Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer Selection Influences Water Use Efficiency in Drip-Irrigated Sweet Corn

Arina Sukor, Yaling Qian and Jessica G. Davis ()
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Arina Sukor: Faculty of Agriculture, University Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Yaling Qian: Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1173, USA
Jessica G. Davis: Agricultural Experiment Station, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-3001, USA

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: Organic farmers often rely on off-farm nitrogen (N) sources for mid-season N. Farmers can also produce cyano-fertilizer on-farm by growing N-fixing cyanobacteria ( Anabaena spp.) in raceways and applying the cyanobacteria through irrigation systems. A two-year field study was conducted, and blood meal, feather meal, fish emulsion, and cyano-fertilizer were evaluated to determine whether the water use efficiency (WUE) of sweet corn ( Zea mays ) was affected by fertilizer type. Fish emulsion and cyano-fertilizer were supplied in four split applications through drip irrigation, while the blood meal and feather meal were subsurface banded pre-plant. Leaf gas exchange measurements were taken during tasseling. The amounts of phytohormone and Fe applied in organic N fertilizers were correlated with field water use efficiency (fWUE), instantaneous water use efficiency (iWUE), and leaf gas exchange components of sweet corn. A positive relationship was observed between the amount of salicylic acid (SA) applied with both iWUE (r = 0.71, p < 0.05) and fWUE (r = 0.68, p < 0.01). The amount of Fe applied was positively correlated with the leaf vapor pressure deficit (r = 0.54, p < 0.01) and transpiration rate (r = 0.53, p < 0.01). Cyano-fertilizer had the highest yield and WUE, likely due to the high amount of SA applied, although fish emulsion was comparable in year one. These relationships require further exploration to elucidate the mechanisms impacting WUE.

Keywords: blood meal; cyanobacteria; cyano-fertilizer; feather meal; fish emulsion; organic agriculture; Zea mays (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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