Impact Foliar Fertilization of Canola with a NitrogenNitrogen-Zinc Product
R. E. Karamanos, N.A. Flore,J.T. Harapiak†
With canola prices reaching record levels, producers are looking for means
to push their yields to the maximum and realize additional economic benefit.
This study is a record of 40 experiments from the Westco annals that were
carried out over a period of seven years (1989-95) and involved application
of a foliar product (NZn) on canola. .
Although the cultivars involved in this study are no longer sown by
producers, we felt that the awareness of the results of this series of
experiments may induce curiosity into experimenting with this product with
current cultivars.
The objective of this study was to ascertain whether responses of canola to
mid-season foliar application of N and Zn result in yield and economic
benefits.
Materials and Methods
• Trials at each experimental site were set as a split-plot design with and without
application of NZn as the main plot and a variety of other treatments as subplots. In total, eleven different experimental designs were employed involving
rates and method of application of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and
potassium (K) or their combination.
• Soil samples were taken from 0 to 15 and 15 to 30 and 30 to 60 cm depths of
all plots. Foliar application of NZn was employed at the mid flowering stage at
a rate of 4.45 L ha-1.
• Plots were 1.24 m wide by 6 m long and contained 7 rows at 17.8 cm spacing.
At maturity an area of 0.71 (4 rows) or 1.06 m (6 rows) by 3 m was harvested
by hand from each plot and grain samples and straw were cleaned, dried to 10
% moisture and weighed.
• Data for each NZn experiment were separately analyzed with the PROC
MIXED procedure of SAS (Littell et al. 2006). The effects of the NZn and NPK
treatments were considered fixed, and the effects of replicate, site (location by
year combination), and site interactions with the treatments were considered
random. A separate residual variance for each site was modeled for all
variables. A corrected Akaike’s information criterion confirmed the benefit of
heterogeneous residual variances. A combination of variance estimates size
and statistical tests (variance estimates significantly different from 0)
determined the importance of the random site by treatments interaction.
Orthogonal polynomial contrasts were used, where applicable, to assess to
effect of N or P fertilizer rates part of the NPK treatment. Otherwise, an
LSD0.05 was used to explore treatment differences and provided a measure
of precision. All statistical tests were declared significant at P < 0.05.
Site
Bentley
Bentley
Bentley
Bentley
Bentley
Conrich
Ellerlsie1
Ellerlsie2
Ellerlsie3
Lethbridge
Olds
Olds
Olds
Olds
Year
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1989
1995
1995
1995
1993
1989
1990
1993
1994
N
No. of trials
3
21
1
16
1
142
3
48
5
44
3
28
1
54
2
74
1
122
5
46
3
93
4
60
3
26
5
70
P
K
(lb/acre)
18
420
24
456
30
468
6
390
26
650
32
558
14
282
12
330
6
240
28
432
24
168
18
418
10
256
28
326
S
18
25
16
12
38
42
42
44
52
258
96
70
15
52
Zn
(ppm)
2.1
2.8
9.0
7.1
-18
1.9
1.9
1.9
0.8
2.5
2
1.5
2.3
pH
6.8
6.9
6.2
6.2
6.1
6.9
6.3
6.2
6.1
8.1
7.1
7.3
7.4
7.0
OM
(%)
8.9
-9.7
9.6
10.9
-8.9
8.9
8.9
3.2
6.9
-6.5
6.2
Plan B (7 trials)
107-27-27, No Zn
107-27-27 + Zn Band
107-27-27 + Zn Broadcast
107-27-27 + Zn Seedrow
(P value) .
NZn
0.009
Treatment (T) 0.839
NZn x T
0.197
(Variance estimate)
Site (S)
320*
S x NZn
0
S x NZn x T 0.4
(N/P rate)
Significant
500
Not significant
8.9 bu/ac
400
7.1 bu/ac
300
5.4 bu/ac
Figure 1
3.6 bu/ac
200
1.8 bu/ac
100
0
-1.8 bu/ac
-100
-200
20
40
60
80
100
120
Probability of response, %
$140
Significant effects
Plan A (11 trials)
No Fertilizer
0-13/27-0
36-13/27-0
72-13/27-0
108-13/27-0
144-13/27-0
180-13/27-0
108-0-0
108-13/14-0
108-13/40-0
(P value)
NZn
0.007
Treatment (T) < 0.001
NZn x T
0.822
(Variance estimate)
Site (S)
56.2*
S x NZn
0.1
S x NZn x T
6.0**
(N/P rate)
600
0
$14/bu canola
$120
Plan E (3 trials)
No Fertilizer
N Band
N+ 18P Band
N Band, 18P Drill
N+9P Band, 9P Drill
N+ 36P Band
N Band, 36P Drill
N+18P Band, 18P Drill
(P value)
NZn
0.007
N/P rate (R)
0.333
R linear (Rl)
0.293
R quadratic (Rq)
0.185
NZN x R
0.729
NZN x Rl
0.792
NZN x Rq
0.602
(Variance estimate)
Site (S)
402
S x NZn
0
S x NZn x T
0
(N/P rate)
Misc. Ellerslie (1 trial)
N Band, P Drill-in
+ KCL Drill-in
+ K2SO4 Drill-in
+ CaCl2 Drill-in
(P value)
NZn
0.004
Treatment (T) 0.187
NZn x T
0.292
$12/bu canola
$100
$10/bu canola
$80
Net return, $
Introduction
Soil Data
$60
Figure 2
$40
$20
$0
-$20
2:1 return
range
-$40
break even
range
-$60
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Probability of return, %
$140
Net return, $
Abstract
This study is a record of 40 experiments from the Westco annals that were
carried out over a period of six years (1989-94) and involved application of a
foliar product (NZn) on canola. The experiment at each experimental site was
set as a split-plot design with and without application of NZn as the main plot
and a variety of other treatments as sub-plots. In total, eleven different
experimental designs were employed involving rates and method of application
of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) or their combination. Soil
samples were taken from 0 to 15 and 15 to 30 and 30 to 60 cm depths of all
plots. Foliar application of NZn was employed at the flowering stage.
Numerically, a response to the foliar application was obtained in 85% of the
time; however, statistically this occurred only in 60% of the cases. Statistically
significant yield increases varied between 84 and 672 kg ha-1. These findings
suggest that follow up tests with current canola cultivars should be conducted
to ascertain the benefit of such a product in current agriculture.
Seed yield increase with NZn, kg ha -1
Viterra Inc., Calgary, Alberta; e-mail: [email protected] ; † deceased
$120
$14/bu canola
$100
$12/bu canola
$80
$10/bu canola
$60
Figure 3
$40
$20
$0
.
-$20
2:1 return
range
-$40
break even
range
-$60
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Probability of return, %
Yield Data
• Numerically, a response to the foliar application was obtained in 80% of the
time (Fig. 1); however, statistically this occurred only in 60% of the cases.
Statistically significant yield increases varied between 34 and 530 kg ha-1.
Economic benefits from application of this product would vary depending
commodity and fertilizer prices. Without accounting for application costs,
economic return using two arbitrary prices ($5 and $10/acre - $12.35 and
$24.70 per hectare) is illustrated in Fig. 2 and 3 for three different prices for
canola.
• We could not attribute these responses to any of the soil
characteristics
or crop
Conclusions
• These findings suggest that follow up tests with current (hybrid) canola
cultivars should be conducted to ascertain the benefit of such a product
in current agriculture.
References
•Littell, R. C., Milliken, G. A., Stroup, W. W., and Wolfinger, R. D. 2006. SAS System for Mixed Models (2nd ed.), SAS Institute, Cary NC. 813
pp.