Dr Fred Below Improving Nitrogen Use of Corn

Summary

Dr. Fred Belo, a renowned crop physiology professor at the University of Illinois, discusses his research on optimizing nitrogen use in corn cultivation. He emphasizes the critical role nitrogen plays in corn productivity and explores innovative approaches, including the potential of nitrogen-fixing bacteria as a third source. The talk delves into the importance of nitrogen placement and timing for peak uptake, aiming to enhance yield while minimizing fertilizer loss. Dr. Belo's findings from various trials across Illinois highlight the significance of banded fertilizer application and the right balance between upfront and side-dress nitrogen application to maximize corn yield.

Takeaways

• 🌽 Dr. Fred Belo is a professor of crop physiology at the University of Illinois, specializing in agronomy and factors affecting corn and soybean production.
• 🏆 Dr. Belo has received numerous awards for his work in teaching, extension, and research excellence and is a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy.
• 📚 He has developed educational tools like the 'Seven Wonders of Corn Yield World' and 'Six Secrets of Soybean Success' to help farmers and professionals with crop management decisions.
• 🌱 Nitrogen is the most impactful factor on corn productivity, and Dr. Belo's research aims to improve nitrogen use efficiency to increase yields and reduce economic costs for growers.
• 🔬 The research involves understanding how corn absorbs and utilizes nitrogen, with a focus on the critical period of vegetative growth for peak nitrogen uptake.
• 📉 The study found that corn takes up nitrogen most rapidly during vegetative growth, with 75% of the nitrogen accumulated by the time of flowering.
• 📈 The research emphasizes the importance of nitrogen placement for optimal uptake, showing that banded fertilizer application tends to yield better results than broadcast application.
• 🌟 The study suggests that having a third source of nitrogen, such as nitrogen-fixing bacteria, could supplement soil and fertilizer sources and potentially reduce fertilizer loss.
• 📊 The research data indicates that the ratio of upfront to side-dress nitrogen application is crucial, especially when broadcast application is used.
• 🌿 The horizontal spread of corn roots is only 6 to 8 inches, highlighting the need for precise fertilizer placement to ensure availability during peak uptake.
• 💧 Nitrogen predominantly moves vertically in the soil, which is another reason why proper placement of nitrogen is essential for corn plants to access it effectively.

Q & A

Who is Dr. Fred Belo and what is his area of expertise?

Dr. Fred Belo is a professor of crop physiology in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois. He is an expert in agronomy and factors limiting corn and soybean production.

What are the 'Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World' and the 'Six Secrets of Soybean Success'?

The 'Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World' and the 'Six Secrets of Soybean Success' are tools developed by Dr. Belo based on his research to teach farmers and professionals about the value of their crop management decisions.

What is the main focus of Dr. Belo's research on nitrogen use in corn?

Dr. Belo's research focuses on improving nitrogen use efficiency in corn to increase yield. He is particularly interested in how nitrogen impacts corn productivity and the economic costs associated with under-fertilization.

What is the significance of the research project conducted by Dr. Eric Winens?

Dr. Eric Winens, a former PhD student of Dr. Belo, conducted a project that was a chapter of his PhD thesis. This project is significant as it contributes to the understanding of nitrogen use in corn and is part of the research efforts to improve crop management.

How does the variation in soil fertility affect the research conducted by Dr. Belo?

The variation in soil fertility, especially the decline in fertility as one moves from the north to the south in Illinois, provides a range of conditions for Dr. Belo's research. It allows him to study the impact of different soil conditions on nitrogen use and crop yields.

What is the role of the research equipment used by Dr. Belo's team?

The research equipment used by Dr. Belo's team is crucial for conducting replicated small plot research. It allows them to manage and apply various treatments, such as different nitrogen application methods, accurately and consistently across multiple research sites.

Why is the timing of nitrogen application in corn cultivation important?

The timing of nitrogen application is important because peak nitrogen uptake by corn is directly related to yield. Ensuring that nitrogen is available during the peak uptake period can significantly influence the plant's growth and final yield.

What is the significance of the horizontal spread of a corn plant's root system in relation to nitrogen placement?

