Anhydrous ammonia – cold liquid vs hot gas systems of application

Non-Peer Reviewe

Soil conservation through extended crop rotations effective fertilizer application

Non-Peer ReviewedA reduced frequency of summerfallowing associated with extended rotations could be beneficial in terms of helping to arrest and possibly overcome the degree of soil degradation that has taken place. However, in the east central region of Saskatchewan, extended stubble cropping is frequently perceived as being impractical because of the high input costs that are involved. In most cases,the major input cost in re-cropping is fertilizer. Therefore, if extended re-cropping programs are to be accepted by more of the farming community, the benefits of effective fertilizer application need to be demonstrated under local conditions. The objective of this study is to help create an awareness of the importance of effective fertilizer application in making extended crop rotations practical and profitable. This report will review the results obtained during the growing season of 1987

Wheat response to PB-50 (Penicillium bilaji), a phosphate-solubilizing inoculant

Non-Peer ReviewedPhosphorus is a key plant nutrient which is rapidly precipitated and made unavailable for plant use when added to soil as fertilizer. Every soil contains a number of microorganisms which act to solubilize fixed phosphate making it available for plant uptake. One such microorganism, a fungus called Penicillium bilaji, demonstrated superior phosphate solubilizing ability in liquid media. In greenhouse and field trials established in 1985, 1986, and 1987, bran inoculated with P. bilaji applied in-furrow consistently increased phosphate availability and uptake by crop plants. Penicillium bilaji was subsequently registered in Canada under the trade name PB-50™. Trials were established at 38 locations in 1988 and 1989 to examine the effect of seed inoculated P. bilaji on wheat yield over increasing rates of phosphate fertilizer. In general, P. bilaji treatments exhibited significant yield increases over the lower check rates of phosphate fertilizer. As phosphate fertilizer rates approached -recommended levels, yield differences due to P. bilaji tended to decrease

Response of chickpea to nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization

Non-Peer ReviewedA field study was initiated in the spring of 1996 to investigate the N and P fertility requirements of chickpea. Experiments with desi- and kabuli-type chickpea were conducted in the Dark Brown Soil zone at Outlook, Moose Jaw, Elbow and Watrous on soils with relatively low levels of available N and/or P. The experiments consisted of 12 treatments which included four levels of "starter N” (46-0-0 at 0, 15, 30, and 45 kg N ha-1) and 3 levels of seed-placed P2O5 (11-54-0 at 0,20, and 40 kg P205 ha-l). Regular monitoring of the plots indicated that although growth stages during active plant growth (i.e., days to flowering, pod formation, etc.) were largely unaffected by fertilizer application, seed maturity was, in some instances, extended as a consequence of fertilizer application. Symbiotic N, fixation was estimated using the difference method with flax (var. McGregor) as the non-fixing reference crop. Data suggest that increasing increments of fertilizer N resulted in concomitant reductions in symbiotic N, fixation by kabuli-type chickpea whereas symbiotic N, fixation by desi-type chickpea was less sensitive to inorganic N. Application of “starter N” and seed-placed P205 did not confer a predictable seed yield advantage to either desi- or kabuli-type chickpea

Effects of different nitrogen fertilizer sources, placements, and rates on agronomic traits of barley grown at the landscape-scale

Non-Peer Reviewe

Growth and yield response of canola to bacterial inoculants: a three-year field assessment

Non-Peer ReviewedNine rhizobacteria able to produce auxins (IAA-like substances) in vitro were assessed for the ability to promote growth of canola (Brussica napus L., cv. Legend) in a growth chamber. Strains that exhibited plant growth promotion activity in this screening were then tested as seed inoculants for canola at multiple field sites (n=3 or 4; 16 reps.) in Saskatchewan over a three-year period. Plant growth and yield response varied from site to site and year to year. For example, in the 1993 study Bacillus strain HPR3 increased (P<0.05) seed yield by 104 to 158 kgeha-1 (8-18%) at two of the four sites, but had no effect at the other sites. In the 1994 study, Xunthomonas strain HPR2, strain HPR3 and Arthrobucter strain HPR9 increased (P<0.05) canola seed yield by 90 to 109 kgha-1 (7%) at the Melfort site only. In the 1995 study, strain HPR9 increased (non-significant) seed yield by 140 kgha-1 (12%) at the Melfort site. Non-significant seed yield increases (45- 90 kg-ha-l; 5-8%) also were noted for other strains at other sites. None of the inoculants affected seed oil (%) content, seed emergence or plant height. Sometimes inoculants decreased yields at some sites. Our results demonstrate that some rhizobacteria may benefit canola growth, but edaphic and climatic conditions can influence inoculant efficacy. Furthermore, site-to-site field variability suggests that extensive field testing will be required to demonstrate the potential usefulness of rhizobacteria as biofertilizers

