134-3
Fertilizer Recovery of Cyanobacterial and Commonly-Used Organic Fertilizers and Lettuce Growth Response On Different Soil Textures.

Monday, November 4, 2013: 1:35 PM
Tampa Convention Center, Room 1 and 2, First Floor

Arina Sukor1, Frank Stonaker2, Mary E. Stromberger1, Heather Storteboom3 and Jessica G. Davis1, (1)Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
(2)Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
(3)Thin Air Nitrogen Solutions, Fort Collins, CO

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer plays a crucial role in crop growth and yield development. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is a shallow-rooted crop and requires an extensive amount of N fertilizer to produce yield. A greenhouse experiment was conducted for 63 days (early May-mid August 2012) to evaluate the effect of N availability from soil-applied organic fertilizers: liquid cyanobacteria (Lcyb), solid cyanobacteria (Scyb), fish emulsion (Fish), composted manure (Com) and two combinations of soil- and foliar applied fertilizers; [liquid+solid cyanobacteria (FLScyb) and fish emulsion+composted manure (FFCom)] applied at two N rates (56 and 112 kg N ha-1) on clayey and sandy soils. The treatments were arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design in a greenhouse at Colorado State University. The fish emulsion treatment recorded significantly higher total leaf area (2189 cm2) compared to other treatments when applied at 112 kg N ha-1 on clayey soil. Significantly higher yield was also observed at 112 kg N ha-1 (147 g pot-1) compared to 56 kg N ha-1 (117 g pot-1) in clayey soil. The FFCom treatment recorded the highest root surface area (750 cm2 pot-1) compared to other treatments at 112 kg N ha-1 on clayey soil. The Lcyb treatment recorded 58 mg N significantly higher total N uptake compared to the Com treatment in clayey soil at 112 kg N ha-1 while the Scyb treatment recorded 30 mg N higher total N uptake at 56 kg N ha-1 compared to 112 kg N ha-1 in clayey soil. The Fish treatment recorded 30% higher fertilizer recovery compared to the Scyb and Lcyb fertilizer treatments at 56 kg N ha-1 on clayey soil. However, the FLScyb, Lcyb, and Scyb fertilizer treatments recorded 18%, 8%, and 14% higher fertilizer recovery compared to the Com treatment at 56 kg N ha-1 on clayey soil, respectively. In short, cyanobacterial fertilizer could be a potential N bio-fertilizer for organic farmers in addition to composted manure although it was not as effective as the fish emulsion fertilizer at the rates tested.

See more from this Division: SSSA Division: Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition
See more from this Session: Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition Division and Nutrient Management and Soil and Plant Analysis Division Graduate Student Oral Competition - General Nutrient Management (PhD degree)

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