The horizontal spread of a corn plant's root system, which is only 6 to 8 inches, is significant for nitrogen placement because it indicates that roots do not cross the row. This suggests that side-dressing nitrogen along the row (using methods like Y-drop) can be more effective than broadcasting, as it is placed closer to where the roots can absorb it.

How does nitrogen predominantly move in the soil and why is this relevant to fertilizer placement?

Nitrogen predominantly moves vertically in the soil, which is relevant to fertilizer placement because it suggests that placing fertilizer deeper in the soil or closer to the row (where roots are likely to be) can improve nitrogen uptake efficiency and reduce loss.

What is the main takeaway from Dr. Belo's research regarding nitrogen use efficiency in corn?

The main takeaway from Dr. Belo's research is the importance of proper nitrogen management, including the right source, rate, time, and placement of nitrogen application, to maximize yield and minimize loss. This includes understanding the peak uptake period and the role of soil and fertilizer in supplying nitrogen to the crop.

Outlines

00:00

🌽 Introduction to Dr. Fred Belo and His Research

Dr. Fred Belo, a professor of crop physiology at the University of Illinois, is introduced as an expert in agronomy, particularly in factors limiting corn and soybean production. He has received multiple awards for his work in teaching, extension, and research, and is a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy. His research has led to the creation of educational tools like 'The Seven Wonders of Corn Yield' and 'The Six Secrets of Soybean Success' aimed at teaching farmers and professionals about crop management. The speaker discusses the importance of nitrogen use efficiency in corn and introduces a research project involving nitrogen application strategies.

05:03

🌱 Understanding Corn's Nitrogen Absorption and Utilization

This paragraph delves into the science of how corn absorbs and utilizes nitrogen, a critical nutrient for its growth. It explains that corn gets about half of its nitrogen needs from the soil and the other half from fertilizer, with a suggestion of a third potential source from nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the air. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding corn's nitrogen uptake pattern, which peaks during vegetative growth, and how this knowledge can be applied to improve fertilization practices and potentially increase yields.

10:05

📊 The Importance of Nitrogen Uptake and Partitioning in Corn

The speaker presents data and graphs to illustrate the uptake and partitioning of nitrogen in corn, highlighting the critical period of vegetative growth when rapid nitrogen uptake occurs. It is explained that by the time corn reaches the flowering stage, it has accumulated about 75% of its nitrogen, with the remainder being taken up post-flowering. The concept of remobilization, where the plant reallocates nitrogen from leaves to the grain, is discussed, emphasizing the need for sufficient nitrogen availability during peak uptake to avoid negative impacts on leaf health and yield.

15:09

🌟 The Significance of Peak Nitrogen Uptake for Corn Yield

This section focuses on the direct relationship between peak nitrogen uptake and corn yield. The speaker explains that without sufficient nitrogen during the peak uptake phase, yield cannot be maximized. The importance of nitrogen placement for optimal uptake is discussed, with the speaker arguing that banded nitrogen application near the planter can set the yield potential and later be supplemented with side dressing to match peak uptake demands.

20:09

📈 Experiments on Nitrogen Application Methods and Their Impact on Yield

The speaker describes a series of experiments conducted across different sites in Illinois to compare various nitrogen application methods, including broadcast, side dress, and banded applications. The results show that the method and timing of nitrogen application significantly affect yield, especially in relation to the soil's natural nitrogen supply. The data suggests that side dressing, particularly with the Y drop method, can be more effective than broadcast application, especially in fields with high soil nitrogen supply.

25:11

🔍 Optimal Nitrogen Application Strategies for Corn Production

The final paragraph summarizes the findings from a three-year research project on nitrogen application strategies. The study varied the ratio of upfront to side-dressed nitrogen applications and found that banded application at planting, followed by side dressing, was most effective in setting yield potential and matching peak uptake demands. The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of proper nitrogen management for maximizing corn yields and invites attendees to a field day for further demonstrations and discussions.

Keywords

💡Crop Physiology

Crop Physiology is the study of the physiological processes of crops, including how they grow, develop, and respond to environmental factors. In the video, Dr. Fred Belo, a professor of crop physiology, discusses his expertise in agronomy and factors limiting corn and soybean production, which is directly related to understanding the physiological needs of these crops for optimal yield.

