Influence of Water Management Through Irrigation and a Subsurface Asphalt Layer on Seasonal Growth and Nutrient Uptake of Corn1

Abstract

AbstractDuring the past 5 years improved water management of droughty sandy soils has been attained by constructing, at a depth of 60 cm in the soil profile, a continuous layer of asphalt about 0.3 cm thick. Plots (60.9 × 60.9 m) on a Typic Quartzipsamment (Lakeland fine sand) were treated in 1967 and used in 1970 and 1971 to measure seasonal growth and nutrient uptake of corn (Zeamays L.) in response to the following water management treatments: check, irrigation, asphalt layer, and irrigation with asphalt layer. Responses to fertilizer rate and plant population were also obtained.The asphalt layer increased corn fodder yields above the check and irrigation treatments during the first 11 weeks when moisture stress was moderate. At this time an 11‐day drought caused a severe water stress on the check and asphalt layer treatments resulting in grain yields of 5140 and 5020 kg/ha, respectively, whereas the irrigated and irrigated with asphalt layer treatments produced 7590 and 8164 kg/ha, respectively. The aphalt layer reduced the need for supplemental water and maintained or improved the N and K contents of corn fodder during periods of moderate stress. Fertilizer rates did not affect corn grain yield significantly. The lowest rate, 224‐73‐187 kg/ha of N‐P‐K, produced 6378 kg/ha. The highest yield, 681.5 kg/ha of grain, was obtained for the plant population density of 47,000 plant/ha as compared to 5994 kg/ha and 6552 kg/ha for 32,000 and 81,000 plants/ha, respectively.The seasonal response of corn to water management showed that the asphalt layer system was effective in increasing water use efficiency in well‐drained sandy soils.