Influence of deep fertilizer placement on yield in canola

Research questions: 

Does deep fertilization combined with targeted loosening promote taproot development as well as drought tolerance in canola?

Does targeted deep fertilization improve yield, nutrient availability and plant health compared to conventional broadcast fertilization?

Background:

Targeted fertilizer placement incentivizes root growth and promotes deep rooting while fertilizing nutrient-deficient, deeper soil layers.

Concentrated fertilizer deposition in deeper soil layers, which dry out less frequently, can ensure nutrient uptake of phosphorus and potassium. The less mobile nutrients P and K reach the plant due to concentration differences (diffusion), which requires spatial proximity of fertilizer and root, as well as sufficiently high soil moisture.

Study Design:

The trial is designed as a strip trial (15 m wide trial strips). In addition to the targeted deep fertilization between two seed rows, the broad-surface fertilization serves as a comparison variant. For the deep fertilization Triple Super was applied. The deep fertilization was implemented using the offset method, whereby the base fertilization was first applied using the combination of fertilizer front tank and cultivator with fertilizer distributor. Subsequently, the canola was sown 1-2 cm deep with the seed drill. The repeatable RTK accuracy of ± 2 cm of the automatic guidance system enabled the implementation of the settled method.

Location: Altkloster