Many people focus on best management practices that help reduce the loss of nutrients when livestock manure is stored and applied on fields.
However, Adrian Johnston, agronomist with the Potash and Phosphate Institute of Canada, said there are also best management practices for fertilizer nutrients.
Johnston said information is available indicating effective
and efficient ways to deal with
fertilizer nutrients in crop production.
Research supported by his organization focuses on the efficient use of fertilizer nutrients.
Projects are under way across Western Canada on a range of fertilizer applications.
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The following reports summarize some of the results from recent studies of fertilizer and cereal crops.
Alberta
- Phosphate, potassium and sulfur on malting barley
Led by Ross McKenzie, Alberta
Agriculture, Lethbridge
Balancing high yield with acceptable grain protein levels is a challenge for malting barley growers in semi-arid regions. Research in Alberta has shown that many farmers underfertilize their malting barley with nitrogen to avoid high protein, leading to grain yield losses of 10 to 40 percent.
The objective of this research is to evaluate the necessary balance between nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur fertilizer rates to maximize yields and ensure optimum malting barley quality.
Adding phosphorus provided an economic increase in barley yield at 29 percent of the sites in this study, fewer than past projects in the region. Hot, dry summer conditions limited yield response of barley.
A minimal response of both grain protein concentration and kernel size, which are two major factors in malting barley grading, can be attributed to the lack of phosphorus yield response at most sites.
At a few sites, a negative response for kernel plumpness to phosphorus reflected on the early season soil water depletion by these crops, leading to fewer plump kernels.
The small increases in grain yield from potassium application were found on soil that tested less than 180 pounds of potassium per acre in the soil’s first 15 centimetres. Kernel size was not affected by potassium application.
No responses to sulfur were recorded, even though soil sulfur levels were low. Subsoil sulfur levels were sufficient to meet malting barley requirements.
Manitoba
- Impact of long-term phosphate application and level of fertilizer cadmium on crops and soil
Led by Cynthia Grant, Agriculture Canada, Brandon
Public concern regarding the transfer of cadmium from phosphorus fertilizers to soil and uptake by crops has increased interest in evaluating the true impact of fertilization practices on food nutrient content.
The study has three objectives:
- Determine the cumulative impact of applying fertilizer phosphorus, varying in cadmium concentration, on grain yield and micro-nutrient concentration, total soil cadmium, phyto-available cadmium and grain cadmium concentration, on a range of soil types.
- Determine the impact of soil characteristics on availability of native soil cadmium and cadmium added with phosphorus fertilizer.
- Determine the effectiveness of several soil testing methods in predicting availability of native and applied cadmium across a range of soil types and environmental conditions.
Lab studies were initiated to evaluate the impact of additional monoammonium phosphate fertilizer, varying in cadmium concentrations of 0.38, 7.3 and 211 milligrams of cadmium per kilogram of fertilizer, on soil solution and plant uptake of cadmium.
The study found little relationship between cadmium added to soil and cadmium found in plants. Even where the concentration of cadmium added to soil varied to a large degree, only small increases in solution cadmium were observed.
Adding the equivalent of 15 years of monoammonium phosphate fertilizer to soil did not result in a drastic increase in soil solution cadmium, even when high cadmium concentrations were used.
- Improving the phosphorus nutrition of wheat
Led by Cynthia Grant, Agriculture Canada, Brandon
In Western Canada, early season phosphorus supply may be limited due to cold temperatures and calcareous soils. Fluid phosphorus sources have been shown to enhance early season phosphorus supply and provide a yield benefit relative to traditional granular sources on highly calcareous soils in Australia.
Arbuscular mycorrhizae also play a role in phosphorus and zinc nutrition of crops. The objective of this research is to investigate applications of arbuscular mycorrhizae inoculant in combination with and without side-banded monoammonium phosphate and side-banded and surface dribble-banded ammonium polyphosphate. It also evaluates effects of combined application of fertilizer phosphorus and arbuscular mycorrhizae on phosphorus and zinc nutrition.
Arbuscular mycorrhizae inoculant treatments alone provided some improvement in wheat stand density in this study, but the advantage was lost when fertilizer phosphorus was applied with the inoculant.
Fertilizer form or placement had no impact on crop emergence. At harvest, biomass yield was improved with the addition of phosphorus alone, or in combination with arbuscular mycorrhizae inoculant. The higher of the two phosphorus rates considered gave the greatest biomass yield.
While not significantly different, grain yields showed a minor improvement with phosphorus fertilizer additions at all locations. Little difference was also observed between phosphorus fertilizer placement in the seed row versus the side band.
Saskatchewan
- Improving the quality and profitability of durum through nutrient and disease management
Led by Bill May, Agriculture Canada, Indian Head
Optimizing durum’s yield and quality is key to making it a profitable crop in the semi-arid regions of Western Canada. While many growers are increasing the nitrogen used on durum crops, they often use only minimal rates of phosphorus, increasing concern that they are not making full use of the nitrogen that they apply.
Grain protein is one of the most important factors determining durum quality and premium durum markets consistently demand a protein content of 13 percent or higher. The objective of this research is to develop soil fertility management strategies geared to maximizing production and improving protein.
In 2002, applying phosphorus did not affect yield or protein. However, in 2003 the application of phosphorus increased seed yield.
Phosphorus placement in the seed row versus side banding did not
affect yields in 2002, 2003 or 2004, or protein in 2002 and 2003. Data wasn’t analyzed in 2004.
There was an interesting interaction between nitrogen and phosphorus on hard vitreous kernels in 2002. The addition of phosphorus at the low nitrogen rate reduced the percentage of hard vitreous kernels and the quality of the durum grain sample harvested. This did not
occur in 2003.
Additions of phosphorus were
required to optimize the yield
response to increasing nitrogen rates in 2004. The response of yield and protein to potassium chloride was erratic and no clear conclusion can be drawn at this time.
