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Effect of Added Urea and Potassium Chloride on Yields of Corn over Four Years and on Soil Potassium

Dep. of Renewable Resources, Faculty of Agric., Macdonald College of McGill Univ., 21111 Lake Shore Rd., Ste. Anne de Bellevue, P.Q., Canada H9X 1C0
Dep. of Animal Sci., Faculty of Agric., Macdonald College of McGill Univ., 21111 Lake Shore Rd., Ste. Anne de Bellevue, P.Q. Canada H9X 1C0
Dep. of Renewable Resources, Faculty of Agric., Macdonald College of McGill Univ., 21111 Lake Shore Rd., Ste. Anne de Bellevue, P.Q. Canada H9X 1C0

^* Corresponding author.

Silage corn (Zea mays L.) is a major crop in eastern Canada, and yield increases due to added N and K have been noted. However, possible interaction between N and K, and the effect of weather conditions on yield response and maturity must be determined for rational use of N and K fertilizers. A fertilizer experiment on the production of silage corn using urea and KCI was established on an Ormstown silty clay loam (fine silty, mixed, non-acid, mesic Typic Humaquept) for 4 yr. Rates of fertilizer were 0, 90, and 180 kg N ha^–1, and 0, 60, and 120 kg K₂O in the first 2 yr, increased to 0, 120, and 240 kg K₂O ha^–1 in the last 2 yr. Yields of silage corn were increased with N in 3 yr and with K in 2 of the 4 yr. An interaction between N and K was found in the years when there were yield responses to added KCl, indicating that increased crop yields with K occurred only at relatively high N rates. Added N increased dry matter contents of corn plants, whereas added K reduced dry matter contents at low rates of N. Relative yields of the control plots over the high N-K plots were correlated positively with precipitation during the growing season. Added urea when combined with added KCl increased exchangeable and soluble K, probably due to reduced K fixation by illite, mica and vermiculite minerals in the soil.

Received for publication October 2, 1987.