Optimization of irrigation and N-fertilizer strategies for cabbage plasticulture system

Barrett, Charles E.; Zotarelli, Lincoln; Paranhos, Lucas G.; Dittmar, Peter J.; Fraisse, Clyde W.; VanSickle, John J.

doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2018.02.063

Cited by 10 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The absence of significant differences among fertilizer N rates in rainy periods after fertilizer application may be due to the movement of soil N below the root zone, which has been previously reported for cabbage production areas with sandy soils (Everaarts and Booi, 2000;Janes, 1950;Smith et al, 2016;Van Eerd et al, 2017). In contrast, the dry growing season in 2017 in Florida allowed for cabbage total and marketable yield to effectively increase under the fertilizer rates of 225 and 280 lb/acre N compared with the application of 170 lb/acre N. In this season, irrigation was the primary source of water for the crop; thereby, the effects of fertilizer applications were more pronounced during the 2017 season because irrigation was managed to reduce soil N leaching (Barrett et al, 2018). This result indicated that cabbage yields may be limited with 170 lb/acre N, but not with 225 lb/acre N, which was the fertilizer N rate required to sustain maximum yields.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For claytextured soils, a fertilizer rate of 143 lb/acre N has been reported to optimize cabbage yield (Khan et al, 2002); however, maximum cabbage yields in sandy soils are reported at a fertilizer rate of 255 lb/acre N, suggesting that the recommended rate of 170 lb/acre N is inadequate due to risks of N losses over rainy periods (Van Eerd et al, 2017). Recent studies conducted in sandy soils of northeast Florida reported an increase in cabbage yield with fertilization rates between 356 and 510 lb/ acre N, when cabbage was grown at high planting density (31,364 plant/ acre) in plastic mulch with drip irrigation (Barrett et al, 2018). In contrast, prior research demonstrated that an increase in fertilizer rates from 135 to 270 lb/acre N could be associated with decreased head quality and reduced cabbage marketable yield (Peck, 1981).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Nitrogen Fertilizer Management and Cultivar Selection for Cabbage Production in the Southeastern United States

Silva

Candian

Zotarelli

et al. 2020

hortte

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Soil nitrogen (N) is easily leached in cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) production areas of southeastern United States characterized by sandy soils with low water-holding capacity. Soil N leaching in these areas is increased after rainfall events; consequently, growers increase the fertilizer N application to protect against N deficiencies and yield loss. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of three fertilizer N rates on yield and head quality for common cabbage cultivars used by Florida and Georgia growers during four cabbage growing seasons. Field experiments were conducted in Hastings, FL, in 2016 and 2017, and in Tifton, GA, in 2018 and 2019. A randomized complete block design was used with a split-plot design of fertilizer N rate and cabbage cultivar. Fertilizer N rate treatments consisted of the application of 170, 225, and 280 lb/acre N and were assigned as the main plot. Cabbage cultivars Bravo, Bronco, Bruno, Capture, Cheers, and Ramada were assigned as the sub-plots. Weather conditions were monitored during all growing seasons, and total, marketable, and unmarketable yields, as well as cabbage head polar and equatorial diameters, and core height and width were measured. In Florida, there was a significant interaction for growing season and fertilizer N rate. The Florida 2016 cabbage season experienced 10.5 inches of rainfall, and fertilizer N rates had no effect on cabbage yields. Total and marketable yield averaged 45,391 and 38,618 lb/acre among fertilizer N rates in 2016, respectively. Rainfall accumulated 2.1 inches during the 2017 study in Florida, which was less than the crop evapotranspiration. In response, total and marketable yield were higher for the applications of 225 lb/acre N (51,865 and 49,335 lb/acre, respectively) and 280 lb/acre N (54,564 and 52,219 lb/acre, respectively) compared with the application of 170 lb/acre N (47,929 and 43,710 lb/acre, respectively). In Georgia, there were no significant interactions between production season and fertilizer N rates. In addition, there were no significant main effects of season or fertilizer N rate. Rainfall events accumulated 20.9 and 7.8 inches during the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons, respectively. Total and marketable yields averaged 37,290 and 33,355 lb/acre, respectively for the two growing seasons in Georgia. Cabbage cultivar had no interaction with fertilizer N rate in any location. ‘Cheers’ (52,706 lb/acre) had the highest total yield in Florida, and ‘Ramada’ (38,462 lb/acre) and ‘Bronco’ (39,379 lb/acre) had the highest total yields in Georgia. In conclusion, the application of 225 lb/acre N was sufficient to sustain cabbage yields, but yields of the 170- and 225-lb/acre N treatments were not different when rainfall events exceeded crop evapotranspiration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Nitrogen Fertilizer Management and Cultivar Selection for Cabbage Production in the Southeastern United States

Silva

Candian

Zotarelli

et al. 2020

hortte

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“…In Ontario, Canada, cabbage yields have been maximized with 237 lb/acre N in a bare-ground production system (Westerveld et al, 2003). However, research conducted in Florida using plasticulture systems have shown increased yields with N application rates more than 357 lb/acre N for high-population (31,376 plants/acre) plantings (Barrett et al, 2018). Typically, fertilizer applications in plasticulture systems are more frequent and use a highly soluble N source compared with bareground systems (Lamont, 1993).…”

