ARS | Publication request: Soil N to corn after alfalfa through tillage and regrowth management

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: September 23, 2010
Publication Date: November 16, 2010
Citation: Coulter, J., Yost, M., Russelle, M.P., Sheaffer, C., Kaiser, D. 2010. Soil N to corn after alfalfa through tillage and regrowth management [abstract]. In: 2010 Minnesota Forage Research Symposium, November 17-18, 2010, St. Cloud, Minnesota. p. 24.

Technical Abstract: Planting corn after alfalfa can eliminate or greatly reduce the nitrogen (N) fertilizer requirement for first-year corn while increasing corn yield potential due to the rotation effect. Current University of Minnesota guidelines regarding alfalfa N credits to corn are based on alfalfa stand density and do not account for the quantity of alfalfa regrowth prior to stand termination or the tillage system used. In the fall of 2009, field experiments were established on six farms in central and southern Minnesota to determine how the quantity of alfalfa regrowth and tillage system for alfalfa stand termination affect the response of first-year corn to N fertilizer. Chisel plow, minimum-, and no-tillage systems were evaluated. Results from these experiments will be shared, along with herbicide recommendations for successful alfalfa stand termination.