💡Agronomy

Agronomy is a branch of agricultural science that deals with the management and study of soil, crops, and the environment to increase productivity and sustainability. Dr. Belo is recognized as an expert in agronomy, particularly in relation to corn and soybean production, and his work impacts teaching, extension, and research excellence in this field.

💡Nitrogen Use Efficiency

Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) refers to the efficiency with which nitrogen, a key nutrient for plant growth, is utilized by crops. In the script, Dr. Belo's research aims to improve nitrogen use on corn, highlighting the economic and environmental importance of optimizing NUE to reduce costs and environmental impacts.

💡Corn Yield

Corn Yield refers to the amount of corn produced per unit area. Dr. Belo developed the 'seven wonders of the corn yield world,' which likely represents strategies or factors that significantly influence corn yield. His focus on improving nitrogen use directly ties into efforts to increase corn yield.

💡Soybean Success

Soybean Success likely pertains to the optimal growth and yield of soybean crops. Although not explicitly detailed in the script, the mention of 'six secrets of soybean success' suggests a set of principles or practices that Dr. Belo or others have identified to enhance soybean production.

💡PhD Thesis

A PhD Thesis is a document that presents the research and findings of a candidate for a doctoral degree. In the video, Dr. Belo mentions a project that was part of a PhD student's thesis, indicating the academic contribution and research depth of the work being discussed.

💡Nitrogen Fixing

Nitrogen Fixing is a process by which certain bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can use. Dr. Belo discusses the potential of nitrogen-fixing biological products as a third source of nitrogen for crops, in addition to soil and fertilizer, emphasizing innovation in agricultural practices.

💡Remobilization

Remobilization in the context of plant physiology refers to the process where a plant reallocates nutrients from one part of the plant to another, often from leaves to seeds during grain fill. Dr. Belo explains that if nitrogen uptake post-flowering is insufficient, the plant will remobilize nitrogen from leaves, which can impact leaf health.

💡Peak Uptake

Peak Uptake is a term used to describe the period during a plant's growth when it absorbs nutrients most rapidly. Dr. Belo emphasizes the importance of peak nitrogen uptake for corn, stating that it is directly related to yield and that ensuring nitrogen availability during this time is critical for maximizing crop productivity.

💡Fertilizer Placement

Fertilizer Placement refers to the method and timing of applying fertilizer in relation to the plant's root system. Dr. Belo discusses the importance of proper fertilizer placement to ensure that nitrogen is available to the corn plant during its peak uptake period, highlighting the need for strategies that minimize nutrient loss and maximize efficiency.

💡Root System

The Root System of a plant is the part that absorbs water and nutrients from the soil. In the script, Dr. Belo explains that the horizontal spread of a corn plant's root system is only 6 to 8 inches, which has implications for how fertilizer should be placed to ensure that the roots can access the nutrients, particularly nitrogen.

Highlights

Dr. Fred Belo is a professor of crop physiology recognized for his expertise in agronomy and factors limiting corn and soybean production.

Dr. Belo has developed the 'Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World' and 'Six Secrets of Soybean Success' as educational tools for farmers and professionals.

Nitrogen is identified as the most impactful factor on corn productivity, with economic consequences for growers related to fertilization practices.

The importance of nitrogen use efficiency in maximizing corn yield is emphasized, with a focus on how nitrogen is utilized throughout the growth cycle.

Research findings suggest that corn吸收s nitrogen equally from soil and fertilizer, highlighting the need for balanced fertilization strategies.

The potential of nitrogen-fixing biological products as a third source of nitrogen for corn is discussed, offering a novel approach to supplement traditional soil and fertilizer sources.

Data from various research sites in Illinois demonstrates the variation in soil fertility and its impact on nitrogen requirements across different regions.

The role of graduate students in contributing to research and the development of new agricultural practices is acknowledged.

The significance of peak nitrogen uptake during vegetative growth for corn's yield potential is identified, with implications for fertilization timing.

A model is presented to illustrate the relationship between peak nitrogen uptake and yield, emphasizing the critical nature of this period for fertilizer application.

The importance of proper fertilizer placement to ensure availability during peak uptake is discussed, considering the horizontal spread of corn roots.

Experiments comparing different nitrogen application methods, such as broadcast versus banded, are summarized to determine the most effective strategies.

The impact of initial nitrogen application on setting yield potential is explored, with data suggesting the optimal ratios for upfront and side-dress applications.

