Abstract
Cereal rye (Secale cereale) is widely adopted as a cover crop in the Midwest, USA, because of its nitrogen (N) scavenging ability. However, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding cereal rye N fate and utilization by the subsequent corn or soybean crop. Thus, the objectives of this study were to (i) Investigate the uptake of newly applied spring N fertilizer by cereal rye by measuring the recovery of spring-applied N by cereal rye before chemical termination, (ii) Quantify cereal rye N uptake at multiple growth stages to ascertain the timing and amount of cereal rye N utilized by the subsequent corn (Zea mays L.) or soybean (Glycine max L.) crop, and (iii) Examine the fate and partitioning of cereal rye N at harvest, in plant tissue, and at soil depths. First, we found that cereal rye N uptake accounted for between 9 and 37% of spring N. Second, we observed that corn and soybean utilized an average of 9.3% of cereal rye residue N and did not contribute meaningfully to corn and soybean N. Third, our data showed that an average of 31% of cereal rye N was partitioned into the soil profile (0–0.3 m) at harvest. Finally, across all site-years, an average of nearly four times more cereal rye N was recovered in the soil then was utilized by the subsequent corn and soybean. Thus, data from this study suggests that the fate of most cereal rye N is in the soil; and is only utilized marginally by the subsequent corn and soybean crop.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank both Purdue Agronomy Center for Research and Education and the Illinois State University farm staff for logistical support and technical expertise. We would also like to thank Mike Ruffatti, Soil Scientist, and Richard Roth, a graduate research assistant at Purdue University, for assistance in sample collection. Additionally, we would like to acknowledge the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, the Indiana Soybean Association, and the Illinois Nutrient Research and Education Council who provided partial funding for this research.
Funding
This research was partially funded by the Illinois Nutrient Research and Education Council, Indiana Corn Marketing Council, Indiana Soybean Association.
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Lacey, C., Camberato, J. & Armstrong, S. Field based 15 N study: an investigation of cereal rye N fate and utilization by the subsequent corn and soybean. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 125, 205–217 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-022-10226-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-022-10226-0