Optimum placement of phosphorus for corn/soybean rotations in a strip-tillage system

摘要

Strip tillage, a conservation tillage system using very reduced till- age, is attracting much attention throughout the corn-growing regions of the United States. In the northern parts of the Corn Belt, strip tillage often replaces no-till systems on the more poorly drained soils because it provides a warmer tilled seedbed for early planting and faster early growth while maintaining substantial amounts of erosion-minimizing plant residue between the tilled strips. Another benefit of strip tillage is the need for only one field operation between soybean harvest and spring planting-that is, fall strip tillage accompanied by deep-placement of fertilizer phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in a band 15 to 18 cm (6 to 7 in) deep in the strip.