The ENRE project's focus on understanding the minimum nitrogen requirements for corn at planting to ensure maximum yield potential is highlighted.

Results from a three-year study varying upfront to side-dress nitrogen ratios are presented, showing the benefits of banded application over broadcast.

The team's research is celebrated for its contribution to improving nitrogen use efficiency and crop management practices.

An invitation to the Crop Sciences Field Day is extended, offering an opportunity for further engagement with the research and team.

Transcripts

to Dr Fred Belo a professor of crop

physiology in the department of crop

Sciences here at the University of

Illinois he of course recognized uh he

is an expert on Agronomy and factors

limiting corn and soybean production he

has received numerous awards for his

teaching extension and research

excellence and he is a fellow of the

American Society of agronomy based on

his research he developed the seven

wonders of the corn yield world and I

don't you think the seven wonders of the

Corn uh World should be a country song

I'm thinking somebody should be writing

that and the six secrets of soybean

success as tools to teach farmers and

add professionals the value of their

crop management decisions let's welcome

Dr Fred

Belo hey uh can you hear me thank you so

much look at my uh look at my long nasty

title there which basically means I'm

going to try and make nitrogen use on

corn better now now why do I care about

that nitrogen is the factor that has the

biggest impact on corn

productivity and I don't have to tell

you that the economic cost for a grower

to under fertilize is pretty high so um

my goal is how are we going to use

nitrogen to get more yield out of it so

uh I'm going to talk about our enre

project and I'm uh actually going to

talk about a project by uh by this Guy

this is now Dr Eric winens he was a PhD

student with me at the time and this is

actually his project he put the proposal

together so what we did was a a chapter

of his PhD thesis kind of happy that

he's not here because he doing a hell of

a lot better job telling you this then

I'm

gonna so uh now the uh Farm manager I

think he's managing the discovery and

Innovation Center at Brandon I just

learned he's on the unre board

representing the retailers as well so

pretty proud of that by the way graduate

students trained graduate students

that's our laboratory's product so uh

thanks to enra funding some of our

students this has helped us train

students that's how we do our research

and so uh if you look here you know by

the way it takes five years to get a PhD

so Dr W was here for for five years you

know I I don't think that's his first

year but there he is there he pops up

over there I think he's somewhere over

here and then he ultimately

graduates so uh I I know I have at least

two of my current students here and I I

know one or two former ones pretty proud

of those that's how we do our research

so I I'm going to show you research that

we do at uh at several places in

Illinois so you know uh the Land of

Lincoln long state north to south 351

miles and all boy is the soil and

inherent soil fertility change as you go

from the north to the South so U this is

where we do our research sites I'm going

to show you data that comes from these

these sites um and and you know I'm

showing you a general average here all

right um you know sometimes uh sometimes

it changes we we sample so on every and

on every trial but but what I'm trying

to show you is in general in the North

in Yorkville we have a higher percent

organic matter a higher CC and a higher

level of Base soil fertility

then we do in champagne and then we do

in the South other words the fertility

declines as you go south now I got I got

to I got to acknowledge my farm

collaborators I have fantastic Farm

collaborators that we work with in the

South and the north thanks to Danny

bartand and the Stewart Farms in the in

the north couldn't do the work without

them so you know when we're doing our

nitrogen work we want this kind of

variation variation in salt to start

with what we don't want is variation due

to equipment so we run the same research

equipment at all Sites we got some

pretty sweet research equipment all

right so there's my research equipment

we're getting ready to go to one of the

sites I mean boy you don't want to be

stuck behind us on a two-lane road when

we're going to a research site 78 tires

have to actually work that's not

including the spares to get this

equipment to the site and to do the

research I mean we're bringing

everything with us I'll show you our our

liquid toolbar there's our banding

fertilizer I mean we got we got

everything we're bringing seed

fertilizer we bring everything we even

bring this important piece of equipment

I mean the the equipment's powered by

diesel students powered by

caffeine and we learned the hard way

that if you plug that uh coffee maker

into the 12volt outlet of your 450 truck

it might smoke and Spark and you might

end up with a new 450 truck so now now

we bring that

generator so um I told you w with this

equipment we do what I'm going to call

replicated small plot research and we're

pretty good at it so I'll show you our

