ARS | Publication request: NITROGEN RESPONSE OF SUNFLOWERS IN A FOUR YEAR DRYLAND ROTATION

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: February 7, 2003
Publication Date: October 1, 2003
Citation: VIGIL, M.F., BENJAMIN, J.G. NITROGEN RESPONSE OF SUNFLOWERS IN A FOUR YEAR DRYLAND ROTATION. AGRONOMY ABSTRACTS. Presented at the National American Society of Agronomy Meeting, Oct. 2002. Indianapolis, IN.

Technical Abstract: Knowledge of sunflower response to fertilizer nitrogen (N) in the Central Great plains is limited. Here we report on the measured N response of no-till managed dryland sunflowers and discuss the N requirement for this crop in the dry-land region of the Central Great Plains. Sunflower was grown in a no-till, four year rotation of wheat-Corn (millet)- sunflower-summer fallow. Superimposed upon the crop were four N regimes where the crop was fertilized with either 0, 30, 60 or 90 kg of N ha-1. Grain yield, biomass yield, and N-uptake was measured in each plot over a 7 year period. Sunflowers tend to be only slightly N responsive. The N requirement was calculated to be close to 3 kg of N per cwt (45kg). Water is more limiting than N for sunflower production in our region.