Corn Yield Response to Plant Density and Nitrogen: Spatial Models and Yield Distribution

Schwalbert, Raíssa; Amado, Telmo Jorge Carneiro; Horbe, Tiago A.N.; Stefanello, Lincon Oliveira; Assefa, Yared; Prasad, P. V. Vara; Rice, Charles W.; Ciampitti, Ignacio A.

doi:10.2134/agronj2017.07.0425

Cited by 25 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The alternative scenarios with BP increased the simulated stover biomass production at both sites (Table 4). The stover biomass simulated for both sites using BP was within the range of aboveground maize, wheat and soybean biomass production in highyield agroecosystems in the midwest United States and southern Brazil where BP were adopted (Dalla Nora et al, 2017;Grassini et al, 2011Grassini et al, , 2015Schwalbert et al, 2018).…”

Section: Scenarios With Best Crop Management Practicesmentioning

confidence: 87%

Assessing strategies to enhance soil carbon sequestration with the DSSAT‐CENTURY model

Nicoloso

Amado

Rice

2020

European J Soil Science

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The adoption of no-till (NT) has been proposed to recover soil organic carbon (SOC), which will aid the mitigation of climate change. However, studies have questioned the potential of NT soils to deliver SOC sequestration and sustain crop yields. No-till experiments are relatively recent (<50 years) and very few studies were able to assess SOC dynamics in high-yield agroecosystems. We used the DSSAT-CENTURY model to predict long-term SOC (0-30 cm) using datasets from two experiments assessing tillage and nitrogen (N) sources in a Mollisol from the midwest United States (28 years) and tillage and crop rotations in an Oxisol from southern Brazil (33 years). The conversion of prairie and grassland soils to conventional agriculture decreased SOC by 61 and 12% in the Mollisol and Oxisol, respectively. Soil organic C accrual in NT soils was >0.5 Mg C ha −1 year −1 under medium-low-yield maize in the Mollisol and negligible in the Oxisol under soybean/wheat rotation. Organic fertilization and crop rotation increased SOC accrual at both sites. Simulated SOC had good agreement with observations for NT soils but overestimated SOC in tilled soils. The model's parameters were then modified for tilled soils. Long-term simulations (100 years) revealed that SOC accrual in NT soils (0-15 cm) is partially offset by losses at 15-30 cm under low C inputs. Simulations with best crop management practices (BP; irrigation, high-yield cultivars, higher plant density and improved N fertilization) augmented C inputs and SOC stocks, ultimately recovering SOC to the levels of prairie soils. Our results suggest that the adoption of NT, recycling of organic fertilizers and the use of BP should be further promoted for recovery and permanence of SOC in agricultural soils. Highlights • Studies have questioned the potential of conservation agriculture (CA) to deliver SOC sequestration and sustain crop yields. • We used the DSSAT-CENTURY model to simulate SOC dynamics in temperate and subtropical soils. • No-till under moderate C/N inputs recovered topsoil SOC, but subsurface losses offset SOC accrual.

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Section: Scenarios With Best Crop Management Practicesmentioning

confidence: 87%

Assessing strategies to enhance soil carbon sequestration with the DSSAT‐CENTURY model

Nicoloso

Amado

Rice

2020

European J Soil Science

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“…Economic scenarios, reflected in changes over time in the cost:price ratio, have more impact on seeding rate decisions for northern latitudes while the attainable yield in each location was a key factor regardless the geography. Past studies reflected the potential benefits of using an EOPD for variable rate seeding as standard practice for improve profits 20,41,46 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Future studies should look at the differential fertilizer costs which could increase variable costs and thus further impact EOPD estimation, more in high-yielding environments 20,42 . In addition, different hybrids have different responses to plant density 7,37 and nitrogen availability 47 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bayesian approach for maize yield response to plant density from both agronomic and economic viewpoints in North America