uh our Southern site here this is

Nashville Illinois and in that 20 acres

with this equipment we put in 11

different trials and we can be pretty

good at it us look at right to the row

I'm sure that's a nitrogen trial in fact

I think it's the unra trial and we can

do it right right right to the row so

this is our Southern site and honest to

God that that's uh the soil down there I

mean it's not a park it's not a gravel

parking lot that's that's soil I mean if

you're in Southern Illinois you know

you're two weeks away from a drought so

this is where we do our research now now

before I get to the enre project I I

feel compelled to try and teach you a

little something about how corn uses

nitrogen I mean how are we going to make

it better right if we don't sort of know

how it uses it right so I'm going to do

a little

education um that leads up to the trial

that we did with enra and I'm going to

try and Eng gaug you a little bit my

first question is where does corn get

its nitrogen

from all right two two you have two

choices so the nitrogen the corn uses

can come from the soil you know

mineralization or the

fertilizer now now I know it it it

there's a debate on how much One Source

provides over another but I'm going to

tell you roughly equal so roughly it's

50/50 I get half my end from the soil I

get the other half from the

fertilizer now I want to POS another

question to you I uh how about a third

Source do you think a third a third

Source would be nice what if I could get

a little bit of it from the air sort of

like what soybean does you know these

are these new nitrogen fixing biological

products that are on the market and I'm

posing this question to you would would

they be a

help I will guarantee you there is a

place in every field where the soil lets

me down in other words it doesn't Supply

its half or the fertilizer lets me down

doesn't Supply its half and if I just

had a third Source a little bit from the

air that it go a long way that's what

these new nitrogen fixing bacterial

products do now I know I know you know

it's easy to say they don't work but we

need these products as a third source

and so I you know I think we need to be

working on how to make these fit into a

fertilizer practice and then maybe we

could reduce fertilizer loss well I'm

not going to talk about that but uh you

can see I'm passionate about it I got

another question for you and this is you

know in my education of how corn uses

nitrogen so my my question is you know

when in the life cycle of of corn is

nitrogen is absorbed and and then how

does it use it I mean what does it do

with it that that's called partitioning

now I'm happy to say I know this because

this is a probably my best cited paper

uh we publish this over 10 years now um

you know the uptake and partitioning of

corn I I know you're sick to death of

seeing this but I'm I'm contractually

bound to show it to you

so and now we looked at all nutrients

right not just nitrogen and guess what

they're not all used in the same time or

the same way I'm just going to focus on

nitrogen here and let me do a little

closeup here and with this graph I'm

going to show you some important aspects

about how corn uses nitrogen and what's

the target for improvement so if you

look at this if you look at this graph

right here what I see this is for 230

bush corn you know it's averaged over a

bunch of hybrids and locations 230

bushel corn and I see that 230 bushel

corn crop has to accumulate 260 lbs of

an over the course of the season now

remember I told you half of that comes

from the soil so I did the math you know

the other half is the 130 from the

fertilizer right now now I know that

that that this work was done with

unlimited end so you know 200 pounds of

end put on just to make sure so if we

put 200 lb of an on and got 130 of it in

from the fertilizer that represents

efficiency of about 65% and that is

about right when it comes to nitrogen

fertilizer you get about 2/3 of what you

put down in the plant in that year so

you know this is some basic knowledge

right now I want to tell you hey when's

The Sweet Spot when is it really going

to crank up well it's right there you

know right there vegetative growth so

that that's when the rapid uptake

occurs no notice why that's so important

I mean we're making the business end of

the plant leaf the stem so if I look at

this graph here you know um and I

separate it into vegetative and

reproductive right that's R1 this side's

vegetative this side's

reproductive what I can see is when the

crop flowers it's got 75% of its

nitrogen in it I mean this varies of

course by hybrid and year but this is

what we generally see 3/4 of the end

vegetatively so 200 lb vegetatively 60

lb during grain fill still got to have

some

25% and that 25% I need gra during grain

fill that's for the air right that's for

the grain that's this blue part see I

modeled this right with lines and I'm

showing you that this postflowering and

uptake 60 lbs that is not enough to meet

the needs of the

grain so where is the End come from the

leaves it's called

remobilization and this this is curs

with lots of them see see how now since

I got to meet the grain needs I'm taking

it out of the leaf at the expense of

