1. Nitrogen use efficiency and nutrient partitioning in maize as affected by blends of controlled-release and conventional urea.
- Author
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Garcia, Pedro Lopes, González-Villalba, Hugo Abelardo, Sermarini, Renata Alcarde, and Trivelin, Paulo Cesar Ocheuze
- Subjects
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NITROGEN fertilizers , *NUTRIENT uptake , *UREA as fertilizer , *CORN yields , *AGRICULTURE - Abstract
Blends of controlled-release urea (CRU) and conventional urea can be an alternative to conventional fertilization to improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and reduce costs when applied as a single application to agricultural crops. Different indexes of NUE, grain yield, nutrient uptake and partitioning in maize (Zea mays L.) were investigated in field experiments. The treatments consisted of a single rate of 180 kg N ha−1 with different proportions of polymer-sulfur coated urea (PSCU) and conventional urea (U) applied incorporated at sowing (0.05 m below and 0.1 m to the side of the seed row) at two tropical sites (Site 1, Typic Haplustox; Site 2, Rhodic Haplustox) in Brazil. A control treatment (without urea-N) and a treatment with conventional urea management (UCM: 20% of urea-N applied as basal fertilizer and 80% of N applied as top dressing) were also included. This study demonstrates that blends of PSCU and U are efficient in supplying N throughout the maize cycle at a Typic Haplustox site when applied in a single application incorporated at sowing, resulting in high yields and adequate macronutrient uptake. PSCU improved NUE index compared to U and UCM. There was not response for N fertilization in the Rhodic Haplustox site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
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