Global Maize Project in the United States: West Lafayette, Indiana

In 2012, we established our first field experiments in this international research effort at Purdue’s Agronomy Center for Research and Education (West Lafayette, IN). Like other ongoing studies, our research involved a comparison of traditional farmer practices (FP) versus ecological intensification (EI) practices for rain-fed maize in a conventional maize-soybean rotation.

The experimental area is located on a Mollisol with cultivation of maize/soybean system. The site is divided into two areas that are planted to maize in alternate years after soybean. Compared to farmer practice (FP), ecological intensification (EI) utilized a 25% higher plant population, a nitrification inhibitor, an additional N application at growth stage V6, and a 37% higher N rate.

The objective of this study is to determine whether or not an ecological intensification (EI) approach can increase yields more quickly over time than current farmer practice. The study design is a randomized compete block design. Two management practices are investigated: 1) farmer practice (FP), and 2) EI. Three N rates are also being studied: no N, intermediate N, and full N.

Fertilizer use efficiency, and especially N use efficiency, continues to be a national research priority at the interface between agriculture and the environment. Research to better understand the relationships between fertilizer N practice and N losses to water and air continue at Purdue’s Water Quality Field Station.

A new model of research is desperately needed to meet the increased global demand for food, feed, and fuel. In 2009, IPNI assisted Purdue University in writing a proposal that was funded by the United States Department of Agriculture to plan Purdue’s Long-Term Agroecology Program (LTAP). This project will address major research questions related to management impacts on interactions among soil N, carbon, water use efficiency, and the resultant ecosystem services from U. S.