Title
Predicting Economic Optimal Nitrogen Rate with the Anaerobic Potentially Mineralizable Nitrogen Test
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-2019
Abstract
Estimates of mineralizable N with the anaerobic potentially mineralizable N (PMNan) test could improve predictions of corn (Zea mays L.) economic optimal N rate (EONR). A study across eight US midwestern states was conducted to quantify the predictability of EONR for single and split N applications by PMNan. Treatment factors included different soil sample timings (pre-plant and V5 development stage), planting N rates (0 and 180 kg N ha−1), and incubation lengths (7, 14, and 28 d) with and without initial soil NH4–N included with PMNan. Soil was sampled (0–30 cm depth) before planting and N application and at V5 where 0 or 180 kg N ha−1 were applied at planting. Evaluating across all soils, PMNan was a weak predictor of EONR (R2 ≤ 0.08; RMSE, ≥67 kg N ha−1), but the predictability improved (15%) when soils were grouped by texture. Using PMNan and initial soil NH4–N as separate explanatory variables improved EONR predictability (11–20%) in fine-textured soils only. Delaying PMNan sampling from pre-plant to V5 regardless of N fertilization improved EONR predictability by 25% in only coarse-textured soils. Increasing PMNan incubations beyond 7 d modestly improved EONR predictability (R2 increased ≤0.18, and RMSE was reduced ≤7 kg N ha−1). Alone, PMNan predicts EONR poorly, and the improvements from partitioning soils by texture and including initial soil NH4–N were relatively low (R2 ≤ 0.33; RMSE ≥ 68 kg N ha−1) compared with other tools for N fertilizer recommendations.
Publication Title
Agronomy Journal
Volume
111
Issue
6
Format
application/pdf
DOI of Published Version
10.2134/agronj2019.03.0224
Publisher
American Society of Agronomy
Rights
© 2019 The Author(s)
Recommended Citation
Clark, Jason D.; Fernandez, Fabian G.; Veum, Kristen S.; Camberato, James J.; Carter, Paul R.; Ferguson, Richard B.; Franzen, David W.; Kaiser, Daniel E.; Kitchen, Newell R.; Laboski, Carrie A.M.; Nafziger, Emerson D.; Rosen, Carl J.; Sawyer, John E.; and Shanahan, John F., "Predicting Economic Optimal Nitrogen Rate with the Anaerobic Potentially Mineralizable Nitrogen Test" (2019). Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications. 303.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/plant_faculty_pubs/303
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Comments
This article was published in Agronomy Journal doi:10.2134/agronj2019.03.0224