Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - 11:10 AM
201-6

The Effects of Manure and N Rates on Corn Yield and Nutrient Balance Under Drip and Furrow Irrigation.

Abdelfettah Berrada, Colorado State University, Arkansas Valley Research Center, 27901 County Road 21, Rocky Ford, CO 81067

Feedlot manure at 0, 10, 20, and 30 tons/acre and N fertilizer at 0, 60, 120, and 180 lb N/acre were applied in 2005 and 2006 to determine their impact on corn yield and N and P balance under subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and furrow irrigation (FrI). There were no significant differences in corn yield between SDI and FrI in both years even though much less water was applied with SDI than with FrI. Top corn yields were obtained with as little as 60 lb N/acre or 10 tons of manure/acre when residual N was taken into account, while 30 tons of manure/acre decreased corn stand and seed yield, particularly with SDI. There was more residual nitrate-N in the soil profile with 180 lb N/acre and 10 to 30 tons manure/acre under SDI than under FrI in the fall of 2005 but not in the spring of 2006. Significantly more N and P were taken up by corn grain in the 20 and 30 tons of manure per acre than in the other treatments. There was also substantial P accumulation in the top 2 to 3 feet of soil in the high manure rate treatments. The experiment will be continued in 2007 to examine the residual effects of the two previous years of manure and N application. The potential for leaching of nitrate nitrogen under FrI and SDI will be assessed as well.