Corn Response to Organic and Inorganic Sources of Nitrogen.

In recent years, record high synthetic N fertilizer prices coupled with desire for improving soil quality and recycling nutrients have rekindled interest in using various byproducts as alternative fertilizer sources. Fresh (FPL) and pelleted poultry litter (PPL) and a heat dried pelleted biosolid being sold under the trade name of Top Choice Organic (TCO) are three by-products available to Arkansas corn producers. There is very little information on nutrient availability of and corn yield response to poultry litter or biosolid applied to soils in eastern Arkansas. The specific research objective was to evaluate the effect of FPL, PPL, TCO, and urea N-fertilizer sources applied at equal total N rates on corn grain yield and N uptake. A replicated field experiment was conducted on a Calloway silt loam in Marianna, AR. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with a factorial arrangement of four N sources (FPL, PPL, TCO, and urea) applied at five total-N rates (60, 120, 180, 240, and 300 lb total N/acre) and compared to a no N control (0 lb N/acre). The N source × rate interaction did not have a significant effect on corn grain yield (P = 0.5206). Corn grain yield was significantly affected by the main effects of N source and rate. Averaged across N sources, corn yields increased progressively and significantly as N rate increased and ranged from 89-217 bu/acre. Maximum grain yield was produced by application of 300 lb N/acre and yields of corn receiving N were significantly higher than corn that received no N.