Composition of the Corn Leaf as an Indicator of the Nutrient Status of the Soil

The purpose of this investigation was to (1) evaluate the nitrogen status of the corn leaf as an indicator of the nitrogen supplying capacity of the soil, and to (2) study the relationship of phosphorus content of the corn leaf to the corn yields on the different corn producing soils of Nebraska. Except in the Cuming County experiment, phosphorus was not a limiting factor in the production of corn. Increases in yields of corn in most of the experiments could be attributed solely to the application of nitrogen fertilizer. The relation of nitrogen percentage in the sixth corn leaf at silking time or bloom stage to corn yield was used for determining the nitrogen supplying capacity of the soil in eight corn fertilizer experiments on several major soil types during 1949 and 1950. Advisor: H. F. Rhoades