HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fox, R. H. Articles by Piekielek, W. P. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Fox, R. H. Articles by Piekielek, W. P. Agricola Articles by Fox, R. H. Articles by Piekielek, W. P.

Relationships among Anaerobically Mineralized Nitrogen, Chemical Indexes, and Nitrogen Availability to Corn¹

ABSTRACT

An accurate method for predicting the N supplying capability of a soil must be available in order to increase N fertilizer efficiency in humid areas with a mixed agriculture that includes N inputs from livestock manure and forage legumes. Previous work had shown that a number of chemical N availability tests were not well correlated (r < 0.4) with the soil N available to field grown corn (Zea mays L.) in 67 experiments throughout Pennsylvania over a 6-y period. Soils from these same sites were anaerobically incubated for 7 d to determine if the N mineralized during this period would be better correlated with field-measured N availability than the chemical indexes. The anaerobically mineralized N was no better correlated with field N availability than were the chemical indexes. Anaerobically mineralized N was most closely correlated with total soil N content (r = 0.79) and boiling 0.01M CaCl₂ extractable N (r = 0.74). By restricting the experimental sites to well-drained soils where a legume (primarily alfalfa) had not been growing in either of the 2 years preceding the experiment, the correlation coefficients between two of the indexes, the UV absorbance of a boiling 0.01M CaCl₂ extract and NO₃ content of the surface 40 cm of soil at planting, and the field estimate of N availability were increased to 0.65 and 0.59, respectively. A stepwise multiple regression analysis using field N availability selected these two estimates with a resulting coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.50. These results are encouraging but are not high enough to use in a routine soil testing laboratory. Restricting the soils as described did not improve the correlation between anaerobically mineralized N and field-measured N availability. Nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for corn based on current Pennsylvania guidelines that consider crop yield goals and management history were on the average 41 kg/ha (SD = 53 kg/ha) higher than would have been needed to achieve economic optimum yields in these experiments. This is much less precise than desired, but recommendations in effect prior to changes induced by results from these N fertilizer response experiments would have been 94 kg/ha (SD = 53 kg/ha) more than needed for economically optimum yields.

¹ Paper no. 6878 of the Journal series of the Pa. Agric. Exp. Stn.

² Associate Professor and Senior Research Aide, Dep. of Agronomy, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802.

Received for publication February 29, 1984. Accepted for publication April 30, 1984.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. Sainz Rozas, P. A. Calvino, H. E. Echeverria, P. A. Barbieri, and M. Redolatti Contribution of Anaerobically Mineralized Nitrogen to the Reliability of Planting or Presidedress Soil Nitrogen Test in Maize Agron. J., June 16, 2008; 100(4): 1020 - 1025. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. D. Williams, C. R. Crozier, J. G. White, R. W. Heiniger, R. P. Sripada, and D. A. Crouse Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test Predicts Southeastern U.S. Corn Economic Optimum Nitrogen Rates Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., April 5, 2007; 71(3): 735 - 744. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. D. Williams, C. R. Crozier, J. G. White, R. P. Sripada, and D. A. Crouse Comparison of Soil Nitrogen Tests for Corn Fertilizer Recommendations in the Humid Southeastern USA Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., January 1, 2007; 71(1): 171 - 180. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. Wang, C. J. Smith, P. M. Chalk, and D. Chen Evaluating Chemical and Physical Indices of Nitrogen Mineralization Capacity with an Unequivocal Reference Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., March 1, 2001; 65(2): 368 - 376. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]