Dave Hooker, associate professor at the University of Guelph- Ridgetown Campus, proposed a nitrogen (N) fertility algorithm for corn at the recent Eastern Ontario Crop Conference held in Kemptville, Ont., proposing it be “80 per cent of the recommended N applied pre-plant, then 1 lb/ac of additional N for each millimetre (mm) of rain from the V7 to VT corn growth stage.”
Hooker, alongside fellow professor Bill Deen and PhD graduate student Joshua Nasielski of the University of Guelph, reviewed several of the long-term nitrogen corn trials from the Elora and Ridgetown Research Stations to look at what factors most influenced the most economical rate of nitrogen (MERN) in Ontario grain corn. Rainfall between V7 – VT corn stages, usually between mid-June and mid-July, had the greatest correlation to the actual MERN each year. Scott Banks breaks down the research results and how producers can calculate optimal nitrogen using the Ontario Corn N Calculator. | READ MORE
