Placement of Molybdenum Fertilizer in the Transplant Solution of Burley Tobacco1

Abstract

AbstractTwo field experiments were conducted at Lexington, Ky. on Maury silt loam soil (fine, mixed, mesic Typic Paleudalf) to determine the effect of placing molybdenum (Mo) fertilizer as a solution in the root zone (band) at transplanting on growth, yield, and Mo concentration of burley tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. KY 14). In one experiment on soil with initial pH of 5.5 that had received application of Mo in each of the 2 previous years, adding Mo as a transplant solution significantly increased plant Mo concentration, nitrate reductase activity, and cured leaf yields. Response to added Mo as a transplant solution was generally greater in plots previously amended with little or no Mo. This plant response to transplant applications is in contrast to previous studies showing little or no response to broadcast applications in soils of relatively low pH. In a second experiment on soil with pH of 6.2, plant Mo concentrations increased linearly as rate of Mo increased for both broadcast and transplant solution Mo applications. However, the slope of the regression line was greater for transplant Mo fertilization. The data indicate that Mo applied as a transplant solution is more effective than broadcast Mo. This will permit the use of lower rates when Mo is added at transplanting.