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CSS 315: Nutrient Cycling and Management

Corn History

Corn Plant History
CSS 315, Spring Term 2006

The soil is a Newberg fine-sandy loam (coarse loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic fluventic Haploxeroll). The Newberg soil is an important agricultural soil found on the floodplains of the Willamette River. It commonly is used for the production of high-value irrigated row crops. Soil was passed through a 127 mm screen.. One-gallon pots were lined with plastic bags and 2kg (± 0.5g) soil (dry weight basis) were weighed into each pot.

On 1 February 2006, three Golden Jubilee corn seeds were planted in each pot; this date was nine weeks prior to the first laboratory class ± one day (depending on whether a Tuesday or a Thursday laboratory class). After planting, nutrient solution was applied to each pot to supply 260 mg K/pot as KCl, 130 mg P/pot as Ca(H₂PO₄)₂•H₂O and 100 mg S/pot as MgSO₄. Just after planting, one-half of N as urea in solution was applied. On 8 February, corn plants were thinned to 2/pot in those pots where more than two plants had emerged. On 1 March 2006, the remaining one-half of the N was applied as urea in solution for each N treatment. Pots were divided into treatments as follows:

Soil moisture was maintained by adding distilled water to three days each week. All pots were placed randomly on the greenhouse bench and provided with lights 14 hours each day. The greenhouse temperature was set at 28°C. Pots were re-randomized under the lights after each watering. Plants were moved to the classroom and sorted by treatment on 4 April 2006.

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