In-Season Side-Dressing of Urea and Ammonium Nitrate to Cotton on No-Till Soils with High Residual Nitrogen and Pre-Plant Nitrogen Application

Xinhua Yin^*

Department of Plant Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Jackson, TN, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ojss.2015.511026                

Abstract

It is essential to develop innovative approaches that can apply N more efficiently. The objective of this study was to examine in-season side-dress urea and ammonium nitrate (UAN) applications to cotton on no-till soils with high residual N fertility. A field trial was conducted near Milan, TN in 2011 and 2012 with strip plots in a RCB design with three replicates. The following six in-season side-dress fluid UAN treatments were compared: 1) zero N; 2) low uniform-rate N application of 56 kg·N·ha^-1; 3) high uniform-rate N application of 78.4 kg·N·ha^-1; 4) ordinary variable-rate N application algorithm for each sub plot based on the average Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) value in that sub plot; 5) reversed variable-rate N application algorithm for each sub plot based on average NDVI of that sub plot; and 6) N application rate based on the average NDVI value in each strip plot. All plots received 26 kg·N·ha^-1 as diammonium phosphate before cotton planting each year. Leaf N concentrations were mostly enhanced with all side-dress N applications ranging from 56 to 78 kg·N·ha^-1 relative to zero N during early to late bloom although this upland field had high initial soil N fertility and received pre-plant application of 26 kg·N·ha^-1 across the treatments each year. However, NDVI, plant height, and lint yield were rarely improved with side-dress N application. The three variable-rate N application algorithms consumed 7.8 to 12.3 kg·ha^-1 more N than the low uniform-rate application of 56 kg·N·ha^-1, but 10.1 to 14.6 kg·ha^-1 less N than the high uniform rate of 78.4 kg·N·ha^-1. Our results indicate that the current N recommendations for cotton in Tennessee may be too high on upland soils with high initial N fertility.

