Nutrient Sufficiency Concepts for Modern Corn Hybrids: Impacts of Management Practices and Yield Levels

Abstract

Over the last 70 years, national corn yield gains have occurred because of superior genetic yield potentials and management improvements such as improved water management, higher plant densities, and earlier planting dates. Some management recommendations, such as those from seed companies that promote optimum plant densities, are often environment, hybrid, and/or yield-range specific. Nitrogen rate recommendations for corn are updated annually in the Corn Belt states and are sometimes adjusted for regions or soil zones within a state. In contrast, nutrient guidelines for nutrients other than N are assumed to be constant per unit of yield produced, and have generally not been updated in key corn-producing states. Some recent studies providing nutrient content values for corn grain and/or stover did not account for management practices and yield levels for which nutrient replacement recommendations would be pertinent. The purpose of this report is to illustrate how macro- and micronutrient contents for modern corn hybrids can change in the context of diverse plant densities, N rates, and accompanying yield range influences in certain environments. The information presented here can be used to better understand nutrient content and removal for more precisely implementing best nutrient management practices for current corn hybrids at diverse yield ranges.