scholarly journals Crop and Soil Nitrogen Dynamics in Annual Strawberry Production in California

HortScience ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 1034-1039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Bottoms ◽  
Timothy K. Hartz ◽  
Michael D. Cahn ◽  
Barry F. Farrara

The impact of strawberry production on nitrate contamination of groundwater is of major concern in the central coast region of California. Nitrogen (N) fertilization and irrigation management practices were monitored in a total of 26 fall-planted annual strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) fields in 2010 and 2011. Soil mineral N (SMN, top 30 cm depth) was determined monthly. Irrigation applied was monitored, and crop evapotranspiration (ETc) was estimated. Growers were surveyed regarding their N fertilization practices. Aboveground biomass N accumulation was estimated by monthly plant sampling in seven fields. The effect of preplant controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) rate on fruit yield was investigated in three fields. The growers’ CRF application rate (121 or 86 kg·ha−1 N as 18N–3.5P–10.8K, 7- to 9-month release rating) was compared with a half rate (all fields) and no CRF in one field. The rate of N release from this CRF product was evaluated using a buried bag technique. Median CRF N and total seasonal N application (CRF + in-season fertigation through drip irrigation) were 101 and 260 kg·ha−1, respectively, with total seasonal N application varying among fields from 141 to 485 kg·ha−1. Biomass N accumulation was slow through March (less than 25 kg·ha−1) and then increased by ≈1.1 kg·ha−1·d−1 from April through mid-September. Mean seasonal biomass N accumulation was estimated at 225 kg·ha−1 by 15 Sept. Approximately 70% of CRF N was released before 1 Apr. Biomass N accumulation between planting and April was much lower than the combined amount of CRF N release and SMN decline over that period, suggesting substantial winter N loss. Conversely, N loss during the summer harvest season (May through August) appeared limited in most fields. Median SMN was maintained below 10 mg·kg−1, and median irrigation was 113% of estimated ETc during this period. Reduction in CRF rate did not affect marketable fruit yield in two of three trials; an 8% yield reduction was observed in the remaining trial when the CRF rate was reduced, but the decline may have been affected by spring irrigation and fertigation practices.

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Brunetto ◽  
◽  
Cesar Cella ◽  
Alcione Miotto ◽  
Eduardo Girotto ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT: Little is known about the impact of N fertilization on fruit production and composition in orange groves grown in soils with low or medium organic matter content in Rio Grande do Sul (RS). This study aimed to evaluate how N fertilization of orange trees cv. 'Lane Late' in a sandy soil may interfere in fruit yield and composition of fruit and juice. The experiment was conducted with orange trees cv. 'Lane Late' growing in Sandy Typic Hapludalf soil, in Rosário do Sul (RS). The plants received applications of 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140 and 160kg N ha-1. Total N in leaves, number of fruits per plant, yield, fresh weight, fruit diameter, peel thickness, percentage of fruit juice, peel color, juice color, ascorbic acid content, total soluble solids (TSS) and total titratable acidity were evaluated in 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 crops. In the first crop, especially yield, number of fruits per plant, TSS content in fruit juice and ratio decreased with increasing N rate applied. However, in the second crop, the total titratable acidity of the fruit juice prominently increased with the dose of N applied. In both crops, results were highly influenced by rainfall distribution, which affect the plant physiology, soil N dynamics and, consequently, probability of response to N applied and the loss of mineral N in the soil.


HortScience ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 852B-852
Author(s):  
T.K. Hartz* ◽  
P.R. Johnstone ◽  
J.J. Nunez

Cracking of carrot (Daucus carota L.) roots during harvest and handling is a serious problem for the commercial industry, particularly for `cut and peeled' products. Thirty commercial fields of cv. `Sugar Snax' in California were surveyed over the period 2000-03. Soil texture was determined, and soil and crop nutrient status, air temperature and soil moisture were monitored. In 10 fields the effect of excessive N fertilization was investigated; 90-180 kg·ha-1 N was sidedressed in addition to the growers' N regime. At one site a comparison of 10 cultivars was conducted to determine the root cracking sensitivity of commercial cultivars suitable for the cut and peeled market. In all fields roots were hand harvested, with undamaged roots 18-24 mm in diameter selected for study. Roots were cooled to 5 °C and subjected to an impact test to rate cracking sensitivity. Fields varied widely in root cracking sensitivity, with 4% to76% of roots cracked in the impact test. Cracking sensitivity was positively correlated with the % silt and clay in soil, and with air temperature in the final month of growth. Irrigation management had no consistent effect on cracking sensitivity. N application in excess of the growers' N regime did not increase carrot yield, but increased root cracking sensitivity by an average of 30%. Root cracking varied among cultivars from 10% to 49%. However, when the periderm was peeled from roots before impact testing, incidence of cracking declined to 2% or less in all cultivars. Periderm strength or flexibility is apparently the dominant factor in carrot cracking sensitivity, and environmental and management variables that affect cracking sensitivity must do so by affecting the periderm structure.


