Ecological Intensification in Corn Production in the Virginia Coastal Plain Region.

As human population continues to rise, there is a necessity to sustainably increase food and fiber production and generate alternative renewable fuel sources.  The Ecological Intensification (EI), “a system that satisfies the anticipated increase in food demand while meeting acceptable standards of environmental quality” (Cassman, 1999), has the potential to accomplish these goals. A number of crop management practices and inputs are reported to increase corn (Zea mays L.) yields, but most research to date has evaluated single practices/inputs and not additive effects of these practices.  To assess combined effects of potentially beneficial practices, five trials have been conducted in Coastal Plain of Virginia in 2012-2014.  Treatments consisted of the “Standard” farmer practice, the suited of practices identified for inclusion in the EI treatment and single factors either added (to Standard) or removed (from EI) for each treatment.  To create EI treatment, seeding rate was increased by 15-18%; additional phosphorus -56 kg ha^-1- supplied; additional potash -75 kg ha^-1- supplied; sidedress N increased to 134 kg ha^-1 made over three applications (V4, V6 and V10); trialzole N product ‘CoRon’ applied to foliage at VT at 22 kg N ha^-1; Headline fungicide applied to foliage at 0.94 l ha^-1 at VT. Treatments were arranged in a split plot design with plant population as main plot and production system as subplot. Over locations and years, average yield of the EI treatment was 11.4 Mg ha^-1 compared to just less than 10 Mg ha^-1 for farmer standard.  Compared to EI treatment, using standard N practice (single application) resulted in greatest yield penalty (approx. 1.8 Mg ha^-1).  Other practices did not significantly affect yield.  Numerically however, removal of following practices results in approximately 0.5 Mg ha^-1yield decrease: lower population, no additional P2O5 applied, no CoRon applied, no fungicide applied.