Joseph R. Heckman

Nutrient removal by corn grain harvest

for crop nutrient removal are an important component of nutrient management planning and crop production. Effective nutrient management requires an accurate accounting of Although state agronomy guides and other sources nutrients removed from soils in the harvested portion of a crop. Because the typical crop nutrient values that have historically been used often publish values for crop nutrient removal, the origimay be different under current production practices, a study was nal studies on which those values are based are seldom conducted to measure nutrient uptake in grain harvested in 1998 and cited. Also, the values that were established in the past 1999 from 23 site-years in the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA. There may not be correct for current agronomic technologies were 10 hybrids included in the study, but each site grew only one such as hybrid, higher plant population, yield potential, hybrid each year. Corn (Zea mays L.) production practices followed fertilizer practice, and soil conditions. Furthermore, local state extension recommendations. Minimum, maximum, and there is a need to re-evaluate crop nutrient removal mean corn grain yields were 4.9, 16.7, and 10.3 Mg ha 1. Nutrient values for corn as several states in the Mid-Atlantic concentrations were determined on grain samples oven-dried at 70 C USA now mandate the development of comprehensive for 24 h. Minimum, maximum, and median nutrient concentration nutrient management plans (Simpson, 1998; Sims, 1999; values were as follows: 10.2, 15.0, and 12.9 g N kg 1; 2.2, 5.4, and 3.8 g P kg 1; 3.1, 6.2, and 4.8 g K kg 1; 0.13, 0.45, and 0.28 g Ca kg 1; 0.88, Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission, 1997). 2.18, and 1.45 g Mg kg 1; 0.9, 1.4, and 1.0 g S kg 1; 9.0, 89.5, and Nutrient removal values are a key component of nutri33.6 mg Fe kg 1; 15.0, 34.5, and 26.8 mg Zn kg 1; 1.0, 9.8, and 5.3 mg ent management planning because manure nutrient apMn kg 1; 1.0, 5.8, and 3.0 mg Cu kg 1; and 2.3, 10.0, and 5.5 mg B plications are being limited to the expected level of crop kg 1. Median nutrient uptake values found in this study are similar nutrient removal. to commonly used book values, but there was considerable variation The large volume of manure generated by concenamong samples of corn grain. Concentrations of P and K in grain trated animal-feeding operations in the Mid-Atlantic were positively associated with yield level, and concentrations of grain region and the environmental concerns associated with P were positively correlated with Mehlich-3 soil test P. The variability accumulation of soil P to excessive levels (Sims, 1998) in nutrient removal values seen in this study, even for the same hybrid, have focused much attention on P in nutrient manageraises questions about the usefulness of average values for estimating crop nutrient removal across a range of cropping conditions. Research ment planning. Until recently, manure application recomis needed to identify or develop a means to correct for the sources mendations were designed to match the N requirements of variability. of the crop, often leading to manure P applications in excess of crop removal. While at present, there is emphasis on P-based nutrient management planning, other F the viewpoint of sustainable agriculture, nutrinutrients may receive greater attention in the future. ent management ideally should provide a balance The objective of this study was to measure nutrient between nutrient inputs and outputs over the long term (N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Zn, Mn, Cu, B, and Fe) removal (Bacon et al., 1990). In the establishment of a sustainable by corn grain over a range of growing conditions in system, soil nutrient levels that are deficient are built the Mid-Atlantic region and to determine if nutrient up to levels that will support economic crop yields. To concentrations in grain were related to crop yield. The sustain soil fertility levels, nutrients that are removed study was conducted as part of a larger regional project by crop harvest or other losses from the system must on P fertility research. This allowed us to also examine be replaced annually or at least within the longer crop the relationship between soil test level and crop removal rotation cycle. When nutrient inputs as fertilizer, maof P. nure, or waste materials exceed crop removal over a period of years, soils become oversupplied and nutrient MATERIALS AND METHODS leaching and runoff become an environmental concern We grew corn in five states (Delaware, Massachusetts, (Daniel et al., 1998; Sims et al., 1998). Accurate values Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) in 1998 and 1999 for a total of 23 site-years (Table 1). Sites were selected to J.R. Heckman, Dep. of Plant Biol. and Pathology, 59 Dudley Rd., represent the wide range of soils (Alfisols and Ultisols) and Foran Hall, Cook College, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8520; J.T. Sims, P fertility levels within the Mid-Atlantic region. They included Dep. of Plant Sci., Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE 19717-1303; D.B. both on-farm and research station land. Local recommendaBeegle, Dep. of Crop and Soil Sci., 116 Agric. Sci. Bldg., University tions guided cultural practices. Starter fertilizer at all sites Park, PA 16082; F.J. Coale, Nat. Resour. Sci. and Landscape Architecsupplied 15 kg P ha 1 in the form of monoammonium phosture, Univ. of Maryland, 214 H J Patterson Hall, College Park, MD phate. Spacing between rows was 0.76 m. We measured yields 20742; S.J. Herbert, Dep. of Plant and Soil Sci., Univ. of Massachusetts, from a harvested area of two 6-m rows in the middle of each Amherst, MA 01003; T.W. Bruulsema, Potash and Phosphate Inst., 18 of four replicated plots. Harris Laboratory, Lincoln, NE, anaMaplewood Drive, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 1L8; and W.J. Bamka, Rutgers Coop. Ext. of Burlington County, 49 Rancocas St., Mount lyzed grain samples that were collected from each plot. They Holly, NJ 08060-1317. Received 2 May 2002. *Corresponding author were oven-dried at 70 C and ground in a Wiley mill to pass (heckman@aesop.rutgers.edu). Abbreviations: M3P, Mehlich-3 phosphorus. Published in Agron. J. 95:587–591 (2003).

