Starter Fertilizer and Planting Date Effects on Corn Rotated with Cotton

Abstract

Corn (Zea mays L.) has become an important crop used in rotation with cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in the mid‐South region of the USA, but there has been little research on cultural practices for corn in this cropping system. The objective of this study was to determine if starter fertilizer has beneficial effects on corn growth and grain yield at different planting dates. Starter fertilizer and planting date effects were evaluated for corn in field experiments on a Commerce silt loam (fine‐silty, mixed, nonacid, thermic Aeric Fluvaquent) for 3 yr (1991 through 1993). Six hybrids were evaluated with two starter fertilizer treatments at four planting dates. Starter treatments were (i) ammonium polyphosphate (11‐37‐0 N‐P‐K) applied in‐furrow and (ii) a control with no starter fertilizer. Planting dates were mid‐March, early April, mid‐April and late April or early May. Yield response to planting date was not consistent across years; in two of three years, however, planting later than early April decreased yield. The starter fertilizer increased grain yield in two of the three years. Yield response to starter fertilizer was not consistent across years, hybrids, or planting dates. The planting date × starter interaction for yield was significant in two of three years and the hybrid × starter interaction for yield was significant in one of three years. Starter fertilizer increased early‐season plant height by 2 to 36% and increased grain yield across planting dates from 0.5 to 1.4 Mg ha−1 in 1991 and 0.4 to 1.0 Mg ha−1 in 1993. There was no yield response to starter in 1992. Application of starter fertilizer, averaged across hybrids and years, reduced harvest grain moisture 5% and days to silking by 3 to 5 d. In this mid‐South study, in‐furrow N‐P starter fertilizer increased early‐season corn plant height and grain yield and decreased the number of days to silking of corn rotated with cotton.

Tillage Effects on Corn Response to Starter Fertilizer

“…Tilled plots treated with starter fertilizer were 3.0 inches taller in both 2000 and 2001 than tilled plots with no starter fertilizer. Increased plant height caused by starter fertilizer has been documented in other studies (5,6,14,17). The three hybrids responded similarly to starter fertilizer with no interactions between starter fertilizer and hybrid.…”

“…In 2001, plots treated with starter fertilizer reached R1 0.8 days earlier than plots with no starter fertilizer (Table 3). This response was much less than the 3‐to‐5‐day response from starter fertilizer observed by Mascagni and Bouquet (17) in Louisiana.…”

“…Previous studies have concluded that starter fertilizer often reduces the number of days required for plants to reach silking (9,17). In this study the number of days to reach mid‐silk (R1) was reduced by starter fertilizer in 2001, but not 2000.…”

Plant mineral accumulation, use and transport during the life cycle of plants: A review

“…In contrast, seed weight was increased by enhancing overall corn plant growth at the seedling stage with starter fertilizer (Mascagni and Boquet 1996). However, increasing the amount of K fed to grain crops does not increase the K content of the seed to higher than 0.3% of the dry matter of the seed (Marschner 1986).…”

Enhancing Corn Production Through the Use of Starter Fertilizer in the Northern Great Plains

“…For example, researchers in Louisiana found that starter fertilizer increased corn yield regardless of hybrid or planting date, by increasing early-season plant height and reducing grain moisture and days to silking (Mascagni and Boquet 1996). In Missouri, Scharf (1999) found that corn yield increased by 800 kg ha 21 in a no-tillage (NT) situation, making starter fertilizer a profitable management tool.…”