Nutrient Accumulation Affected by Corn Stover Management Associated with Nitrogen and Phosphorus Fertilization

Fernando Shintate Galindo,Paulo Humberto Pagliari,Jeffrey S Strock

doi:10.3390/agriculture11111118

Fernando Shintate Galindo, Paulo Humberto Pagliari + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11111118

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Abstract

Bio-ethanol production from corn stover harvest would change nutrient removal, in particular nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), affecting nutrient replenishment and corn development under field-grown conditions. This research was developed to investigate whether stover removal had any influence on the amount of N and P fertilizer required for maximum corn production in the United States (US) Midwest in a stover removal scenario. This study was conducted in Lamberton, MN on a Typic Endoaquoll under continuous corn from 2013 to 2015. The treatments included six N rates (0 to 200 kg N ha−1 in 40 kg increments), five P rates (0 to 100 kg P2O5 ha−1 in 25 kg increments), and two residue management strategies (residue removed or incorporated). Residue management was found to have a significant impact on corn response to N and P application. We verified that residue-removed plots yielded more and therefore required more N and P application from fertilizers. Grain yield after residue was removed was greatest with the highest N and P2O5 rates, whereas grain yield after residue was incorporated was greatest with intermediate N and P2O5 rates in 2013 and 2014. In 2015, residue management did not significantly affect grain yield. Grain N and P accumulation followed a similar behavior as that observed for grain yield. In general, residue removal decreased nutrient availability, while in the residue-incorporated treatment, those nutrients were returned. Although the results of the study showed potential for biomass harvest, it also indicated that nitrogen immobilization and nutrient depletion from the soil could be a limiting factor.

Highlights

Corn (Zea mays L.) is one of the most widespread and oldest cultivated crops in the world [1,2]
Grain yield response to increasing P2O5 and N rates was found to vary based on re
The results of this study showed that plants grown in plots where residue was incorporated needed lower N and P2 O5 application rates to achieve maximum nutrient accumulation and grain yield compared with plots where the residue was removed

Summary

Introduction

Corn (Zea mays L.) is one of the most widespread and oldest cultivated crops in the world [1,2]. Corn stover has been identified as potential feedstock for cellulosic bio-ethanol production because of its high cellulosic content, large volume of biomass production, and wide availability around the world [9,10,11]. The removal of stover can lead to a decline in soil quality and, agricultural productivity by decreasing the content of soil organic carbon (SOC) and increasing the risk of soil erosion [12,13]. The use of corn stover as a renewable energy could reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from transportation (fuel) with biofuel and the reduced production of fossil fuels. The removal of corn stover could increase the carbon footprint/GHG emissions in the process of manufacturing fertilizer and increased application in the field to fulfill the crop nutrient requirements

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