A history of organic farming: Transitions from Sir Albert Howard's War in the Soil to USDA National Organic Program

The organic farming concept developed in the period prior to 1940 and was pioneered by Sir Albert Howard (1873–1947). Howard, born and educated in England, directed agricultural research centers in India (1905–1931) before permanently returning to England. His years of agricultural research experiences and observations gradually evolved into a philosophy and concept of organic farming that he espoused in several books. Howards thinking on soil fertility and the need to effectively recycle waste materials, including sewage sludge, onto farmland was reinforced by F.H. Kings book, Farmers of Forty Centuries . Howard developed a system of composting that became widely adopted. Howards concept of soil fertility centered on building soil humus with an emphasis on how soil life was connected to the health of crops, livestock, and mankind. Howard argued that crop and animal health was a birthright and that the correct method of dealing with a pathogen was not to destroy the pathogen but to see what could be learned from it or to ‘make use of it for tuning up agricultural practice’. The system of agriculture advocated by Howard was coined ‘organic’ by Walter Northbourne to refer to a system ‘having a complex but necessary interrelationship of parts, similar to that in living things’. Lady Eve Balfour compared organic and non-organic farming and helped to popularize organic farming with the publication of The Living Soil . Jerome Rodale, a publisher and an early convert to organic farming, was instrumental in the diffusion and popularization of organic concepts in the US. Both Howard and Rodale saw organic and non-organic agriculture as a conflict between two different visions of what agriculture should become as they engaged in a war of words with the agricultural establishment. A productive dialogue failed to occur between the organic community and traditional agricultural scientists for several decades. Organic agriculture gained significant recognition and attention in 1980, marked by the USDA publication Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming . The passage of the Federal Organic Foods Production Act in 1990 began the era of accommodation for organic farming in the USA, followed by another milestone with official labeling as USDA Certified Organic in 2002. Organic agriculture will likely continue to evolve in response to ongoing social, environmental, and philosophical concerns of the organic movement.

Screening fine fescues for aluminum tolerance

Abstract Fine fescues (Festuca spp.) are generally considered acid tolerant compared to other cool‐season turfgrasses. However, there is little information on aluminum (Al) tolerance of fine fescues at both the species and cultivar levels. The objectives of this study were to identy cultivars of fine fescues with superior ability to tolerate Al, and compare the Al tolerance of endophyte infected and endophyte‐free cultivars in Al tolerance. A total of 58 cultrvars of fine fescues belonging to five species or subspecies [14 hard fescue (F. longifolia Thuill), 25 Chewings fescue (F. rubra L. ssp. commutata Gaud), 15 strong creeping red fescue (F. rubra L. ssp. rubra), two slender creeping red fescue (F. rubra L. ssp. trichophylla), and two sheep fescue (F. ovina L.)] were selected from the 1993 National Fineleaf Fescue Test and screened under greenhouse conditions using solution culture, sand culture, and acid Tatum soil (Clayey, mixed, thermic, typic, Hapludult). The acid Tatum soil had 69% exchangeable Al...

