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NE CO | Matt,
I am positive that there was adequate fertility on the field in question, in fact probably a surplus. During the wet years of my rotation, I WAS sometimes short of nitrogen due to the rapid increase of residue accumulating on the surface. When our dry period began, I continued to add nitrogen at the same rates for several years, but without a crop to remove the nutrients, they continued to build to excessive levels. No crop removal, leaching or nitrification was occurring. In addition, the breakdown of the residue compounded the problem by releasing additional nutrients which were now available to the crop. Annual soil testing confirmed more than adequate N and P for the crops. In fact, I attribute part of the crop failures during the driest years to surplus nitrogen availability. I usually leave a check strip when applying fertilizer as check on my soil testing recommendations. These unfertilized strips equaled and sometimes outyielded the fertilized part of the field. This year when we have had abundant rainfall, I also put out 0, 1X and 2X ferilizer check strips in several of the wheat and corn fields. There is no visual difference in any of these strips making me believe that there is still more than adequate fertility in the field. Yield mapping the wheat fields did not show the strips either.
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Tillage Question for Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas Farmers
