With developments in sensor technologies and fertilizer application systems over the past 10 years, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has updated its guidance documents to recommend that irrigated corn growers adopt sensor-based in-season nitrogen management. This approach offers clear advantages in profitability and nitrogen use efficiency compared to traditional management approaches.
A new NebGuide from Nebraska Extension, “In-Season Nitrogen Management for Irrigated Corn” (G2365), publication briefly reviews the history of nitrogen management research and fertilizer recommendations for corn in Nebraska, and the need for improved approaches for nitrogen management to increase profitability and reduce environmental impacts of fertilizer use. Based on research over the past 20 years in Nebraska, it describes approaches for using crop canopy sensor information to manage nitrogen during the growing season, rather than pre-season application, for irrigated corn production.