Potassium accumulation and soybean yield related to potassium fertilizer rate and placement

Abstract Sandy coastal plain soils have relatively low reserves of potassium (K) and may not be able to supply adequate K for intensive soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production. Field experiments were conducted in 1985 on Goldsboro sandy loam (fine‐loamy, siliceous, thermic Aguic Paleudult) and in 1986 and 1987 on Dothan loamy sand (fine‐loamy, siliceous, thermic Plinthic Paleudult) to determine K fertilizer rate and placement effects on soybean growth and seasonal K accumulation. Treatments were 0, 56, 112, 168, and 224 kg/ha broadcast and 56 kg K/ha banded plus 0, 56, 112, and 168 kg/ha broadcast. Seasonal plant tissue K concentrations were generally increased by K fertilizer rate each year. Method of placement did not have consistent effects on plant K concentration and had little effect on total K accumulation. Grain yield responded to applied K only in 1986 when the initial exchangeable K level was 0.24 cmol/L. Both broadcast and broadcast‐plus‐band placement methods resulted in linear yield incre...

Silicon in Soils and Plants

The crust of the earth is largely composed of silicon that is found primarily as silicate minerals, secondary alumino silicates and various forms of silicon dioxide. However, the abundance of silicon in soils is not an indication that sufficient supplies of soluble silicon are available for plant uptake. In this chapter, the outcomes of many years of research conducted on silicon are consolidated to understand the state of knowledge for silicon fertilization guidelines in crop production. Monosilicic acid (H4SiO4) is the form of silicon used by plants, which is found both in liquid and adsorbed phases of silicon in soils. The concentration of the H4SiO4 in the soil solution is influenced by the soil pH and the amounts of clay, minerals, organic matter and Fe/Al oxides/hydroxides, which are collectively related to the geologic age of the soil. Fertilization can rapidly increase the concentration of H4SiO4 in the soil solution; therefore, fertilization has become a common practice in areas with intensive cropping systems, particularly for those soils that are inherently low in soluble silicon. The establishment of procedures to estimate the plant-available silicon and the critical soil silicon levels and the method (5-day Na2CO3-NH4NO3 extraction) to analyze the soluble silicon fraction in solid fertilizers were among the advances in research on silicon in agriculture in recent years. These measurements were the key components required for the development and implementation of effective silicon fertilizer management in crop production. However, many aspects of the role of silicon in soil science remain understudied, and these aspects should be the focus of future research.

Bell pepper yield response to carbonated irrigation water 1

Abstract Field studies were conducted to determine the influence of carbonated irrigation water on bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) yield, plant nutrient status, canopy carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, and soil pH. Marketable yield, early yield, marketable fruit size distribution, and plant nutrient status were unaffected by carbonated irrigation water. Air CO2 concentration in the lowest portion of the canopy increased during irrigation events, but returned to the ambient CO2 concentration shortly after irrigation ceased. The effect of carbonated irrigation water on soil pH was marginal and unpredictable.

Corn stalk rot suppression and grain yield response to chloride

Abstract Chloride may influence the incidence of corn (Zea mays L.) stalk rot, but supporting research is limited. Field experiments were conducted in 1994 and 1995 using intensive production practices to determine the effect of Cl fertilizer on stalk rot and grain yield. Treatments of 0 and 400 kg Cl ha‐1 were established using K2SO4 or KCl to supply equal amounts of potassium (K). Applied Cl increased the concentration of Cl in the ear‐leaf by more than four‐fold and reduced the incidence of stalk rot by more than half. Grain yield was significantly increased with applied Cl only in 1995. Results show that Cl, applied as KCl fertilizer, suppresses corn stalk rot and may increase grain yield.

