Corn nitrogen management using NDVI and SPAD sensor-based data under conventional vs. reduced tillage systems

Present analyses to calculate nitrogen fertilizer recommendations are time consuming and costly. Therefore, a field study determining the efficiency of SPAD and NDVI meters to calculate soil N deficiency and guide fertilizer application timing and rate was completed. Reduced vs. conventional tillage at various N application rates was studied. Regardless of tillage system, both NDVI and SPAD were able to detect N deficiency at early growth stages, however, SPAD measurements better reflected plant N status regarding N application rates. A modified Michaelis-Menten model was used to illustrate the relationship between N rates and grain yield, as well as grain N content and leaf N content, and both showed acceptable goodness of fit. Grain yield under reduced tillage was significantly higher than that of conventional tillage. The combination of leaf nitrogen, SPAD, and NDVI data may become a tool to manage corn field nitrogen status and predict grain yield.