The importance of harvest residues in corn production

Abstract

Harvest residues of field crops are important for matter cycling in the agroecosystem, especially when organic fertilizers are not applied in adequate amounts. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of increasing nitrogen doses and harvest residues (HR) on corn yield. The international stationary field trial (ISDV) has been established on a calcareous chernozem soil, at Rimski Šančevi, on Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad. This paper review two-year average yields on corn hybrid NS 3022. The trial had six treatments, three with HR (0, 100, 200 kg N ha-1) and three without HR (0, 100, 200 kg N ha-1). The experiment was set up in three-crop rotation (corn, soybean, wheat). The average yield with and without HR treatments was 7.22 t ha-1. The average yield obtained on treatments with HR was 7.64 t ha-1 , which was higher by 0.85 t ha-1 (12.52%) than the average yield on treatments without HR (6.79 t ha-1). The highest yield on treatments with HR was achieved with 100 kg N ha-1 a (8.44 t ha-1) while the highest yield on treatments without HR was obtained with 200 kg N ha-1 (8.56 t ha-1). On average, HR increased the yield of corn grain in the control treatment by 1.18 t ha-1. To achieve good yields of corn grain, optimal nitrogen doses on treatments with HR should range from 100 kg N ha-1 to 200 kg N ha-1 , while on treatments without HR optimal doses of nitrogen should be closer to 200 kg N ha-1 .

Effects of Combined Long-Term Straw Return and Nitrogen Fertilization on Wheat Productivity and Soil Properties in the Wheat-Maize-Soybean Rotation System in the Pannonian Plain

“…In the conditions of Vojvodina, in a two-year study conducted on the same trial, Jaćimović et al [12] reported that, on average, for all N fertilization variants, wheat GY obtained in the SI treatment was 540 kg ha −1 higher compared to straw removal. Depending on the analyzed varieties and the amount of applied N, the increase in wheat yield in the treatment with SI amounted to 370-930 kg ha −1 , which is, on average, for four years, about 11% [26], while [27] report an increase in maize yield by 12.5% in the treatment of plowing crop residues in crop rotation compared to their removal.…”

“…Straw return, as a sustainable agricultural practice, is widely applied to improve crop yields and soil quality [19][20][21][22], while it can also contribute to increased yield stability [23][24][25]. In the conditions of the Vojvodina chernozem, [12,26,27] reported the positive effects of plowing crop residues with the application of appropriate amounts of nitrogen on wheat and maize yields. However, straw return without fertilizer application can have a potential negative impact on crop yields [11,28,29].…”