leaf Health now now by the way if it's

deficient in that this is even

worse all right so uh let me let me

summarize a few things here and I've

already alluded to this but I know that

this uh I know that this 230 bushel crop

has to take up 60 pounds of an over the

course of the season so this allows me

to calculate a production

coefficient pounds per of nitrogen

uptake per bushel 1.1 pounds I mean

that's what the plant has to

accumulate now I can also calculate how

much is removed with the gray and that's

that blue part I remove 64 lbs per

bushel I want you to notice that the

amount that it takes up and the amount

it removes there's a big difference

there where's that leftover and in the

Stover right if you're going to if

you're going to use nitrogen use

efficiency as the amount removed you're

never going to improve that I mean

you're you're lucky to just get it in

the plant have it in the Stover

afterwards all right so back to this

graph here all right this is sheer

Genius I wish I had thought of this it's

not me it's actually one of my PhD

students he's here so he looked at this

graph and he said hey uh what what if we

integrate the area under this curve

that's called calculus remember calculus

I can never think of any useful reason

to do it but here it is what what if I

take this area under the curve and I

integrate that and that would allow me

to calculate the daily rate of uptake

all right Marcus lman did that with the

original data and that's what it looks

like and not only do can we tell you the

daily rate of uptake but we can do it by

gross stage and we drew some nice

pictures you know to show you what's

what the plant looks like in each of

those

stages if you look at this like all

growth ploted over time you can divide

this into three areas right initial

growth Peak uptake late season notice

they're all characterized by a

difference in the rate of uptake so I'm

I'm going to show you how important this

is and I'm going to start at the

beginning and I'm going to say well

let's go to this initial part here and

it doesn't look like we need very much

you know

that would be

wrong by the way the corn plant senses

its nitrogen from a very early age and

it sets the

potential if you don't have another

enough nitrogen at the beginning you

will not set the

potential so this is an opportunity I

mean who knows maybe may maybe I could

get some soil test to tell me what's

available maybe I could get a biological

that Supply some man and trick the plant

into thinking more was available or

maybe I could put some with the

planter maybe if I put it with a planner

planning a little goes a long way that's

the focus of our inre project all right

but um you know the question is how much

how much nitrogen do I need there to set

the maximum yield

potential I will tell you if you

broadcast the nitrogen I'm not going to

have time to show this to you if you

broadcast the nitrogen you need about

half of it up front to set the potential

so pretty important time even though

it's slow rate of uptake where's the

real important time right there Peak

uptake you know why because I'm making

the business end of the plant the leaves

in the developing air I mean look at

that rate of uptake there I mean over 7

pounds of in per

day that's not the time to be short of

end that is the most important period in

nitrogen uptake by corn

why why is this the most important time

well you're making the business end of

the plant the leaveing the the leaves

but the real reason is Peak uptake is

directly related to

yield you cannot increase yield without

increasing the peak uptake what we done

here is we model different yields Peak

uptake for different yields notice ug

difference in yield almost twice it

doesn't really matter at the beginning

or the end it's the peak uptake that

matters and guess what if that anend is

not available to me Peak uptake yield

drops this is the most important time

now I told you that corn got its end

from fertilizer and the soil so I model

what the soil might Supply from

mineralizations you suppli is quite a

bit but into going to supply enough to

grow really high yields this Gap has to

come from

fertilizer that's pretty challenging and

the question is you know what are we

going to do to make sure we use

fertilizer better right so it's not lost

how but by having those nutrients

available and by gosh it comes down to

the right Source rate time and place I

mean this is so blasé it sort of sounds

like the four

RS well actually is before ours genius

if you think about it all of these are

important I'm going to FOC focus on

placement because that's the most

important of all so let me let me I just

showed you this peak uptake thing what

if I could place the end there right to

make sure it's available for Peak uptake

that would be a good deal wouldn't it

not only might I not have enough for PE

up Peak uptake but I also might have

enough leftover to slow that

remobilization on the back end

placement why is fertilizer placement so

important

it has to do with the horizontal spread

of each corn plant's root system the

horizontal spread of each corn plants

root system is

only 6 to 8

in I know cuz my students have dug up

lots of roots God they love it there's