2017 ◽  
pp. 80-92
Author(s):  
Koffi Djaman ◽  
Suat Irmak

Proper nitrogen (N) fertiliser application rates and timing of application, coupled with optimum irrigation management can improve the sustainability of maize production and reduce the risk of environmental contamination by nutrients. The impact of full and limited irrigation and rainfed conditions on in-season maize (Zea mays L.) shoot biomass nutrient concentration and critical N and phosphorus (P) indices were evaluated using a combination of measured nutrients and critical N and P models in south central Nebraska in 2009 and 2010. Four irrigation treatments [fully-irrigated treatment (FIT), 75% FIT, 60% FIT and 50% FIT) and rainfed] were imposed. Irrigation regimes impacted the shoot biomass N concentration. The shoot biomass N concentration was above the critical N (Ncrit) concentration throughout the growing season under FIT and 75% FIT and was below the Ncrit value for the most limited irrigation (60% FIT and 50% FIT) and rainfed treatments. Nitrogen nutrient index (NNI) varied from 0.68 to 2.0. Biomass N concentration was below Ncrit [i.e., NNI<1] from 105 days after planting (DAP) to harvest under rainfed and 50% FIT and from 114 DAP to harvest under 60% FIT. Overall, the FIT and the 75% FIT had NNI values greater than 1.0 throughout both growing seasons. Phosphorus concentration, which decreased with biomass accumulation and irrigation amounts, varied from 1.0 to 4.8 g kg–1, with FIT having the highest biomass P concentration. The critical N model combined with NNI can be used to evaluate N and P in maize for in-season nutrient diagnosis under the conditions presented in this research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-118
Author(s):  
FÁBIO LUIZ CHECCHIO MINGOTTE ◽  
FÁBIO TIRABOSCHI LEAL ◽  
MARCELA MIDORI YADA DE ALMEIDA ◽  
ORLANDO FERREIRA MORELLO ◽  
TATIANA PAGAN LOEIRO DA CUNHA-CHIAMOLERA ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Determining nitrogen (N) accumulation and export by common bean as a function of straw and of the splitting of this nutrient is very important, aiming at the management and sustainability of agricultural systems. This study aimed to determine the N accumulation and export by common bean as a function of Zea mays and Urochloa ruziziensis grass straw (maize, maize/U. ruziziensis intercropping and U. ruziziensis) and splitting of top-dressing N fertilization. The experiment was conducted in Jaboticabal-SP-Brazil, during the 2012/13 crop season, in a Red Eutrophic Oxisol (Eutrudox) in no-tillage under irrigation. The experimental design was a randomized block with split plots with four replicates, totaling 120 subplots sized in 25m2 each. The plots consisted of the cropping systems prior to common bean: maize, maize/ U. ruziziensis intercropping and U. ruziziensis. The subplots were composed of ten top-dressing N fertilization splitting schemes (NS) at the phenological stages V3, V4 and R5 in different combinations. Common bean grain yield differs among cropping systems and as a function of top-dressed N split application. U. ruziziensis grass as single crop promotes greater N accumulation in common bean shoots compared to maize and its intercropping with U. ruziziensis grass. Regardless the cropping system, top-dressing N application in a single dose (90 kg ha-1) at V4 leads to similar accumulations and exports to those found in the absence of N fertilization. Splitting schemes with N application at the R5 stage increase the exports of this nutrient by common bean in succession to maize and its intercropping with U. ruziziensis grass.


Euphytica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 215 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal A. Le Marié ◽  
Larry M. York ◽  
Alexandre Strigens ◽  
Marcos Malosetti ◽  
Karl-Heinz Camp ◽  
...  

