Nutrient management after a failed corn crop Where the corn crop
failed in 2011, farmers are asking questions on the best ways to
handle their nutrient management programs for 2012. In most
cases, the vast majority of the fertilizer that was applied to
unharvested, failed corn should still be there in 2012 – either
in the soil or in the crop residue. Farmers will need to do some
soil testing to know for sure the nutrient status of fields with
failed corn. Farmers will also want to have some idea of the
amount of nutrients present in the corn residue remaining, and
how quickly those nutrients will become available to crops.
There are a number of potential sources of nutrients other than
applied fertilizers that could contribute to a 2012 wheat, corn,
sorghum, or soybean crop. These include: - Nitrate, sulfate, and
chloride in the soil profile - Phosphorus, potassium, and zinc
in the surface soil - Nutrients in crop residues The first
category consists of mobile nutrients, and the second category
consists of im