Digging into Research
A rate of no more than 9 lbs. N + 9 lbs. P2O5/ac as a starter seed-row 28-26-0 fertilizer blend was found to be the optimum rate that maximized yield in soybean and lentil. Higher rates reduced emergence and decreased the proportion of nitrogen derived...
In the first season after winter bale grazing, forage yield at the grazing site was reduced by 68% compared to control plots, but no difference in the second season. Residual nitrate-N and Olsen P in the soil were also higher at the centre of the...
Starter nitrogen (N) up to 75 lbs. N/ac broadcast and incorporated before planting a Maturity Group 00 soybean cultivar found no differences in biomass, grain protein, or oil content. There was no yield response for treatments receiving starter N fertilizer relative to the unfertilized control...
[Editorial Note: This 26-site research study was conducted across the Prairies 20 years ago, but results and lessons learned are still applicable today.] In-crop application of 14 lbs. N/ac of broadcast ammonium nitrate or foliar-applied UAN were generally equally effective at increasing grain protein content in...
Niger grain yield increased linearly by 18% with increasing nitrogen rates. Seeding depths down to one inch (2.5 cm) allowed placement of seed into soil moisture to support emergence and optimize yield. Niger is an open-pollinated oilseed crop, and was domesticated in Ethiopia. While niger is...
This one-year study supports previous recommendations that in-soil banding of nitrogen fertilizers during seeding or near to the time of seeding is a best management practice to enhance nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Increasing farm size in western Canada has led many farmers to move back to...
In canola, the net return with the full rate of nitrogen side-banded at seeding was always greater than the same rate split-applied as side-banded N and fertigation. In HRSW spring wheat, late-season in-crop applications of N by fertigation could be used to boost grain protein,...
An optimum seeding rate between 30,000 and 35,000 seeds/ac for hybrid 63A21 sunflower, and between 40,000 and 45,000 seeds/ac for open-pollinated AC Sierra was determined under no-till cropping systems in Saskatchewan. At N fertilizer prices of around $0.50/lbs., the recommended N fertilizer rate based on...
Seeding early should increase the likelihood of harvesting quality grain before weathering, but this did not guarantee higher yields or higher test weights. Generally, 71 lbs. N/ac resulted in optimum test weights and often produced optimum economic returns. Selecting a variety with genetics for high...
The research suggests that improving pulse nitrogen fixation by targeting an increase in nodule numbers and nodule biomass could help improve long term cropping sustainability and reduce reliance on inorganic N fertilizer. In addition, developing pulse varieties with improved water-stress tolerance may improve the N-fixation...