HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Olness, A. Articles by Gooch, S. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Olness, A. Articles by Gooch, S. Agricola Articles by Olness, A. Articles by Gooch, S.

Postemergence Mortality and Barrenness of Two Maize Hybrids Affected by Tillage and Nitrogen

USDA-ARS North Central Soil Conservatino Res. Lab. (NCSCRL), North Iowa Ave., Morris, MN., 56267
Univ. of Minnesota West Central Agric. Exp. Stn., State Highway 329 East, Morris, MN
USDA-ARS NCSCRL

J. L. Rinke and S. Gooch

Dep. Science and Mathematics, Univ. of Minnesota, at Morris

Tillage and/or fertilizer N by hybrid interactions in maize (Zea mays L.) affect resource use efficiency. Our objective was to document these interactions for postemergent mortality (PEM) and barrenness of two maize hybrids, Pioneer Brand Hybrid 3906 (Pi 3906) and Dekalb-Pfizer XL8 (De XL8). The PEM was measured in continuous tillage-continuous maize-N (CTMN) study in 1985 and 1986 and a continuous tillage maize-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.I rotation (TMSR) study in 1986 and 1987. The CTMN and TMSR field experiments were conducted on a Tara silt loam (fine, silty, mixed Pachic Udic Haploboroll) and Doland silt loam (fine, loamy, mixed Udic Haploboroll), respectively, in a randomizedblock design. Tillage-N combinations were moldboard plow (MP), chisel plow (CP), ridge till (RT), and no-till (NT) with fertilizer applied in the fall as anhydrous ammonia at 0, 5.6, 10.8, 16.4, and 22.7 g m^–2 N, plus 0.9 g m^–2 N applied as starter fertilizer. The PEM was recorded only for NT and MP tillage treatments, which had received 6.5 and 17.3 g m^–2 N in the CTMN study and 18.0 g m^–2 N in the TMSR study. Plant and emergence marker counts were recorded in two 9.2-m row lengths at 2-d intervals for 6 wk and thence weekly until harvest. Plant losses in De XL8 ranged from about 3 to 6% and 4 to 12% in the CTMN and TMSR studies, respectively. Plant losses in Pi 3906 ranged from 2 to 3% in both studies. The PEM of Pi 3906 with no-tillage treatments was significantly less than that of De XL8, but not different from other tillage-hybrid combinations. Plant barrenness at harvest decreased significantly as applied N rate increased only in De XL8; in 1986 (third year of CTMN study), barrenness generally decreased from greater than 40 to less than 10% as the intensity of tillage increased. Barrenness in Pi 3906 was unaffected by tillage.

Received for publication January 6, 1988.