Dennis Baker, Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent
To compare corn yields using four different starter fertilizers including 6-24-24, urea-based 20-20-20, urea/AS 20-10-10, and Polyon®AG PCU 20-10-10.
| Test Site: | Darke County Farm | Soil Test: | pH 7.5, P 24 ppm, K 160 ppm |
| County: | Darke | Fertilizer: | Starter fertilizers; |
| Nearest Town: | Greenville | see Methods | |
| Soil Types: | Miami silt loam | 150 lb/A N as 28% | |
| Eldean silt loam | applied with herbicide | ||
| Drainage: | Subsurface | Variety: | Pioneer 33Y18 |
| Tillage: | Spring chiseled | Seeding Rate: | 28,500 seeds/A |
| Previous Crop: | Wheat | Planting Date: | April 29, 2000 |
| Row Width: | 30 in. | Harvest Date: | October 25, 2000 |
Polyon®AG PCU is a polymer-coated fertilizer technology that has been used on golf courses, nurseries, and home lawns. The purpose of this experiment is to field test this slow-release nitrogen form to determine its potential agronomic and/or economic advantage. The field where these plots were planted has been in no-till most years.
There were four replications of four starter-fertilizer treatments in this test. Plots were planted and analyzed in a randomized complete block design. Individual plot sizes were 12 rows (30 ft.) wide and 960 feet long. The field was spring chiseled, then prepared for planting using a field cultivator with a cultipacker. Corn was planted with a Buffalo slot planter into adequate soil moisture and with adequate rainfall to germinate the seeds uniformly. All starter fertilizer materials being tested were applied as a starter fertilizer through the fertilizer box at approximately 180 pounds per acre.
| Treatments | Yield (bu/A) |
| Polyon® coated urea-based 20-10-10 | 156.2 |
| Ammonium Sulfate + urea-based 20-10-10 | 156.7 |
| Urea-based 20-10-10 | 157.2 |
| 6-24-24 fertilizer | 154.3 |
| Significance P = 0.05. F <1, CV = 7.7% |
NS |
There were no significant differences in the yields among the four treatments. There was significant lodging in the plots; however, any influence from lodging effect on yields was likely distributed similarly across all treatments. This experiment was conducted in cooperation with Land O'Lakes Agricultural Services, which was conducting research for Pursell Technologies, Inc.
For further information, contact:
Dennis Baker
Ohio State University Extension, Darke County
700 Wayne St.
Greenville, OH 45331
937-548-5215
baker.5@osu.edu