Fertility and nutrient management from soil to stalk
Like most crops, a strong, high yielding corn crop depends on what nutrients are in the soil. Knowing what is currently in the field is key to deciding how much of what to add in. With corn being a such a big, high-yielding plant, this crop is particularly reliant on a high amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in order to reach its full potential.
Effective fertility and nutrient management begins with a grower understanding each fields' soil type, as this plays a large role in the cation exchange capacity (CEC), which is the main tool for managing nitrogen holding capacity and will impact fertilizer application timings, says Aidan Filipchuk of PRIDE Seeds.
Scouting throughout the season can help with knowing what the crop may be lacking, as well as the timing on when a grower might want to add nutrients. One symptom that a grower might observe while scouting is stunted growth, especially early in the season or into the stem elongation phase, Filipchuk says.
Each nutrient deficiency differs slightly in its symptoms, but most can be seen while walking a field, Filipchuk explains as he describes the different symptoms for each deficit in this episode of RealAgriculture's Corn School. While optimizing fertility is essential for maximizing yields, rotation plays a part in the success of the crop as well. Because corn requires so much nitrogen (a 26-tonne corn crop harvested at 60 per cent whole-plant moisture removes 250 pounds of N per acre) planting corn after cereals or potatoes can be a good fit, but Filipchuk says corn following canola can be challenging.
