding additional fertilizer,” Li said. “That’s because the temperature not only affects the nitrogen content in soil, but also seems to limit early growth in ways that affect yield potential, even if weather returns to normal later.”

Li said the model could improve current nitrogen use calculators. In the meantime, farmers looking to fine tune fertilizer use may want to consider strip trials, said Emerson Nafziger, emeritus professor at U of I.

“High rates of nitrogen tend to produce dark green corn, but lower rates might do that as well,” Nafziger said, in a news release. “The only way to know if you used too much nitrogen is to compare the rate you used to a lower rate in the same field. A strip in the field with a lower rate, or higher if the rate in the field is moderate [less than 200 lb per acre from all sources], is a great way to gain confidence in lowering nitrogen rates in the future”.

Tr.D

(Agriculture.com)

How to repair the planet? One answer might be hiding in plain sight

How to repair the planet? One answer might be hiding in plain sight

(VAN) We tend to look at environmental problems in isolation. A holistic approach would be more effective, a new report says.

Georgia farmers still grappling with $5.5 billion in Hurricane Helene storm losses

Georgia farmers still grappling with $5.5 billion in Hurricane Helene storm losses

(VAN) Twisted equipment and snapped tree limbs still litter Chris Hopkins’ Georgia farm more than two months after Hurricane Helene made its deadly march across the South.

US poultry sector prepares for mass deportations

US poultry sector prepares for mass deportations

(VAN) The US poultry processing industry has long relied on illegal workers, but huge adjustments are going to have to be made after President-elect Donald Trump takes power on 20 January 2025.

The future is dry: Why soil is the sexiest climate solution

The future is dry: Why soil is the sexiest climate solution

(VAN) Drought is projected to affect 75% of the world's population by 2050. Take that in.

Environmentalists call for a revision of poultry welfare standards

Environmentalists call for a revision of poultry welfare standards

(VAN) Voice of Animals, a Russian NGO, has prepared amendments to the draft veterinary regulation in the poultry industry, which is scheduled to come into force on 1 August 2025.

Hunger in the Arab region reaches a new height as challenges intensify

Hunger in the Arab region reaches a new height as challenges intensify

(VAN) From the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa.

A year of change for the UK poultry industry

A year of change for the UK poultry industry

(VAN) A year of change for both the UK’s broiler and egg sectors is highlighted in this year’s Andersons annual Outlook report.

Read more