Fertilizer and Soil Nitrogen Use by Corn and Border Crops in a Strip Intercropping System

Abstract

Corn (Zea mays L.) has greater yield potential when strip‐intercropped than when monocropped, but this potential may be compromised by a failure to understand how N requirements change with row position and the possible N competition of adjacent crops. A four block, completely randomized, split‐plot experiment was conducted on a Haig loam soil (fine, smectitic, mesic Vertic Argiaquolls) in southern Iowa, to determine crop utilization of N fertilizer pointinjected into corn rows. Nitrogen fertilizer uptake was evaluated in (i) corn rows injected with labeled N fertilizer; (ii) corn rows adjacent to the injected rows; and (iii) plants at the edge of the adjacent soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and oat (Avena sativa L.)‐alfalfa (Medicago saliva L.) strips. Main treatments consisted of three tillage systems: conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), and no‐till (NT). Subplot treatments consisted of point injection of l5N‐enriched NH4NO3 (67 kg N ha−1) in‐row at three row positions within the corn strips. Grain and stover yield, Kjeldahl N, and isotope composition of plant materials were determined. Corn yield and labeled‐N recovery differed with tillage to the extent that tillage affected early and total season moisture availability. Labeled‐N recovery in labeled rows did not differ with row position. Labeled‐N recovery in unlabeled rows or crop borders was typically less than 5% of that recovered by labeled rows. Nitrogen is primarily recovered by the row to which it is applied; therefore, row‐by‐row precision applications seem to be an appropriate management tool.

Impacts of fertigation via surface and subsurface drip irrigation on growth rate, yield and flower quality of Zinnia elegans

“…This indicated higher N concentration in the plants. Gaffarzadeh et al (1998) pointed out that nutrient uptake, particularly nitrogen, increased plant production.…”

Maize–soybean intercropping: A bibliometric analysis of 30 years of research publications

“…During 1990 to 2000, maize, grain yield, and growth were the most frequent keywords (Table 3). Study of tillage systems (Carruthers et al., 2000), water and fertilizer interactions (Ghaffarzadeh et al., 1998), and land equivalent ratios (Xiong et al., 2019) were important during this decade. Cropping systems, soil, and wheat were the most frequently occurring keywords during 2001–2010, when much interest were shown in carbon sequestration and reducing net CO 2 emissions (X. Liu et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2013), biological nitrogen fixation (Zhang & Li, 2003), species interactions (Zhang & Li, 2003), and fertilizer use (Fan et al., 2020).…”

Is Strip Cropping an Effective Way for Maize Biofortyfication?

“…is is confirmed by the higher nitrogen and potassium uptake in the rows adjacent to the beans. Ghaffarzadeh et al [17] also argue that differences in maize yield in individual rows in the strip can affect the demand for N in plants; thus, additional N fertilizer should be applied to the edge rows, in order to realize their potential for higher yield.…”