Saskatchewan inoculants for chickpea and bean

Non-Peer ReviewedA collaborative research study between the University of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, MicroBio Rhizogen Corp. and Westco Fertilizers Ltd. was initiated to identify and develop effective rhizobial inoculants for chickpea and bean grown in Saskatchewan. A large collection of chickpea and bean Rhizobium strains were procured from laboratories around the world. Using a series of growth chamber experiments, the Rhizobium strains were ranked in accordance to their ability to promote growth and enhance N accumulation. Although some Rhizobium strains were equally effective at promoting growth of both desi- and kabuli-type chickpea, the ability of some strains to promote growth depended on the host chickpea variety. Following initial screening, six chickpea Rhizobium strains (BCF6, BCF7, BCF11, BCF14, BCF31 and BCF32) and four bean Rhizobium strains (MWB6, MWB17, MWB3 1 and MWB39) were identified as potentially superior strains and were further evaluated in the first year of field studies, conducted at three sites in 1995. Field data confirmed that the different Rhizobium strains differed in their ability to enhance crop growth and seed yield of chickpea and bean. Biological nitrogen fixation was estimated using the N difference method and the l5N natural abundance technique. Both techniques provided similar estimates of N2 fixation. Preliminary estimates of N2 fixation (15N natural abundance technique) from a single site indicate that both desi- and kabuli-type chickpea responded favorably to inoculation with Rhizobium strain BCF32. As much as 94% of the N accumulated by desi-type chickpea and 81% of the N accumulated by kabuli-type chickpea was derived via N2 fixation

Three years of precision farming research at Hepburn, Saskatchewan

Non-Peer ReviewedA broad association between landform and distinctive pedological regimes, as influenced by the hydrological pattern of the hillslope is known to exist in glacial till landscapes of Saskatchewan, Canada. We used image analysis of aerial photographs to delineate different pedological regimes within a typical glacial till field in the thin Black soil zone. Three distinctive areas (upper, mid, and lower slope) were identified as “management units”. Variable rate N and P fertility trials using wheat and canola as the test crops were initiated in 1996 and conducted over a three-year period. The data associated with the N treatments are discussed in this paper. Results indicated that the management units developed on the basis of the aerial photographs were agronomically meaningful. In particular, mean yields on upper slope positions were consistently less than yields achieved on upper slope positions. Moreover, N fertilizer application did not mitigate the impact of slope position on yield and it was concluded that moisture limitations on upper slope positions limited the extent to which wheat and canola responded to fertilizer application. On the basis of the results from this study, it was concluded that a meaningful variable rate program could be developed for canola whereas variable wheat yield responses and low financial returns limited the success of the variable rate fertilizer program for wheat

Yield responses to variable rate fertilizer applications across a hummocky till landscape in the Black Soil Zone.

Non-Peer Reviewe

Evaluation of opener design and packing force requirements on no-till seeded canola, wheat, and pea

Non-Peer ReviewedAn understanding of how direct seeding implement opener design and on-row packing pressure influence crop emergence and grain yield would help producers in their selection of appropriate seeding equipment for their farm and soil conditions. A field trial was conducted at three locations in Saskatchewan between 1997 and 1999 to evaluate the effect of direct seeding opener and packer design in combination with on-row packing pressure on the emergence and grain yield of wheat, canola and field pea. The opener-packer combinations included a Bourgault spoon with both a steel "V" and flat rubber packers, a Morris paired-row with both a steel V and flat rubber packer, and a 30 cm sweep with 13 cm spread of seed followed by a 13 cm pneumatic tire. Packing was applied at 0, 74, 124, 174 and 224 lb/wheel. The 0 packing treatment had no wheel following the opener (unpacked). The locations were selected to range in soil texture, and included a loam (Sylvania), silt loam (Watrous) and heavy clay (Indian Head). The differences observed between opener + packer combinations in this study were varied and generally not in excess of approximately 10% for grain yield, and almost always associated with opener design not packer type. Despite the variable results, there was a tendency for higher pea and wheat emergence with the sweep + tire compared with other opener types at the site years that tended to be drier. Also, grain yield tended to be greater for the sweep + tire at the location that tended to be wet in most years and had a heavy-textured soil. Packing pressure responses tended to be associated with different years and varied among the large-seeded crops (pea and wheat) and canola. Generally speaking, 74 lb per press wheel will provide optimal emergence and grain yield across varied environmental conditions, regardless of the opener + packer combination. For example, 5% more pea seedlings emerged with some amount of packing compared with no packing in 1997. Wheat grain yield was 13% greater at three of the location by year combinations, and wheat emergence was 9% greater in 1998, with some amount of packing. Excessive packing pressure (i.e., the two highest vs. lower packing pressures) resulted in 11 less canola seedlings in 1999, a wet year. It would seem that the choice of opener + packer combination will be of agronomic or economic significance across typical environmental conditions that occur across the Canadian prairies. A packing pressure of 74 lb per press wheel will provide optimal emergence and grain yield across varied environmental conditions