Assessment of ESN As an N Source for Efficient Fertilization for Cultivated Wildrice.

Industrial food production of wildrice has driven efforts to commercialize and domesticate wildrice.  This in turn has prompted efforts and use of conventional breeding methods to develop higher producing cultivars. In the United States today, a high proportion of wildrice aceage is grown mostly in north central and northwest Minnesota, on peat (highly organic) and some mineral soils.  Fertility requirements in cultivated wildrice have adjusted over the years due to the efficiency of newer seed varieties, but it has been estimated that total nitrogen use is about 150 lbs. A^-1 annually. There is a growing need to decrease nitrogen loss and increase use efficiency as a result of poor fertility management practices currently being used by farmers. In replicated field plot trials, we conducted side by side comparisons to determine if ESN (Environmentally Safe Nitrogen) can be an effective fertilizer source for wildrice production, and optimize the amount of ESN needed for different varieties of wildrice, specifically high-yielding varieties, early-maturing varieties, and short-statured varieties. We found that wildrice varieties responded well to ESN as a pre-plant treatment, but cultivars of wildrice varied in their responsiveness to ESN. Nevertheless. a product like ESN, would give wildrice farmers a useful tool in making nutrient management decisions. Differences in varietal response becomes important in understanding plant traits that may lead to more efficient use of nutrients in the soils. Understanding this response is key in breeding efforts aimed at developing more nutrient efficient varieties, as well as in exploring various potential cropping systems utilization of rotations.