Stover Management and Nitrogen Fertilization Effects on Corn Production

Abstract

The incorporation of crop stover into the soil improves soil fertility and crop productivity by increasing C sequestration and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases among other parameters. Interactions between crop stover management and N fertilization could help to improve C sequestration while increasing productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of incorporating or removing corn (Zea mays L.) stover, in combination with different N fertilization rates (0, 100, 200, and 300 kg N ha–1), on corn production, soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) in high production areas. We performed two field experiments (Exp. 1 and 2) for 3 yr under sprinkler irrigation. Over the duration of the experiment (short‐term period), stover management did not affect corn production or SMN levels, while high average grain yields were achieved (16–20 Mg ha–1) when N was applied. After 3 yr, removing the stover reduced SOC levels by approximately 0.82 and 1.06 g C m–2 (0–30‐cm depth) in 2012 in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively. The amounts of corn stover incorporated were higher than 16 Mg ha–1 yr–1 of dry matter. Our data suggest that returning stover to the soil has a positive short‐term impact on soil quality without grain yield penalties. Although selling the stover provides a short‐term economic advantage, continuous stover removal may cause significant soil degradation in the future.

Use of Multispectral Airborne Images to Improve In-Season Nitrogen Management, Predict Grain Yield and Estimate Economic Return of Maize in Irrigated High Yielding Environments

“…These amounts of available N were similar to those reported in other studies in the Ebro Valley [7,8,66,67]. Thus, the tested VIs enabled the spatial characterization of N status and were able to assess crop performance even under low-N stress [68].…”

“…The study area is characterized by a semiarid climate with low precipitation (192 mm) and high average temperature (19.1 • C) during the maize growing period [7]. The summer of 2015 (June-August period) was hotter than the same period of 2014 (1.0, 1.5 and 2.1 • C for minimum, mean and maximum temperatures, respectively).…”

“…High-yielding environments, such as those of the Ebro Valley (northeastern Spain), where maize could achieve more than 16 Mg ha −1 of grain, usually require high N rates (N rates ) to cover crop necessities [7]. The N rates are the amount of N fertilizer applied to corn during the growing season.…”

Effect of crop residue incorporation on soil organic carbon and greenhouse gas emissions in European agricultural soils

“…In the case of the Foggia experiment (Figure a), the incorporation of crop residues lowered yield because of the poor mineralization and strong N immobilization due to arid climate and the low soil N status (Maiorana, ). Mineral N fertilizer application did not increase yields at Almacelles even though SOC concentrations were sufficient, possibly due to the short duration of the experiment and the arid climate (Biau et al ., ).…”

Long‐term no‐till and stover retention each decrease the global warming potential of irrigated continuous corn

“…Warmer soil temperatures associated with stover removal likely provided more favorable conditions for corn germination, growth, and grain production (Kaspar et al, 1990;Sims et al, 1998;Blanco-Canqui & Lal, 2007;Sindelar et al, 2013;Halvorson & Stewart, 2015). In contrast, some irrigated corn studies have reported that stover removal did not affect yield (Biau et al, 2013;Huang et al, 2013;Kenney et al, 2013), and progressive yield declines have been found in rainfed corn production sites when stover was removed (Wilhelm et al, 2004;Blanco-Canqui & Lal, 2007).…”