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Study examines corn response to nitrogen in various cropping systems

An extension soil health specialist is looking at the nitrogen response of corn using various conservation practices.

Anna Cates with the University of Minnesota says her research project evaluates how short and long-term soil health practices, as well as conventional tillage practices in a corn-soybean rotation affect a corn crop’s nitrogen needs.

“We hear a lot that in a long-term soil health system you get to reduce your nitrogen eventually, but we haven’t done good research to quantify that. How much can you reduce your nitrogen, and when.”

She tells Brownfield the results should help farmers improve sustainability and profitability.

“We’ll check the economics of these systems and we’ll look at different biological elements of the soil that might explain why you’d have different delivery of nitrogen to the corn crop over the course of the growing season.”

Cates says the multi-year study is supported by the Minnesota Corn Innovation Grant research program.