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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #184345
Title: EFFECTS OF PLANT-SPECIFIC N TREATMENT AND PLANT SPACING ON CORN YIELD

Author
item JIANG, PINGPING - UNIV OF MO
item Kitchen, Newell
item Sudduth, Kenneth - Ken

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/9/2005
Publication Date: 9/27/2005
Citation: Jiang, P., Kitchen, N.R., Sudduth, K.A. 2005. Effects of plant-specific N treatment and plant spacing on corn yield [abstract] [CDROM]. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Uneven corn plant spacing is common, due to unemerged, double or misplaced plants. We hypothesized that variable N application on a plant-by-plant basis according to plant position could compensate for yield loss due to uneven spacing. The objective of the study was to evaluate the agronomic response of corn plants to varying N rates under different spacing scenarios. A field study was conducted at five locations in central Missouri during 2003 and 2004. Row segments of six corn plants each contained one of the following spacing scenarios in the middle of the segment: (1) single skip (SS), (2) double skip (DS), (3) double plant (DP), and (4) uniform (UN). Five N treatments were applied on a plant basis. The N treatments were (1) control: no N, (2) adequate: 269 kg ha-1 N for each plant in the segment; (3) equal: 179 kg ha-1 N for each plant in the segment; and (4) two variable N rate strategies with either more or less N than the "equal" treatment applied to unevenly-spaced plants. Results showed that plant spacing significantly affected corn yield. On an area basis DS had the largest yield loss. The variable N rate strategies did not have a significant effect on either corn growth or grain yield compared with providing an equal rate of N to each plant.