Fertilizer Placement for Conventional and No‐Tillage Barley in the Subarctic

Abstract

Banding all fertilizer near the seed at planting saves time and often increases nutrient uptake and yields of small grains, but adds to the cost of the drill. Some growers have successfully banded all of the fertilizer with barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in cold soils. This study compares banding 100, 66, 34, and 0% of the fertilizer with the seed and placing the remainder in a deep band between rows and broadcasting all fertilizer. Fertilizer rates were 90, 20, 37, and 18 kg ha−1 of N, P, K, and S, respectively; urea was the N source. Both tilled and no‐till treatments were included on a Volkmar silt loam (coarsesilty over sandy or sandy‐skeletal, mixed Aquic Cryochrept) at Delta Junction, AK. Banding 100% of the fertilizer with the seed in field studies reduced emergence 2 of 3 yr for both tillage treatments, but did not affect nutrient uptake or yields. Nitrogen uptake and grain yields were reduced by broadcasting the fertilizer in no‐till but was not affected in the tilled treatments. Seedling injury from urea applied with barley seed at soil temperatures of 5, 15, and 25 °C was evaluated in root‐zone temperature chambers using Tanana silt loam (loamy, mixed, nonacid Pergelic Cryaquept). These studies confirmed that percentage of emergence increased with reduced soil temperature when urea was placed with the seed, but that emergence rate was delayed at all temperatures. This indicates that the risk of injury from banding urea with the seed is less in cold soil than in warm soil, but there is still danger of injury to the crop.