COMPARISON OF NITROGEN FERTILIZATION METHODS AND RATES FOR SUBSURFACE DRIP IRRIGATED CORN IN THE SEMI‐ARID GREAT PLAINS

ABSTRACT. In semi‐arid areas such as western Nebraska, interest in subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) for corn is increasing due to restricted irrigation allocations. However, crop response quantification to nitrogen (N) applications with SDI and the environmental benefits of multiple in‐season (IS) SDI N applications instead of a single early‐season (ES) surface application are lacking. The study was conducted in 2004, 2005, and 2006 at the University of Nebraska‐Lincoln West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte, Nebraska, comparing two N application methods (IS and ES) and three N rates (128, 186, and 278 kg N ha-1) using a randomized complete block design with four replications. No grain yield or biomass response was observed in 2004. In 2005 and 2006, corn grain yield and biomass production increased with increasing N rates, and the IS treatment increased grain yield, total N uptake, and gross return after N application costs (GRN) compared to the E