Liquid swine manure as a sidedressed nitrogen source for corn

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Abstract

Sidedressing liquid swine (Sus scrofa) manure (LSM) on corn (Zea mays L.) may provide additional time to apply manure and help better match crop-nutrient demand with nutrient supply. A 2-yr, on-farm study was conducted in Minnesota to assess three sidedress nutrient sources—injected LSM via dragline hose, anhydrous ammonia (AA), and urea ammonia nitrate (UAN)—against a non-sidedressed control. At planting, all treatments (including the control) received 46 kg N ha−1 as starter fertilizer. At sidedressing, 157 kg N ha−1 of available N was targeted for application with the different N sources at the fourth leaf collar stage of corn (V4). Sidedressing did not affect plant population compared with the non-sidedressed control in 2018, but sidedressed LSM reduced plant population by 6% relative to the control in 2019, likely due to wet soil conditions and manure injection settings that partially buried plants. In 2018, LSM produced comparable grain yield and net return to sidedressing costs as AA and UAN, despite lower soil ammonium and nitrate levels in the 0- to 15-cm soil layer approximately 12 d after application. In 2019, LSM led to 18–25% lower grain yield than AA and UAN and lower net returns because of a combined plant population reduction and an application of 50 kg plant available N ha−1 less than expected. Sidedressing corn with LSM is a viable alternative to commercial fertilizers, although to realize consistent results, better fine-tuning of application rate, depth, and speed under different soil moisture conditions may be needed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)5206-5221
Number of pages16
JournalAgronomy Journal
Volume112
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was partially funded by the Minnesota Pork Board and the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council. The authors are grateful to Scott Cortus, Jason Leonard, Hatley Christensen, Kyle Madsen, Eddie Alto, Ethan Barton, Manuel Sabbagh, and Dr. Suresh Niraula for technical assistance in the field and laboratory during this project. We would also like to thank David and Robyn Pfarr for the use of their land and assistance throughout the project.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors. Agronomy Journal published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society of Agronomy

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