Integrating Management of Soil Nitrogen and Weeds

Abstract

Knowledge of the soil nitrogen (N) supply and the N mineralization potential of the soil combined with an understanding of weed-crop competition in response to soil nutrient levels may be used to optimize N fertilizer rates to increase the competitive advantage of crop species. A greenhouse study (2006) and field studies (2007 to 2008) in Illinois and Nebraska were conducted to quantify the growth and interference of maize and velvetleaf in response to varying synthetic N fertilizer rates in soils with high and low N mineralization potential. Natural soils were classified as having “low mineralization potential” (LMP), while soils amended with composted manure were classified as having “high mineralization potential” (HMP). Maize and velvetleaf were grown in monoculture or in mixture in both LMP and HMP soils and fertilized with zero, medium, or full locally recommended N rate. In the greenhouse, velvetleaf interference in maize with respect to plant biomass increased as N rate increased in the HMP soil, whereas increasing N rate in the LMP soil reduced velvetleaf interference. In contrast, velvetleaf interference in maize decreased as N rate increased regardless of soil class in the field experiment. With respect to grain yield, velvetleaf interference in maize was unaffected by N rate or soil class. In both greenhouse and field experiments, velvetleaf biomass was greater in the HMP soil class, whereas maize interference in velvetleaf was generally greater in the LMP soil class. While soil N levels influenced weed-crop interference in the greenhouse, the results of the field study demonstrate the difficulty of controlling soil nutrient dynamics in the field and support a maize fertilization strategy independent of weed N use considerations.

Effect of Different Sources of Nitrogen Fertilizers Combined with Vermiculite on Productivity of Wheat and Availability of Nitrogen in Sandy Soil in Egypt

“…Piccinin et al (2013) showed that the grain yield of wheat improved when wheat plants were grown with a combination of chemical N and biofertilizer inoculation. Kandil et al (2011), Wortman et al (2011, Ghaderi-Daneshmand et al (2012), Estrada-Campuzano et al (2012), Liu and Shi (2013) and Namvar et al (2012) noted that the decrease in biomass production with decreasing supply of N was associated with decreases in both radiation interception and Radiation Use Efficiency (RUE). Nitrogen is known to be an essential nutrient for plant growth and development involved in vital plant functions such as photosynthesis, DNA synthesis, protein formation and respiration (Blackshaw et al, 2005;Rana et al, 2012;Diacono et al, 2013).…”

First‐Season Crop Yield Response to Organic Soil Amendments: A Meta‐Analysis

“…However, in studies where SOM was greater than 3%, the yield increase dropped to 27±10%. Soils with high levels of organic matter content, like many croplands in the Midwest, can have a greater potential for N mineralization, and crop yield is often less responsive to fertilization (Mulvaney et al, 2001;Wortman et al, 2011). Indeed, SOM is positively correlated with pre-plant soil nitrate levels and subsequent crop yield (Quiroga et al, 2006).…”

Effect of CO2 elevation and UV-A radiation on growth responses of Zinnia, Petunia, Coxcomb, and Marigold

“…Generally, the highest leaf number and shoot dry mass were observed in coxcomb in comparison to the C 3 plants due to quickly establishment and better use of soil nutrients by coxcomb seedlings (Hammer et al, 2005;Wortman et al, 2011). Shoor et al (2010) reported that elevating CO 2 concentration to 700 ppm could be increased marigold height (approximately 50 %) as a result improved plant photosynthesis capacity and allocated more assimilates to vegetative growth.…”