On-farm Evaluation of Potassium Chloride using Combine Yield Monitors
The addition of potassium (K) fertilizer to starter fertilizer blends is becoming a common practice in many areas of western Canada with high soil test K levels. Specific crops, such as malting barley and high yielding spring wheat, are commonly cited as examples of crops that benefit from this starter K. On-farm replicated strip trial projects were initiated to evaluate crop response to starter potassium chloride (KCl) application with the use of combine yield monitors.
IPNI-2000-CAN-SK28
18 Feb 2003
2002 Annual Interpretive Summary
On-farm Evaluation of Potassium Chloride using Combine Yield Monitors, 2002
The addition of potassium (K) fertilizer to starter fertilizer blends is becoming a common practice in many areas of western Canada with high soil test K levels. Specific crops, such as malting barley and high yielding spring wheat, are commonly cited as examples of crops that benefit from this starter K. However, there are no research results to support this practice or recommendation by fertilizer dealers. It is argued that this type of crop response reported by farmers and dealers indicates that the current soil testing methods may need to be reassessed on these soils. On-farm replicated strip trial projects were initiated to evaluate crop response to starter potassium chloride (KCl) application with the use of combine yield monitors.
Field trials were conducted on heavy clay soils which, when evaluated with a variety of soil testing procedures, resulted in K recommendations of 0 to 50 lb K2O/A. In all trials, we compared 20 lb K2O/A applied in the seed row at seeding to a no K check. While drought hampered the collection of meaningful data in both years of this study, results from six field trials were collected for statistical analysis. There was no grain yield response to added KCl at any of the trial sites in either 2001 or 2002. Field assessment of crop emergence with the added KCl also indicated no negative impact on germination on these clay soils. None of the farmer cooperators reported any visual differences in the treatments during the growing season. These results indicate that soil K supply was sufficient to meet crop requirements, and recommendations for added K did not result in crop yield responses. SK-28F