North Dakota Corn Nitrogen Calculator
Region:
West River:Eastern ND:
Field Information (If in Eastern ND):
No-Till for 6+ YearsIrrigated Corn
Conventional Till/Minimal No-Till
Conventionally-Tilled
No-Till for 1-5 years
High-Clay Soils
Historic Yield > 160 bu/a
Historic Yield less than 160 bu/a
Medium-Texture Soils
Historic Yield > 160 bu/a
Historic Yield less than 160 bu/a
Input Nearest Corn Price ($/Bushel):
Input Nearest Nitrogen Cost ($/Pound):
Soil Test for Nitrogen Analysis (lbs/acre 2-ft depth):
Percent Organic Matter In Soil:
Previous Crops Planted
No nitrogen-supplying cropSoybean, Field Pea, Dry Bean, Lentil, Chickpea or harvested Sweet Pea
Sugarbeet with yellow-green leaves
Sugarbeet with green leaves
Harvested Alfalfa or unharvested Sweet Clover (>5 plants/sq-ft)
Harvested Alfalfa or unharvested Sweet Clover (3-4 plants/sq-ft)
Harvested Alfalfa or unharvested Sweet Clover (1-2 plants/sq-ft)
Harvested Alfalfa or unharvested Sweet Clover (less than 1 plant/sq-ft)
plus/minus 30 lbs.
This recommendation is intended to be split into at least three applications. The first application is up to 50 lb N per acre as preplant or at planting, but no fall N should be applied on sandy loam or coarser soils. The second application should be up to 100 lb N per acre as a sidedress at about V6. The last application should usually go through the irrigation pivot in a single or a split application with up to 30 lb N per acre at each application. If corn yield prediction is more than expected, up to 30 lb N per acre may be applied after pollination is complete. No N application is recommended during pollination.
High clay soils are subject to N loss due to denitrification in wet years. If spring rainfall is normal and the soil is muddy for less than 10 days, the preplant N recommendation should be sufficient for high yield. If rains result in muddy conditions for more than 10 days, supplemental N as sidedress is strongly recommended. Estimate 1.5% nitrate-N loss per muddy day. A better recommendation is to utilize the high clay soil with yield potential greater than 160 bushels per acre active-optical sensor algorithm to direct variable-rate sidedress rates. The active-optical sensor algorithm will require the grower to establish an N-rich strip in the soil category within a variety for its use.
These soils are highly susceptible to N loss due to denitrification. The N recommendation shown above is for an initial preplant N rate. If you choose not to sidedress, there is no practical preplant N rate that would provide higher yields in most years. If you choose to sidedress, use half of the rate recommended for high clay soils with historic yield potential greater than 160 bushels per acre, and apply the second half of that rate at sidedress, preferably between V6 and V8. If you use the variable-rate sidedress N option directed by an active-optical sensor, use the algorithm developed for high-clay higher yielding soils.
These soils do not require sidedress N for greatest N use efficiency. If the grower chooses to sidedress, corn yields should be similar to preplant. Sidedressing these soils would not be expected to produce higher yield compared to preplant N application.
These soils would benefit greatly from a sidedress N application due to their high susceptibility to leaching in all but the driest of years. Base preplant rates on the Nitrogen Recommendation Rate Calculator above. Base side-dress rate on the medium-textured soil with historic yields greater than 160 bushels per acre less whatever base rate, residual N and N credits are given in the Calculator above. A better sidedress rate strategy would be to apply an N-rich strip preplant and use the active-optical sensor algorithm for the medium-textured soil with historic yields greater than 160 bushels per acre. If there is significant rain that might contribute to N leaching between preplant N application and sidedess, the N-rich strip might have to be reapplied about a week before sidedress application.