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Ohio State University Extension

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Side-dressing Manure into Newly Planted and Emerged Corn

Ohio State University Extension has conducted manure application research on growing crops for several years in an effort to make better use of the available nutrients. Incorporating manure into growing corn can boost crop yields, reduce nutrient losses, and give livestock producers or commercial manure applicators another window of time to apply manure to farm fields.

Our research started with using manure tankers, modified with narrow wheels, and in recent years progressed to using drag hoses on emerged corn. We now feel confident that liquid livestock manure can be surface applied or incorporated into corn from the day of planting to the V4 stage of development.

In Darke County, we have used a drag hose to apply swine finishing manure to emerged corn fields with several farmers during the 2014-2019 growing seasons with great success. The corn was generally at the V3 stage of growth when the manure was incorporated as a side-dress but some years weather forced us to apply at the V4 stage.

Darke County Farms Plot Results:

Darke County Six-Year Manure Incorporation Drag Hose Corn Plots

Year

Swine Finishing Manure

28% UAN

2019

195

168

2018

264

246

2017

165

145

2016

222

216

2015

154

121

2014

204

204

Average yield: bu/acre

200.7

183.3

The manure treatments have averaged 17.4 bushels per acre more than the 28% UAN treatments. These livestock producers incorporated approximately 6,500 gallons of swine finishing manure per acre to provide all the side-dress nitrogen needed. Most of the fields received 10 gallons per acre of 28%UAN as row starter. Also, most farmers planted their corn fields at an angle to make the drag hose work best for the commercial manure applicator.

In addition to providing the side-dress nitrogen, the manure application also provided almost precisely the amount of phosphorus and potash needed for both the current corn crop and the soybean crop the following season.

Additional on-farm manure side-dress plot results can be obtained by clicking on the On-farm Research link on the OSU Extension Agronomics Crops team website at http://agcrops.osu.edu/ or follow OSU extension’s manure research on Facebook at: Ohio State Extension Environmental and Manure Management.

OSU Extension’s Nutrient Stewardship YouTube site is: www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jUsQNGM8fCHjbZUdT9pKw

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crop Observation and Recommendation Network

C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.

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