Optimizing Phosphorus and Potassium Fertilizer Recommendations using Spatial Uncertainty Assessments

Abstract

Variable‐rate nutrient management relies on soil fertility maps, yet the associated uncertainty is typically ignored in developing recommendations. In this article, ordinary kriging (OK) and several alternatives that rely on local estimates of uncertainty derived via probability kriging (PK) are evaluated for developing phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizer recommendations, using soil data collected at two different intensities. A decision support framework that incorporates economic and agronomic criteria to derive block‐average optimal quantile estimates (Opt Q) maximized net return for an 8‐year fertilization program. The economic results show an increase of $7.31 ha^?1 and $1.04 ha^?1 for P and K fertilization, respectively, using Opt Q rather than OK with the 0.2‐ha sampling grid and $14.79 ha^?1 and $8.93 ha^?1 for P and K fertilization, respectively, using the 0.5‐ha sampling grid. These results illustrate the importance of accounting for estimation uncertainty in developing variable‐rate fertilizer recommendations.     

Niedermoore im nordostdeutschen tiefland Einführung

Die Auswirkungen von vier Kippsubstratvarianten des Lausitzer Braunkohlereviers (quartäre, tertiäre asche‐ bzw. kalkmeliorierte sowie quartäre Kippsubstrate über tertiärem Untergrund) auf die Stofffrachten der Sickerwässer aus einer 300 cm mächtigen Bodendecke wurden in den ersten zwei Jahren eines von 1992 bis 1996 laufenden Großlysimeterversuches geprüft. Im Unterschied zu den fast Trinkwasserqualität erreichenden Perkolaten quartärer Kippsubstrate, wiesen die Sickerwässer aus tertiären Substraten vor allem im ersten Versuchsjahr extrem hohe Schadstoffkonzentrationen auf, die bei Ni, Zn, Cr, As und Cd weit über den Grenzwerten für Trinkwasser lagen. Im zweiten Jahr nahmen die Schadstoffkonzentrationen zwar ab (z.B. Zn, As um 56%), lagen aber dennoch deutlich über den Grenzwerten.

Im Vergleich zur Kalkmelioration bewirkte die Aschemelioration der tertiären Kippsubstrate signifikant niedrigere Schwermetall‐, Arsen‐ und Stickstoffausträge sowie im ersten Versuchsjahr z.T. signifikant niedrigere Spezieskonzentrationen.

Der erwartete positive Einfluß der quartären Deckschicht aus Sand über tertiärem Untergrund konnte bisher nicht nachgewiesen werden. Bezogen auf die Schichtmächtigkeit der eingefüllten tertiären Kippsubstrate wurden vor allem im zweiten Jahr nach Abklingen der durch die Bodenumlagerung (Belüftung) verursachten stärkeren Oxidation der Sulfide bei dieser Variante vergleichsweise größere Schadstoffmengen (As, Zn, Ni, Pb) freigesetzt und ausgewaschen. Gleichzeitig nahmen die N_org‐Austräge zu, die wie die hohen NH₄ ⁺‐Frachten auf eine verstärkte oxidative Desaminierung im tertiären Untergrund hinweisen.     

Extensivierung von Niedermoorgrünland nach 30 Jahren intensiver N‐Düngung

Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden Ergebnisse aus einem langjährigen N‐Düngungsversuch auf Niedermoor‐grünland dargestellt. Extensivierte Bewirtschaftung hat reduzierte Erträge, eine Veränderung der pflanz‐lichen Inhaltsstoffe und der Pflanzenbestandszusammensetzung an Gräsern und Kräutern zur Folge. Im 3 Jahr nach Aussetzen der N‐Düngung sind Erträge und Inhaltsstoffe der langjährigen Null‐Variante angeglichen. Die Pflanzenbestandszusammensetzung weist dagegen nach 4 Jahren noch Unterschiede auf.     

Prognosis of iron chlorosis in apple trees by floral analysis

In populations of apple trees (Malus pumila Mill) affected by iron (Fe) chlorosis, the floral analyses permit to establish relationships between the Fe concentration in flowers and the chlorophyll content in leaves at 60 and 120 days after full bloom. The relationships between both parameters were highly significant with correlation coefficients of 0.603*** and 0.872***, respectively. As from previous research with peach trees, these high correlations permitted us to predict at a very early stage, the appearance of the Fe deficiency and its intensity. In our experimental conditions, the first visual symptoms of the Fe chlorosis appear in apple leaves with floral Fe concentrations below 310 ppm in dry matter.     

Soybean response to iron‐deficiency stress as related to iron supply in the growth medium

The Fe‐inefficient T203 and the Fe‐efficient A7 and Pioneer 1082 (P1082) soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) were grown hydroponically with no (0 mg Fe L^‐1 ; ‐Fe) and a minute level (0.025 mg Fe L^‐1 ; +Fe) of Fe to (a) compare their responses to Fe‐deficiency stress and (b) relate Fe‐efficiency in soybeans to their ability to initiate the Fe‐stress‐response mechanism at low levels of Fe. With no Fe in solution, P1082 released similar levels of H⁺ ions, but released less reductant from their roots and there was less reduction of Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺ by their roots than by A7 roots. These responses were also one day later and occurred after a more severe chlorosis and a lower leaf Fe had developed in P1082 than in A7. With 0.025 mg L^‐1 of solution Fe, it was not necessary for the Fe‐stress response mechanism to be fully activated to make Fe available in A7 soybean, whereas a strongly enhanced Fe stress response was observed in P1082. Increased Fe uptake and regreening of leaves immediately succeeded initiation of the Fe stress response in both cultivars and at both levels of Fe. Thus, P1082 was slightly less efficient than A7 soybean, but would be classed more efficient than the previously studied soybean cultivars A2, Hawkeye, Bragg, Pride, Anoka, and T203. These results support the hypothesis that the most efficient soybeans are those which can initiate the Fe‐stress response mechanism with little or no Fe in the growth medium. The near simultaneous occurrence of the factors in the Fe‐stress response mechanism (H ion and reductant release, reduction of Fe to Fe by roots), and the immediate increase in leaf Fe and chorophyll contents following that response suggest that all these factors act in concert, not independently, to aid in the absorption and transport of Fe to plant tops.     

