Corn and Soybean Response to No-till and Strip-till with Surface and Subsurface Fertilization.

Different fertilizer placement and tillage combinations can potentially affect the availability of phosphorus (P) for corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. ). The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of corn and soybean to fertilizer placement, tillage, and different hybrids/varieties. The experiment was established at four locations in Kansas in 2014-2015 for each crop. Three fertilizer treatments (deep band, broadcast and control) were combined with two tillage systems (no-till and strip-till) and two varieties of soybean (P44T63R and 94Y40) or corn (P1151AM and P1105AM) selected based on contrasting root systems (a generally shallow root system and generally deep root system). Plant tissue samples were collected at V6, V10 and VT for corn and V3 and R3 growth stages for soybean. Grain yield was recorded. The experimental design was a split-plot design, with tillage system as whole plot and fertilizer treatment by hybrid/variety as sub-plots, and replicated four times. For soybean, deep band fertilizer contributed to higher P uptake but didn't affect yield. Varieties and tillage responded different by location, P uptake and yield were higher for the variety P44T63R (shallow rooted) in Scandia. Strip-till increased P uptake in Ottawa but it didn’t affect soybean yield. On the other hand, no-till had better yields in Scandia but no differences in P uptake for soybean. For corn, deep band and broadcast were not different from each other, but were superior to the control for P uptake and yield at both locations. Corn didn’t show any differences with tillage system or hybrid selection. In general, corn response to P fertilization was more consistent than soybeans for yields and P uptake across locations.