Keywords

UAN, Side-Dress, Cotton, Yield, N Consumption

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Johnston, A.E. (2000) Efficient Use of Nutrients in Agricultural Production Systems. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 31, 1599-1620. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00103620009370527
[2]	Prasad, R. and Power, J.F. (1995) Nitrification Inhibitor for Agriculture, Health and Environment. Advances in Agronomy, 54, 233-281. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2113(08)60901-3
[3]	Savoy, H.J. and Joines, D. (2009) Lime and Fertilizer Recommendations for the Various Crops of Tennessee. Chapter II. Agronomic Crops. http://soilplantandpest.utk.edu/pdffiles/soiltestandfertrecom/chap2-agronomic_mar2009.pdf
[4]	Howard, D.D., Gwathmey, C.O., Essington, M.E., Roberts, R.K. and Mullen, M.D. (2001) Nitrogen Fertilization of No-Till Cotton on Loess-Derived Soils. Agronomy Journal, 93, 157-163. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj2001.931157x
[5]	Vetch, J.A., Malzer, G.L., Robert, P.C. and Huggins, D.R. (1995) Nitrogen Specific Management by Soil Condition: Managing Fertilizer Nitrogen in Corn. In: Robert, P.C., et al., Eds., Site Specific Management for Agricultural Systems, ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, Madison, 465-473.
[6]	Raun, W.R. and Johnson, G.V. (1999) Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency for Cereal Production. Agronomy Journal, 91, 357-363. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj1999.00021962009100030001x
[7]	Raun, W.R., Johnson, G.V., Stone, M.L., Solie, J.B., Lukina, E.V. and Thomason, W.E. (2001) In-Season Prediction of Potential Grain Yield in Winter Wheat Using Canopy Reflectance. Agronomy Journal, 93, 131-178. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj2001.931131x
[8]	Raun, W.R., Solie, J.B., Johnson, G.V., Stone, M.L., Mullen, R.W., Freeman, K.W., Thomason, W.E. and Lukina, E.V. (2002) Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Cereal Grain Production with Optical Sensing and Variable Rate Application. Agronomy Journal, 94, 815-820. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj2002.8150
[9]	Tubana, B.S., Arnall, D.B., Walsh, O., Chung, B., Solie, J.B., Girma, K. and Raun, W.R. (2008) Adjusting Midseason Nitrogen Rate Using a Sensor-Based Optimization Algorithm to Increase Use Efficiency in Corn (Zea mays L.). Journal of Plant Nutrition, 31, 1975-1998.
[10]	Biermacher, J.T., Epplin, F.M., Brorsen, B.W., Solie, J.B. and Raun, W.R. (2006) Maximum Benefit of a Precise Nitrogen Application System for Wheat. Precision Agriculture, 7, 1-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11119-006-9017-6
[11]	Ortiz-Monasterio, J.I. and Raun, W.R. (2007) Reduced Nitrogen and Improved Farm Income for Irrigated Spring Wheat in the Yaqui Valley, Mexico, Using Sensor Based Nitrogen Management. The Journal of Agricultural Science, 145, 1-8.
[12]	Bell, P.F., Boquet, D.J., Millhollon, E., Moore, S., Ebelhar, W., Mitchell, C.C., Varco, J., Funderburg, E.R., Kennedy, C., Breitenbeck, G.A., Craig, C., Holman, M., Baker, W. and McConnell, J.S. (2003) Relationships between Leaf-Blade Nitrogen and Relative Seedcotton Yields. Crop Science, 43, 1367-1374. http://dx.doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2003.1367
[13]	Fritschi, F.B., Roberts, B.A., Travis, R.L., Rains, D.W. and Hutmacher, R.B. (2004) Seasonal Nitrogen Concentration, Uptake, and Partitioning Pattern of Irrigated Acala and Pima Cotton as Influenced by Nitrogen Fertility Level. Crop Science, 44, 516-527. http://dx.doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2004.5160
[14]	Campbell, C.R. and Plank, C.O. (2011) Corn. In: Campbell, C.R., Ed., Reference Sufficiency Ranges for Plant Analysis in the Southern Region of the United States, Southern Cooperative Series Bulletin 394, Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station, Raleigh, 15-18.
[15]	Main, C.L., Barber, L.T., Boman, R.K., Chapman, K., Dodds, D.M., Duncan, S., Edmisten, K.L., Horn, P., Jones, M.A., Morgan, G.D., Norton, E.R., Osborne, S., Whitaker, J.R., Nichols, R.L. and Bronson, K.F. (2013) Effects of Nitrogen and Planting Seed Size on Cotton Growth, Development, and Yield. Agronomy Journal, 105, 1853-1859. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj2013.0154
[16]	Boquet, D.J. and Breitenbeck, G.A. (2000) Nitrogen Rate Effect on Partitioning of Nitrogen and Dry Matter by Cotton. Crop Science, 40, 1685-1693. http://dx.doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2000.4061685x
[17]	McConnell, J.S., Baker, W.H., Miller, D.M., Frizzell, B.S. and Varvil, J.J. (1993) Nitrogen Fertilization of Cotton Cultivars of Differing Maturity. Agronomy Journal, 85, 1151-1156. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj1993.00021962008500060011x
[18]	Hutmacher, R.B., Travis, R.L., Rains, D.W., Vargas, R.N., Roberts, B.A., Weir, B.L., Wright, S.D., Munk, D.S., Marsh, B.H., Keeley, M.P., Fritschi, F.B., Munier, D.J., Nichols, R.L. and Delgado, R. (2004) Response of Recent Acala Cotton Cultivars to Variable Nitrogen Rates in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Agronomy Journal, 96, 48-62. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj2004.0048
[19]	Bronson, K.F., Onken, A.B., Keeling, J.W., Booker, J.D. and Torbert, H.A. (2001) Nitrogen Response in Cotton as Affected by Tillage System and Irrigation Level. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 65, 1153-1163. http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2001.6541153x