Nitrogen recovery and dry matter production of silage maize (Zea mays L.) as affected by subsurface band application of mineral nitrogen fertilizer

In 1991-94 the effects of subsurface band application of mineral N fertilizer on the N recovery and dry matter (DM) yield of silage maize were studied in nine field experiments on sandy and clay soils in the Netherlands. In the early crop stages and especially in the clay soil experiments, banded N had a significant negative effect on the N uptake and DM yield compared to broadcast N, possibly due to salt damage. At final harvest, however, banding significantly increased the N uptake and DM yield in most of the experiments. The apparent N recovery increased by circa 20-25% (absolute). The positive effects indicated that band application improved the efficiency of the N fertilizer. It could be calculated that banding allowed a reduction in the N rate of 20-30% without significant effects on the N uptake and DM yield of the silage maize. Benefits of banding were positively (