Corn Grain Yield and Nutrient Uptake From Application of Enhanced-Efficiency Nitrogen Fertilizers.

Increasing demand for food and agricultural products directly impact the use of chemical fertilizers particularly nitrogen (N). Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients required for the survival of all living organisms and it is ubiquitous in the environment. This study examined corn grain yield and nutrient uptake resulting from applications of different N fertilizer sources, urea (U), urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN), ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃), poultry litter (PL), and commercially available enhanced-efficiency N fertilizers (EENF) as follow: polymer-coated urea (ESN^®), SuperU^®, UAN + AgrotainPlus^®, and poultry litter + AgrotainPlus  in a no-till corn (Zea mays L.) production system.  Treatments were replicated four times in a RCB design from 2009 to 2011. Soil samples were taken annually in the spring prior to treatment application to evaluate the status of the residual nutrients in soil. There was no significant difference in corn grain yield among all N sources (3-year average). Our results demonstrate that N fertilizer source and climate conditions need consideration when selecting N sources for corn production.