Lacasa

Gaspar

Hinds

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Targeting the right agronomic optimum plant density (AOPD) for maize (Zea mays L.) is a critical management decision, but even more when the seed cost and grain selling price are accounted for, i.e. economic OPD (EOPD). From the perspective of improving those estimates, past studies have focused on utilizing a Frequentist (classical) approach for obtaining single-point estimates for the yield-density models. Alternative analysis models such as Bayesian computational methods can provide more reliable estimation for AOPD, EOPD and yield at those optimal densities and better quantify the scope of uncertainty and variability that may be in the data. Thus, the aims of this research were to (i) quantify AOPD, EOPD and yield at those plant densities, (ii) obtain and compare clusters of yield-density for different attainable yields and latitudes, and (iii) characterize their influence on EOPD variability under different economic scenarios, i.e. seed cost to corn price ratios. Maize hybrid by seeding rate trials were conducted in 24 US states from 2010 to 2019, in at least one county per state. This study identified common yield-density response curves as well as plant density and yield optimums for 460 site-years. Locations below 40.5 N latitude showed a positive relationship between AOPD and maximum yield, in parallel to the high potential level of productivity. At these latitudes, EOPD depended mostly on the maximum attainable yield. For the northern latitudes, EOPD was not only dependent on the attainable yield but on the cost:price ratio, with high ratios favoring reductions in EOPD at similar yields. A significant contribution from the Bayesian method was realizing that the variability of the estimators for AOPD is sometimes greater than the adjustment accounting for seed cost. Our results point at the differential response across latitudes and commercial relative maturity, as well as the significant uncertainty in the prediction of AOPD, relative to the economic value of the crop and the seed cost adjustments.

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“…Given advances in sensor technology and variable rate applicators, it is easy to envision an improvement to the RS and MZRS strategies that employ "drive and apply" sensing to variably apply N in the field based on remote sensing of the canopy as an applicator traverses a farm field. A recent study [66] on wheat in Brazil compared identical strategies through simulation. The corresponding RS strategy employed a previously developed algorithm [67] for maize.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable Rate Nitrogen and Water Management for Irrigated Maize in the Western US

et al. 2020

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Nitrogen (N) and water continue to be the most limiting factors for profitable maize (Zea Mays L.) production in the western US Great Plains. Precision application of N and water has the potential to significantly enhance input use efficiency without impairing yields. The overall objective of this study was to determine the most productive and efficient nitrogen and water management strategy for irrigated maize by using site-specific management zones and a proximal remote sensing approach. This study was conducted over 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 crop growing seasons near Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. Six nitrogen rates (0, 56, 112, 168, 224, and 280 kg N ha−1) were applied along experimental strips across three delineated management zones (low, medium, and high productivity). Four rates of irrigation were applied to maize (60%, 80%, 100%, and 120% of evapotranspiration) using a center pivot precision irrigation system equipped with zone control. Optical proximal sensor readings were acquired on all experimental strips four times during the growing season to assess four nitrogen management strategies (uniform, management zone (MZ), remote sensing (RS), and management zone remote sensing (MZRS)) on grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Results from this three-year study showed the significant interaction (p = 0.05) of zone vs. irrigation and irrigation vs. nitrogen across all years. In two of the three years (2016 and 2018), the high productivity zone benefitted from high irrigation rates, demonstrated by 16% and 18% yield increase from the lowest irrigation rate. In 2016, yield plateau was reached at 168 kg N ha−1 with 80% and 100% irrigation rates, whereas the plateau was reached at 112 kg N ha−1 in the 120% irrigation rate. These results demonstrate the possibility of fine-tuning zones, irrigation, and nitrogen to achieve optimum yield. While uniform and MZ nitrogen management strategies produced the highest grain yield, the best NUE was achieved via the RS strategy, followed by the MZ strategy. In this study, the MZRS strategy (combined MZ and RS) did not produce superior yield and NUE as compared to uniform and other strategies. However, there is a tremendous opportunity to fine-tune these two strategies, using other algorithms that are not explored in this study to improve the sustainability of maize production under irrigated conditions.

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Corn Yield Response to Plant Density and Nitrogen: Spatial Models and Yield Distribution

Cited by 25 publications

References 62 publications

Assessing strategies to enhance soil carbon sequestration with the DSSAT‐CENTURY model

Assessing strategies to enhance soil carbon sequestration with the DSSAT‐CENTURY model

Bayesian approach for maize yield response to plant density from both agronomic and economic viewpoints in North America

Variable Rate Nitrogen and Water Management for Irrigated Maize in the Western US

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