Re‐visiting potassium‐ and phosphate‐fertilizer responses in field experiments and soil‐test interpretations by means of data mining

Currently, potassium (K)‐ and phosphate (P)‐fertilizer recommendation in Germany is based on standardized soil‐testing procedures, the results of which are interpreted in terms of nutrient availability. Although site‐specific soil and plant properties (e.g., clay and carbon content, pH, crop species) influence the relation between soil nutrient content and fertilizer effectiveness, most of these factors are not accounted for quantitatively when assessing fertilizer demand. Recent re‐evaluations of field observations suggest that even for soil nutrient contents well within the range considered to indicate P or K deficiency, fertilizer applications often resulted in no yield increase. In this study, results from P‐ and K‐fertilization trials (in total about 9000 experimental harvests) conducted during the past decades in Germany and Austria were re‐analyzed using a nonparametric data‐mining procedure which consists of a successive segmentation of the data pool in order to elaborate a modified recommendation scheme. In addition to soil nutrient content, fertilizer‐application rates, nutrient‐use efficiency, and site properties such as pH, clay content, and soil organic matter, have a distinct influence on yield increase compared to an unfertilized control. For K, nutrient‐use efficiency had the largest influence, followed by soil‐test K content, whereas for P, the influence of soil‐test P content was largest, followed by pH and clay content. The results may be used in a novel approach to predict the probability of yield increase for a specified combination of crop species, fertilizer‐application rate, and site‐specific data.     

Midsummer copper sprays have no effect on ‘delicious’ apple fruit color grade or typiness

Recent reports suggested that multiple midsummer copper (Cu) sprays could improve the proportion of apple fruit (Malus × domestica Borkh.) being packed in the reddest market color grades. We conducted a three‐year field experiment in a low‐Cu orchard with a history of poor fruit coloring. We applied multiple mid‐summer sprays of Cu sulfate and basic Cu sulfate in 1994 and 1995 to ‘Bisbee Delicious’ and ‘Oregon Spur II Delicious’ apple trees. Plant tissue nutrient levels, fruit color grade, and fruit typiness were evaluated in the years of application and the following year. The Cu sprays increased leaf Cu in the years of application; however, leaf Cu in the Cu‐sprayed plots returned to or very near to background concentrations in the year after sprays were terminated. The Cu treatments did not increase the proportion of fruit in the reddest market color grades or influence five fruit typiness indices of either apple cultivar. Although midsummer Cu sprays may not enhance apple fruit red color or typiness, they may be useful for increasing overall tree Cu status, particularly for long‐season cultivars which are harvested too late for postharvest sprays to be effective.     

Effect of supplying P to a portion of the soybean root system on root growth and P uptake kinetics 1

Abstract

Knowledge of the effect of supplying P to portions of the soybean (Glycine max L. Merr) root system on P influx kinetics and root growth is important in developing P fertilizer placement practices for efficient fertilizer use. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of restricting P supply to portions of the root system on plant P status, root growth, and P influx kinetics. Two solution experiments were conducted in a controlled climate chamber. Phosphorus influx kinetics were determined on 25‐day‐old soybean plants that had been grown with 100, 75, 50, 25, and 12.5% of their roots initially exposed to P. Phosphorus influx kinetics were also measured on 25‐day‐old plants that had been P‐starved for the last 1, 2, 4, and 6 days prior to the determining P influx kinetics in order to relate plant P status to P influx kinetics.

Reducing the portion of the roots supplied with P reduced P uptake. This resulted in a reduction in plant P concentration and was related to a 3.41‐fold increase in maximum P influx measured on 25‐day‐old plants. Restricting the proportion of roots supplied with P had no significant effects on the Michaelis‐Menten constant or on the concentration in solution where net influx was zero. Root growth rate of the roots in the P containing solution was not significantly different from those in the ‐P solution.

Phosphorus uptake was correlated with final root surface area exposed to P (r² = 0.88??). Starving the plants for P reduced P concentration in the shoot and root and this resulted in as much as a 1.68‐fold increase in maximum influx.     

Phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase activity and ortho‐diphenolic content with regard to boron nutrition in sunflower leaves.

Homogenates were prepared from the leaves of hydroponically cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus, L.) under deficient, normal and toxic B conditions and the phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase activity together with the ortho‐diphenolic and micronutrient content were measured every week from one month to flowering

The restoration of enzymatic activity on the exogenous addition of borate “in vivo”; was also studied.

Both B toxicity and deficiency resulted in increased phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase activity in the homogenates

The toxicity effect was early and sustained and the deficiency effect late and transitory. “In vitro”; borate addition to the reaction mixture did not significantly change the phenylalanine‐ammonia‐lyase activity in the homogenates.

There was no statistical correlation between the phenylalanine‐ammonia‐lyase activity and any micronutrient content in leaves.

A high accumulation of ortho‐diphenolics appeared in B‐deficient leaves only after 28 days of differential culture and may be responsible for the drop in phenylalanine‐ammonia‐lyase activity noted at this time.