nothing they'd rather do than dig up

Roots this is the horizontal spread of a

corn plants root system near the end of

the season standard density and see this

thing right here this is an expensive

scientific instrument called a ruler

ometer and we can quantify that spread

notice 68 in so I Got Roots 4 in on one

side 4 in on the other side here's the

biggest misnomer of all time Roots do

not cross the row I mean maybe they used

to 50 years ago but they don't now just

dig them up ask my students I I know

you've seen pictures of corn Roots

they're two foot wide three foot deep

that's called a tree it's not a corn

plant they they only expand about 6 Ines

huh think this isn't why I need to place

fertilizer better let me ask you another

question this is related to nitrogen

when nitrogen moves in the soil H how

does it predominantly move does it

predominantly move

vertically that that's the scientific

term for

down or does it move to the

side by the way Nitro moves

predominantly down I know it can move

sideways but the great movement is

down now look and I can show you this I

can show you an example of this so this

is a field 80 180 pounds of pre of

pre-plan n and then I got seven inches

of rain in late May and early June you

know bye by n downward movement you can

sort of see it there but see this row

right here this row had an extra

inseason side dress 80 lbs put right

there along the row with a Y drop that's

where I'm pretty sure the rout is notice

how it's

Greener now now let me ask you this this

is the summary here if the root only

expands 6 to8 in horizontally and if

nitrogen moves down and not

sideways where would the better place be

to put a side dress application would it

be better to put it here or

there I we've tested that happily we got

the research rig to test that with this

equipment we can test whether it would

be be better to culter it down the

middle or to Wi drop it along the side

so I'm I'm going to I'm going to briefly

show you this experiment this leads into

our enre experiment this is with Brad

burnhard and what we did um again across

the site of Illinois two years uh we

used 180 pounds of nitrogen your

broadcast all up

front or we broadcast half of the r

front and then we did different ways to

side dress the other half so half up

front or all UPF front different ways to

side dress the other half this is sort

of what it looks like you know there's

the top dress there's down the middle

there's the uh there's the Y drop and we

also had a no nitrogen control that's

called the check plot and the check plot

tells us what the soil

supplied so what I'm going to do is I'm

going to show you these six site years

with check plot first

what did the soil supply no nitrogen and

man there some pretty good yields so

look at this check plot no end at all

raised from 97 buels to

224 and here's something interesting the

site with the highest and the lowest

check plot was the same and it's that

southern Illinois site man is this a

challenge because one year the weather

can release lots of that and the next

year not much and this is what makes

this so

difficult now now being scientists what

we want to do is you know characterize

stuff right divide things put them in

groups so we put these into two groups

what we call the low check plot and the

high check plot using a li orange and

blue and so what I'm going to do is I'm

going to show you the yield I I already

shown you the check plot yield but now I

will show you what the yield was I'm

going to going to average it over the

locations I'll show you what the yield

was uh uh from putting 180 lbs on up

front so there again there's the check

plot I got in parenthesis there's the

yield from 180 lbs broadcast um and man

you can see there there's there's some

cases where it's all 100

bushels but mostly it's you know 40 to

70 bushel that we get from nitrogen so

they're all responsed then even with a

high check plot now I'm going to show

you what the yield was from the

different side dress and I'll compare it

to The Upfront broadcast so I'm going to

show you you know how much what the

bushs is when when I only put half it on

up front and I side dressed the other

half and we side dressed it different

ways and I know this is a lot of data um

and I'm showing it as a difference from

The Upfront youra so again um negative

means uh side Dr decrease yeld by the

way so what notice notice any Trends

here look at the blue ones look at the

ones with the low check plot yield if I

had a low check plot yield and I only

put half in on up front side dress the

other half I lost

yield and I lost even more yield if I

put it right down the center I'm pretty

sure there's no root there you know it's

moving down not

sideways but look at the sites that have

the high check plot yield if I had a

high check plot yield then I actually

responded positively to the side dress

and the yde drop was the best like the Y

drop being the best doesn't surprise me

but this is really

counterintuitive this tells you that

that plant must see a certain amount of

nitrogen right from the very beginning

and if I got a low check plot it doesn't

see it from the very beginning unless I

broadcast 180 pounds of

end it's the you know it's got to see