Abstract The need for sustainable intensification of agriculture in the coming decades requires a reduction in nitrogen (N) fertilization. One opportunity to reduce N application rates without major losses in yield is breeding for nutrient efficient crops. A key parameter that influences nutrient uptake efficiency is the root system architecture (RSA). To explore the impact of N availability on RSA and to investigate the impact of the growth environment, a diverse set of 36 inbred dent maize lines crossed to the inbred flint line UH007 as a tester was evaluated for N-response over 2 years on three different sites. RSA was investigated by excavating and imaging of the root crowns followed by image analysis with REST software. Despite strong site and year effects, trait heritability was generally high. Root traits showing the greatest heritability (> 0.7) were the width of the root stock, indicative of the horizontal expansion, and the fill factor, a measure of the density of the root system. Heritabilities were in a similar range under high or low N application. Under N deficiency the root stock size decreased, the horizontal expansion decreased and the root stock became less dense. However, there was little differential response of the genotypes to low N availability. Thus, the assessed root traits were more constitutively expressed rather than showing genotype-specific plasticity to low N. In contrast, strong differences were observed for ‘stay green’ and silage yield, indicating that these highly heritable traits are good indicators for responsiveness to low N.


HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 611-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.K. Hartz ◽  
P.R. Johnstone ◽  
J.J. Nunez

Carrot (Daucus carota L.) root cracking and breakage during harvest and handling operations result in serious losses. The environmental and management factors affecting carrot cracking and breakage susceptibility were investigated in a survey of fields and a series of trials conducted in California from 2000–02. Roots, leaves and soil were collected from a total of 31 commercial fields of `Sugar Snax' carrot, and soil texture and plant and soil fertility status were determined. Soil moisture was monitored in 10 fields to determine whether irrigation management was correlated with root cracking susceptibility; in 4 of these fields roots were harvested both before 0800 hr and at 1300 hr on the same day to directly compare the effects of root water status on cracking. The effect of N fertilization on cracking and breakage was investigated in 5 field trials. The relative susceptibility of 10 cultivars to cracking and breakage was also compared. Cracking susceptibility was determined with an impact test, and breakage with a loading test. Roots were selected by size (18 to 24 mm diameter) and cooled to 5 °C before testing. The percentage of roots cracked in the impact test varied from 7% to 75% among survey fields. Initial root water potential was not correlated with cracking incidence. However, after hydrating roots to minimize differences in water potential among fields, cracking incidence was correlated with turgor potential (r = 0.41). Soil sand content and mean air temperature in the 30 days preceding harvest were also correlated with cracking (r = –0.48 and 0.36, respectively), suggesting that cracking susceptibility may be minimized in cool weather and in light-textured soil. Irrigation management in the final 30 days preceding harvest had no consistent effect on root cracking. Time of day of harvest had a small but significant effect, with roots harvested before 0800 hr being more crack-susceptible. N fertilization in excess of that required to maximize root yield significantly increased cracking susceptibility. Cultivars varied widely in cracking susceptibility, with less variation in tissue strength and stiffness. Removal of the periderm dramatically decreased susceptibility to both cracking and breakage.


2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Hideo Martins da Costa ◽  
Carlos Alexandre Costa Crusciol ◽  
Rogério Peres Soratto ◽  
Jayme Ferrari Neto ◽  
Edemar Moro

ABSTRACT Topdressing or pre-seeding nitrogen (N) application increases phytomass production, providing a higher nutrients accumulation and indirectly favoring the subsequent crop. However, N fertilization can alter the dry matter decomposition and nutrients release dynamics. This study aimed at evaluating the decomposition rate, cellulose, lignin and nutrients release speed from palisadegrass as a function of N fertilization. The experimental design was randomized blocks with four replications, in a factorial scheme constituted by two N fertilization levels and six sampling times after desiccation [0, 14, 34, 41, 51 and 68 days after management (DAM)]. The topdressing N fertilization on palisadegrass increases the dry matter production and N accumulation, but does not alter the decomposition and release speed. N fertilization reduces the C/N ratio, but it does not change the contents of cellulose and lignin and the decomposition and release of N, K, Ca, Mg, C and Si. The amounts of P and S accumulated in the plant and released into the soil increase with N fertilization. The maximum release rates occur within 0-14 DAM, being more intensive for P and S when N is applied. These results demonstrate the high potential of this species for crop-livestock integration systems, with some advantages that can be potentialized with higher N doses.


