The Influence of Straw Application Rates, Plowing Dates, and Nitrogen Applications on Yield and Chemical Composition of Sugarbeets

Smith, J.H. and Douglas, C.L. and LeBaron, M.J. (1973) The Influence of Straw Application Rates, Plowing Dates, and Nitrogen Applications on Yield and Chemical Composition of Sugarbeets. Agronomy Journal. 65(5):797-800.

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Abstract

Fertilizer N applied at ever-increasing rates sometimes
accumulates in the soil. The practice of fertilizing grain
straw with N to stimulate decomposition is questionable,
but decomposition of straw immobilizes N that must be
compensated for in fertilizing the succeeding crop. Too
much N decreases the sucrose content of sugarbeets and
decreases sucrose recovery. Experiments were conducted
to determine the relative value of early and late straw
applications, plowing with N applied in the fall or spring,
and the amount of N needed to compensate for straw
applications in obtaining optimum beet and sucrose yields
with maximum quality.

Sugarbeets (Beta vulgaris L.) were grown following
winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L., var. 'Nugaines') in
1970 and 1971 on a Portneuf silt loam soil near Kimberly,
Idaho. Straw was applied to the beet plots at rates of
6.7, and 13.4 metric tons/ha, and the plots were plowed
either in early September or mid-November. Nitrogen
was applied at 67 kg N/ha in the fall and at 67 and 134
kg N/ha in the spring. The treatments were arranged in
a split-split lot design with 4 replications. Control plots
were used with all experiments. N fertilization increased
beet, top, and sucrose yields, as well as amino N, Na, K
concentrations, and impurity index. It decreased the
sucrose percentages of the beets. Straw applications decreased
beet, top, and sucrose yields, Na and amino N
concentrations, and impurity index, but they did not influence
K content of the beets. Early plowing increased
sucrose percentage and yield and decreased Na, K, and
impurity index. Interactions between straw applications
and plowing dates were significant for sugarbeet and
beet top yields. Approximately 7.5 kg N fertilizer per
metric ton of straw were required to compensate for the
deleterious effects of the straw.

Item Type:	Article
NWISRL Publication Number:	0266
Subjects:	Irrigated crops > Sugarbeet Soil > Tillage Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User:	Dan Stieneke
Date Deposited:	20 Nov 2010 21:51
Last Modified:	16 Feb 2017 22:08
Item ID:	246
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/246