Nitrogen management strategies for maize production systems: Experimental data and crop modeling

Nitrogen management strategies for smallholder maize production systems: Yield and profitability variability

Maize (Zea mays L.) production requires large amounts of nitrogen (N) thatdirectly affect production cost. Poultry litter can be used as an alternative source ofN. To optimize its use, poultry litter requires technical and economic feasibilityanalyses. Crop simulation models have proven to be efficient tools to support thistype of research. The objectives of this study were to determine yield a...

Low-Input Cropping Systems and Nitrogen Fertilizer Effects on Crop Production: Soil Nitrogen Dynamics and Efficiency of Nitrogen Use in Maize Crop

Soil N is a major factor limiting crop production in maize-based agriculture in the tropics. In this study, soil N dynamics and efficiency of N use by maize was investigated in five cropping systems (CSs) over two annual cropping phases. The CSs comprised cereal-legume (CS1, CS2, CS3), cereal-cereal (CS4) and cereal-bare fallow (CS5) rotations with three rates of N fertiliser application to mai...

Identifying Irrigation Strategies for Improved Agricultural Water Productivity in Irrigated Maize Production through Crop Simulation Modelling

Identifying irrigation strategies that improve agricultural water use efficiency (WUE) have a pivotal role to play in sustainable water development. In this study, the AquaCrop model was used to examine the impact of different irrigation scheduling options on yields to identify viable strategies to enhance WUE for irrigated maize. Two scheduling scenarios at water application depths ranging fro...

Maize-N: A Decision Tool for Nitrogen Management in Maize

Published in Agron. J. 103:1276–1283 (2011) Posted online 8 Jun 2011 doi:10.2134/agronj2011.0053 Available freely online through the author-supported open access option. Copyright © 2011 by the American Society of Agronomy, 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical...

Evapotranspiration and Water Management for Crop Production

Pretreatment of whole-crop harvested, ensiled maize for ethanol production.

To have all-year-round available feedstock, whole-crop maize is harvested premature, when it still contains enough moisture for the anaerobic ensiling process. Silage preparation is a well-known procedure for preserving plant material. At first, this method was applied to obtain high-quality animal feed. However, it was found that such ensiled crops are very suitable for bioenergy production. M...