TITLE:
Response of Soybean and Lentil to a Seed-Row Placed Starter Nitrogen-Phosphorus Fertilizer Blend in a Brown Chernozem in South-Central Saskatchewan
AUTHORS:
Wasanthika Harshini Galpottage Dona, Jeff J. Schoenau, Tom King
KEYWORDS:
Starter Nitrogen-Phosphorus Fertilizers, Seed-Row Fertilizer Placement, Seed Emergence, Seed Injuries, Nitrogen Derived From Fixation
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.10 No.10,
October
25,
2019
ABSTRACT: Soybean and lentil are
important legume crops in southern Saskatchewan (SK) that can supply the
majority of their nitrogen (N) requirement through biological N fixation (BNF).
However, the onset of BNF can be slow in cold; dry
prairie soils and a small amount of seed-row placed fertilizer containing both
N and phosphorus (P) may benefit the crop. Nevertheless, high rates of
fertilizer in close proximity to the seed can also cause injury. This study was
conducted to determine the response of lentil and soybean to a starter N-P
fertilizer blend applied in the seed-row. A farm field located at the boundary
of the Brown and Dark Brown soil zones in south-central Saskatchewan was
selected to evaluate the effect of seed-row placed N-P fertilizer blend: 50%
Urea + 50% mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP) applied at 0, 10, 20 and 30 kg N and P2O5 ha-1 on emergence, yield, and nutrient uptake. The proportion of
nitrogen derived from fixation (ndff) was determined in the soybean using N-15
dilution technique. The rate of 10 kg N and P2O5 ha-1 was found to be the rate that did not significantly reduce emergence, stand
count or proportion of N derived from fixation, and was sufficient to maximize
yield, N and P uptake for both soybean and lentil under field conditions. Rates
higher than 10 kg N ha-1 in the seed row as starter 28-26-0 blend
reduced emergence and decreased the proportion of ndff.