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Influence of Nitrogen Rate, Fertilizer Type, and Application Method on Cabbage Yield and Nutrient Concentrations

Coolong

Cassity‐Duffey

Silva

2022

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Georgia is a leading fresh market cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) producer. Current recommendations for bare-ground cabbage grown in the Coastal Plain of Georgia indicate 175 to 225 lb/acre nitrogen (N). Approximately one-third of N fertilizer is recommended at planting, with two or three additional side-dress applications during the season. Growers have begun banding liquid fertilizer between four and six times during the season to reduce N leaching and enhance productivity. To determine the validity of current recommendations as well as the efficacy of applying periodic liquid fertilizer throughout the growing season, field experiments were conducted in Tifton, GA in Fall 2016 and 2017 with the cabbage cultivar Cheers. Fertilizer N rates were 175, 200, 225, and 250 lb/acre N applied using equivalent preplant fertilizer (50 lb/acre N) with two posttransplant applications of a granular fertilizer (27–0P–0K–5Ca) or six applications of a liquid fertilizer (9N–0P–0K–11Ca). A factorial, randomized, complete block design was used. There were no interactions among fertilizer program, N rate, or year for cabbage yield or nutrient concentrations. Total yield was unaffected by the N rate. However, plants fertilized with the lowest N rate (175 lb/acre N) had the lowest yields from the first two harvests compared with the other N rates. Nutrient concentrations were affected by year, with 2017 having greater concentrations of most macronutrients compared with 2016. In conclusion, the application of 175 lb/acre N led to a potential delay in harvest, but all other N rates were equal. The application method did not impact yield or earliness, suggesting that current recommendations for fertilizer applications after planting cabbage in Georgia are adequate.

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“…A 3-row or 4-row configuration with an in-row plant spacing of 25-35 cm was found to optimize crop yield; therefore, only these data were used in the current analysis. The 2012-14 nitrogen fertilizer rate trials were conducted to determine the optimum nitrogen rate for cabbage grown in the newly developed plasticulture system (Barrett et al, 2018). Nitrogen rates ranged from 90 to 672 kg • ha -1 for the highest recommended population from the population trials (77,500 plants/ha).…”

Section: Cabbage Production Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, the low cost of operation and ease of use associated with the bare ground system (Locascio, 2005) have not provided the necessary incentives to drive the adoption of a commercial plasticulture cabbage system. Barrett et al (2015Barrett et al ( , 2018) developed a drip-irrigated plasticulture system and nitrogen fertilizer rates to increase water and fertilizer use efficiencies while increasing plant population. In two follow up studies, Paranhos et al (2016aParanhos et al ( , 2016b examined the effects of planting date on plasticulture grown cabbage over the course of the entire Northeast Florida cabbage planting season and compared the profitability of cabbage grown using plasticulture and bare ground.…”

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Economic Feasibility of Converting from a Bare Ground System with Seepage Irrigation to Plasticulture for Cabbage Production: Where is the Risk?

Barrett

Zotarelli

Paranhos

et al. 2018

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Weather has a major influence on cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) production. Variation in yield between years and cropping seasons is common in North America. Cabbage in Florida has historically been cultivated on bare ground with seepage irrigation. The objectives of this study were to compare yield and profit of a bare ground cabbage production system used in Florida with an alternative plasticulture system. Data from various cabbage trials were combined by production system and used to create regression equations that predicted yield based on air temperature and solar radiation that were significantly correlated with yield. The regression equations were then simulated with correlated stochastic air temperature and solar radiation to estimate the yield distributions for both systems. Cabbage price ($/Mg fresh) was stochastically simulated (correlated to yield) to be used in the profit model. The profit model was created by using the product of yield and the price per unit yield minus fixed and variable costs associated with production and marketing. Simulated profit for bare ground and plasticulture was used to estimate their respective distributions to provide a tool for making better management decisions in the presence of risky weather conditions. The plasticulture system was estimated to have a 36% higher cost but a 57% higher profit than the bare ground system. This is, in large part, because the simulated mean yield for the bare ground system was 29.7 Mg·ha−1 compared with 54.4 Mg·ha−1 for plasticulture. These findings confirmed that plasticulture is an economically viable best management practice for cabbage production in Northeast Florida.

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Optimization of irrigation and N-fertilizer strategies for cabbage plasticulture system

Cited by 10 publications

References 27 publications

Nitrogen Fertilizer Management and Cultivar Selection for Cabbage Production in the Southeastern United States

Nitrogen Fertilizer Management and Cultivar Selection for Cabbage Production in the Southeastern United States

Influence of Nitrogen Rate, Fertilizer Type, and Application Method on Cabbage Yield and Nutrient Concentrations

Economic Feasibility of Converting from a Bare Ground System with Seepage Irrigation to Plasticulture for Cabbage Production: Where is the Risk?

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