Alan Sundermeier*, Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent
Dr. Ed Lentz, Extension NW District Agronomist
Objective: To evaluate corn response in two strip-tillage systems and one no-till system on clay soil.
Background |
|
| Cooperator:
County: Soil type: Tillage: Previous Crop: Fertilizer: Seeding rate: Planting date: Harvest date: Soil test: |
Ron & Todd Hesterman
Henry clay CEC 13.7 strip or no-till soybeans variable 31,000/acre April 26, 1999 October 5, 1999 OM = 3.2 %, P = 16 ppm, K =143 ppm |
The experimental design was a complete randomized block of field-length, 12-row-wide strips with three replications. Fall strip tillage was done on November 29, 1998.
| Tillage | Fall fertilizer
actual N-P-K |
Fertilizer placement |
Planting fert. actual |
Sidedress N actual |
Total lb/ac N-P-K |
| Fall strip | 179-50-64 | 5" deep in strip | none | none | 179-50-64 |
| Fall strip | none | 2 x 2 | 140-12-3 | 48 | 188-12-3 |
| No-till | none | 2 x 2 | 140-12-3 | 48 | 188-12-3 |
On April 7, 1999, the no-till areas had 90% residue coverage compared to 40% residue in the strip-tilled zone. At corn stage V2 (7-in. height), 12-inch-deep soil nitrate samples were taken. At corn stage V5 (14-in. height), top leaf tissue samples were taken. At corn silking stage, ear leaf tissue samples were taken. At corn maturity (black layer), corn stalk nitrate samples were taken. Also at this time, ear and stalk population counts were made.
Continuous recording soil thermometers were placed in the no-till area and in the fall strip-till zone. Soil temperature was recorded at the 2-in. seed zone, and mean soil temperatures (average of high and low) were calculated.
| April 14 -29 mean temperature |
May 5 - 25 mean temperature |
|
| No-till | 49.5 degrees | 60.8 degrees |
| Strip till | 50.5 degrees | 62.0 degrees |
The following data are the average of three replications.
| Tillage/ | Soil | [V5 tissue] | [Ear leaf tissue] | Stalk | ||||
| fertilizer | nitrate | N | P | K | N | P | K | nitrate |
| timing | ppm | % | % | % | % | % | % | ppm |
| No-till spring |
24.0 | 4.51 | .27 | 2.56 | 2.89 | .25 | 1.85 | 1626 |
| Strip till Spring fert. |
18.0 | 4.50 | .27 | 2.64 | 2.82 | .24 | 1.90 | 960 |
| Strip till Fall fert. |
24.2 | 4.36 | .27 | 2.53 | 2.84 | .24 | 1.90 | 1950 |
| (NS = not significant at P=0.05) |
NS | NS | NS | NS | NS | NS | NS | NS |
| Tillage/ | |||
| fertilizer | Ear | Stalk | Yield |
| timing | pop/acre | pop/acre | bu/acre |
| No-till/ spring |
28766 B | 26633 B | 157.8 |
| Strip till/ Spring fert. |
31433 A | 31333 A | 159.7 |
| Strip till/ Fall fert. |
31533 A | 30300 A | 159.9 |
| LSD (0.05) | 2615 | 1387 | NS |
| Treatment means followed by the same letter are not significantly different from each other | |||
Nearly all data collected, including yield, did not show a significant difference among any of the treatments except ear and stalk populations being significantly lower in the no-till. This field has a high CEC (high clay content) which may cause fertilizer timing to be less important.
Weather may have minimized nitrogen losses. Soil was dry from fall throughout the following season. This may have kept fall-applied N from leaching. Also soils were warm, which may have allowed more natural release of organic Nitrogen.
*For additional information, contact:
Ohio State University Extension, Henry County
104 E. Washington St., Suite 107
Napoleon, OH 43545
419-592-0806
sundermeier.5@osu.edu