some from the very

beginning now here's the question how

much does it need to see from the very

beginning that is our enre project so

that's what Dr wi did so what I'm going

to show you is uh a three years three

locations so the the standard years and

at each of these sites what we did is we

varied the ratio of upfront to side

dress so uh either we put a quarter of

it up front the rest side dress 3/4 or

we did it half half 3/4 or we did it all

up front none side dress and that up

front was either broadcast or

banded the side dress was always done

with the Y drop so we used the best side

dress and in all of these treatments

total 180 lbs of an and I will show you

we did have a a fertilizer check plot

and I know you're thinking well how on

Earth did you do this this is you know

with using liquid this is pretty

challenging so here's how we did the

broadcast we got an RTV that's got rtk

and we put a student in the back we're

telling them on off pretty accurate

you'd be shocked and this is how we did

the 2 by

two so what we're doing is we're we're

putting the fertilizer 2 inches down two

inches aside it's got rtk we're going to

come back with the pl plant 2 in off to

the off to the side so we had if if it

work perfectly three locations three

years should have been nine sight years

okay but Mother Nature you know how she

is she pretty finicky so I lost two of

the SES through the weather events in

case you don't recognize I learned a new

term dear

Rachel I'd rather I didn't learn that

term but so I'm going to show you six

site years upd dat and and I I told you

there was a no end

control so I'll show you that first of

the of what we'll be seven site years

and I've listed them here again

according to their check clocks

[Music]

65 three times that's the variable soil

supply that's already a challenge then

then what I'm going to do is I'm going

to show you the U the the difference

between broadcast and band and I'm going

to average it over all the ratios just

to make it easier so I I put the uh the

the broadcast there there's the banded

um now now you'll notice you know some

cases there 100 IAL increase in other

cases it's more like 60 now if you look

at these numbers I hope you can see that

the Bandit is generally higher than the

broadcast so I did the Delta for you and

I use the green is good you know red is

bad right Christmas colors stop light

and they're all positive and some of

them are statistically significant

banding that fertilizer right off the

front on average increase yield seven

bushes same amount same amount of an now

the other question this is the last

question the other question is you know

how much of that needs to be available

on FR so you know again I I what we did

is we either banded banded or broadcast

this amount that planting and then we

side dress the other amount so I'm going

to show you what the impact of the of

The Upfront side dress ratio meant oh

boy this is a lot of numbers I mean talk

about ugly so I will summarize this for

you and I will tell you you know if you

look closely at the B ones by the

pre-plant to nitrogen Ratio or the

broadcast I I'll just have to take my

word for it that the pre-plant to sidess

ratio was way more important for

broadcast and

Bandit if I broadcast it you know I

generally needed to have a ratio

somewhere here right so I had enough

available but it wasn't all subject to

loss way more important than bandage so

again I want you to look at these and I

want you to say well let me compare the

bandid to the to the side dress that's a

lot of numbers so I'll just do the Delta

for

you and that's what it looks

like that's this is the difference

between the Bandit and the broadcast at

the various ratios so remember Green's

good Red's bad lot of

green here's the cool part here's the

good news look here all

green some of those green numbers are

pretty big this means if I could just b

a little bit at planing I could set the

yield

potential then back later with the side

and I can time that exactly right with

Peak uptick all right so I'm pretty sure

this is going to minimize loss give me

higher yield now I don't have time to

show it all to you but these are also

associated with more nitrogen

accumulation in the plant so the good

news is I only got a banded corner right

set the potential now I got versatility

to come back later all right well I'm

done now but I have to thank my team so

I got some of my students here right by

the way this my current team there's my

assistant coach Dr Conor said you know

how what assistants do they always want

to get their own head coach job he's

being interviewed for the Illinois Sol

fertility extension position best of

luck to him there's Darby danzel Darby

has a poster and and together those two

got me to plan a car you can believe it

so stay tuned for that let me thank the

enre and all the people that is support

in my research couldn't do it without it

and since uh you're a glutton for

punishment and has shown the propensity

to go to a field day I'm going to in

invite you to crop his day our

laboratory Field Day October 1 out in

the field all of my students present

I'll have demos swag refrigerated

restrooms you know I hope you are there

so thank you so

much