Improvement of Maize and Soybean (Chickpea) Mineral Nutrition on a Calcareous Common Chernozem
Ecological Intensification is compared with grower fertilizer practice in maize–soybean (chickpea since 2015) crop rotation at the A-site. Crop response to N is studied in both systems too. Actual aspects of maize nutrition are studied simultaneously at the C-site.
IPNI-2011-RUS-GM41
25 Mar 2015
2014 Annual Interpretive Summary
In this experiment, grower’s fertilizer practices were compared with the Ecological Intensification (EI) management system. Two different maize hybrids were grown in 2014 under these crop management systems with differing maturity dates (115 to 120 days versus 124 days). The 2014 season had normal weather conditions for maize and soybean production.
Grower’s practice of applying 30 kg N/ha and 40 kg P2O5/ha produced a maize yield of 7 t/ha in 2014, while omission of N (decreasing N application from 30 to 9 kg/ha) caused a significant (6%) yield loss. A maize yield of 7.3 t/ha was obtained in the EI treatment (85-70-40 kg N-P2O5-K2O/ha, giving a significant increase over grower’s practice (5%). Omission of N (decreasing N application from 85 to 17 kg/ha) caused a very small but significant (3%) yield decline. The soybean crop was strongly affected by Soybean Mosaic Virus disease in 2014 and the experimental area had to be destroyed at the end of July.
Soil at the C-site prior to planting had a medium nitrate-N concentration of 13 ppm (ammonium-N was 22 ppm) and high concentrations of Olsen P (18 ppm) and exchangeable K (357 ppm) in the top 20-cm soil layer. Maize followed winter wheat in the agri-enterprise field and had practically the same productivity compared to the A-site mentioned above. The control treatment produced 5.9 t/ha and grower’s practice resulted in a significant (15%) increase over the control. Omission of N (decreasing N application from 100 to 18 kg/ha), P and K didn’t result in significant yield changes. Both broadcasting of K (100-80-60 kg N-P2O5-K2O/ha) and starter K application (100-80-30 kg N-P2O5-K2O/ha) tended to slightly decrease grain yield; however, this effect was not significant. The highest maize yield of 7.2 t/ha was attained in the treatment receiving ample N and P (100-80 kg N-P2O5/ha) giving a significant (22%) increase over the control and a nonsignificant (6%) increase over grower’s practice.