Field Evaluation of Urea Compared to Enhanced Urea Products
The experiment was conducted in the 2009 field season at a field site in West Central Saskatchewan in the Dark Brown soil zone near Kindersley, SK. The trial evaluated the yield response of canola (food quality oil rapeseed) to regular urea and polymer coated urea that were both side banded at planting, at rate of 40 lb N / acre (typical N rate for stubble seeded canola in the region).
IPNI-2009-CAN-SK41
24 Jun 2009
Methodology
The experiment will be conducted in the 2009 field season at a field site in West Central Saskatchewan in the Dark Brown soil zone near Kindersley, SK. The trial will constitute the thesis project of Janelle MacDonald. GMACS Ag Team, an independent crop supply company, owned by the student’s father is the cooperator and will be looking after the plot maintenance and seeding/fertilizing operations. A brief summary of the planned experiment follows.
Equipment: Air drill with side or mid-row banding capabilities. Fertilizer N products will be placed in band separate from seed row at rate of 40 lb N / acre (typical N rate for stubble seeded canola in the region).
Treatments: Five treatments with four replicates
- Unfertilized control
Urea
Nutrisphere N
Super-U treated Urea
ESN
Treatments are randomized in blocks in a farm field. Application is made using field sized equipment, so plots are large re: 40 feet by 30 feet.
Crop: Canola seeded on wheat stubble
Measurements:
- Pre-Seed: Soil sampling from each of the 20 plots 0-30cm and 30-60cm
End of June: Square meter from each plot to determine mid-season biomass yield and N and P uptake
Harvest: Square meters and threshing to determine canola grain and straw yield, and N and P uptake.
Post-Harvest: Soil sampling from each of the 20 plots 0-30cm and 30-60cm
Determine: Mid Season and Final Yield, N and P uptake, N recovery in the treatments.