HortScience ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 1988-1993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy K. Hartz ◽  
Thomas G. Bottoms

As growers of processing tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) adopt drip irrigation, plant vigor and fruit yield typically increase, suggesting a need for re-evaluation of established nitrogen (N) fertilization practices. Trials were conducted in California in 2007–2008 to evaluate growth and N uptake dynamics of drip-irrigated processing tomatoes across N fertigation regimes ranging from deficient to excessive. Whole plants were collected at 2-week intervals for determination of biomass and N content, recently matured whole leaves for total N and petioles for NO3-N. Additionally, six commercial fields were sampled at 3- to 4-week intervals to document N uptake and crop N status under conditions representative of the industry. A seasonal N rate of ≈200 kg·ha−1 appeared adequate to maximize fruit yield across the range of field conditions encountered. The four highest-yielding fields (143 Mg·ha−1 mean fresh fruit mass) averaged 14 Mg·ha−1 of above-ground biomass with fruit representing 62%; these fields averaged 296 kg·ha−1 biomass N, of which 71% was in fruit. The rate of biomass development and N uptake peaked during the period between early fruit setting and early red fruit development (a period of ≈6 weeks) during which N uptake averaged 4 to 5 kg·ha−1·d−1. Leaf N concentration was highly correlated with whole plant N (r2 = 0.83) and provided a reliable indicator of plant N sufficiency throughout the season. Petiole NO3-N did not reliably discriminate between crops with adequate or deficient N availability; current petiole NO3-N sufficiency guidelines are unrealistically high.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S169-S170
Author(s):  
Angela R Jockheck-Clark ◽  
Cortes Williams ◽  
Christine Kowalczewski ◽  
Jahnabi Roy ◽  
Marc A Thompson ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction During periods of delayed burn treatment, cells within the eschar leach toxic and immunomodulatory metabolites that can profoundly impact neighboring tissue. Therefore, to reduce the burn-related morbidities and mortalities that are the result of delayed surgical interventions, electrospinning was utilized to generate a novel cerium (III) nitrate (Ce(III)N) dressing. Previously published work has demonstrated that topical Ce(III)N application changes the eschar morphology, and that tissue beneath the treated eschar was generally healthy and had a high rate of graft acceptance. Methods Ce(III)N was dissolved with polyethylene oxide and spun onto a grounded rotating mandrel. The uni-axially spun mesh was compared to a co-axially electrospun dressing that contained a Ce(III)N core. Dressings were evaluated for topography/morphology, porosity and oxygen permeation using scanning electron microscopy, helium pycnometry, and a gas exchange chamber, respectively. Ce(III)N release rates were evaluated, as well as 60-day storage stability. Results All electrospun dressings contained functional Ce(III)N, with the co-axially spun dressing containing three times the amount of Ce(III)N as the traditionally spun dressing. Uni-axially and co-axially spun nanofibers had diameters of 1487±560 nm and 1071±147 nm, and porosities of 83.9% and 74.1%, respectively. Scaffolds released the majority of Ce(III)N within the first hour of wetting. Conclusions All dressings were capable of a burst of Ce(III)N release and maintained stability when stored at room temperature for 60 days. Applicability of Research to Practice Despite advancement in protective equipment worn by military personnel, the incidence of thermal injury is expected to rise in future conflicts. There are no burn wound dressings that can mitigate the pathophysiological processes associated with delayed burn wound treatment.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Sánchez-Bravo ◽  
Jacinta Collado-González ◽  
Mireia Corell ◽  
Luis Noguera-Artiaga ◽  
Alejandro Galindo ◽  
...  

Water, especially in arid and semiarid regions, is increasingly a disputed commodity among different productive sectors; the pressure for a more sustainable use of water in agriculture will grow. The main strategy to cope with water scarcity is the use of improved, innovative, and precise deficit irrigation management practices which are able to minimize the impact on fruit yield and quality. The aim of this paper was to develop a certification index or hydroSOS quality index for extra virgin olive oil and processed table olives. The hydrosSOS fruits and vegetables are those cultivated under regulated deficit irrigation (RDI). Different indicators in three quality areas ((i) fatty acids, (ii) phenolic compounds, and (iii) sensory attributes) were identified as showing characteristic or typical responses under RDI conditions. Marks or scores were assigned to each one of these indicators to calculate the proposed index. It can be concluded that an extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or processed table olives are hydroSOStainable foods, if they meet 2 conditions: (i) fulfill the conditions established in the hydroSOS “irrigation” index, and (ii) fulfill the requirements of the hydroSOS “quality” index. HydroSOS quality index will be specific to each crop and variety and will depend on functional and sensory factors.


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