Screening Kentucky bluegrass for aluminum tolerance

Abstract Aluminum (Al) toxicity is a growth‐limiting factor in acid soils for many turfgrasses. The genetic diversity among turfgrass cultivars for Al tolerance is not well known. One hundred‐fifty Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) genotypes (cultivars, selections, and breeding lines) belonging to seven ecotypes were selected to screen for Al tolerance under greenhouse conditions using solution culture, sand culture, and an acid Tatum subsoil (Clayey, mixed, thermic, typic, Hapludult). This soil had 69% exchangeable Al and a pH of 4.4. An Al concentration of 320 μM and a pH of 4.0 in a modified 1/4 strength Hoagland nutrient solution was used in solution screening and sand screening. The grasses were seeded and grown four to five weeks before harvesting. Differences were identified among cultivars and the seven ecotypes by measuring relative growth. ‘Battan’, ‘Viva’, and ‘Nassau’ were the most Al‐tolerant cultivars based on the rank average of the three screening methods. Among the seven ecotypes, BVM...

Hybrid and Nitrogen Source Affect Yield and European Corn Borer Damage

ABSTRACT Transgenic corn plants that contain cry proteins (Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, and Cry9C) of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) offer corn (Zea mays L.) growers a more practical and environmentally friendly solution to manage European corn borer (ECB) (Ostrinia nubilalis Hübner) induced loss. Bt corn has demonstrated such promising initial results that it may be susceptible to ECB resistance from overuse. The objective of this study was to investigate nitrogen (N) source effects on ECB damage on continuous corn yield. The effects of N source on soil NO3 −-N, plant height, 2nd generation ECB damage, and grain yield were investigated on a Quakertown silt loam (Fine-loamy, mixed, mesic, Typic Hapludult) from 1995 to 1998. Based on ECB damage observations in 1995 and 1996, plots were split in 1997 and corn isolines were evaluated to study the ECB and yield response to Bt corn. Corn yield did not respond to manure plus sidedress N over the 4-yr period of this study because soil N levels were adequate without sidedress N, as indicated by the pre-sidedress nitrate test (PSNT). Second generation ECB damage was greater in manure plots in all 4-yr. In 1997, an outbreak year, and 1998, an endemic year, Bt corn and manure yielded 19 and 7% greater than non-Bt corn and manure. Our findings suggest that Bt corn is of significant value on land receiving manure in continuous corn production where ECB damage is high.

Lead Extraction Using Three Soil Fertility Tests and Environmental Protection Agency Method 3050

Identifying soils that contain high lead (Pb) concentrations is an important step in protecting public health from Pb poisoning. To determine if soil fertility tests (SFT) can be utilized to predict United States Environmental Protection Agency Solid Waste USEPA SW846‐3050a (EPA3050) levels of Pb in soil, the EPA3050 test and three SFT: Mehlich‐1 (M1), Mehlich‐3 (M3) and Modified Morgan (MM), were performed on 96 soil samples from New Jersey and Delaware. Samples were collected from roadsides, urban gardens, alongside of old, painted buildings, farm fields and lawns, and one trapshoot site. Lead content ranged from 3 to 21,000 mg EPA3050 Pb/ kg soil (median: 180 mg/kg). Site of sample collection was a general predictor of contamination. Percent soil organic matter (SOM) was negatively correlated to relative amount of Pb (compared to EPA3050) extracted, for all three SFT. Soil pH was negatively correlated to relative amount extracted by M1 and MM, but not for M3. Soil fertility tests generally extracted less Pb than did EPA3050 and relative extraction varied depending on the source of sample. Strong positive correlations existed for Pb amongst all four tests. Using simple linear fits, the US EPA level of concern for Pb (400 mg/kg) is predicted to be equal to M1 = 57 mg/kg, M3 = 278 mg/kg and MM = 71 mg/kg. The following equations were developed for samples containing less than 720 mg/kg EPA3050 Pb: EPA3050 Pb = 5.3(M1 Pb) + 96, (r2 = 0.49), EPA3050 Pb = 1.3(M3 Pb) + 39 (r2 = 0.60), EPA3050 Pb = 4.7(MM Pb) + 64 (r2 = 0.74). Using these conversion equations, these SFT are useful as a preliminary screening for Pb contamination of Alfisols and Ultisols.