Cropping Research

Cropping Research
Study to evaluate the response of wheat, barley and canola with two nitrogen fertilizers. Len Kryzanowski, Environmental Stewardship Division and Ross McKenzie, Research Division of AF are jointly conducting a province wide study to evaluate the effects of response of wheat, barley and canola with two nitrogen fertilizers including urea (46-0-0) and Environmentally Smart Nitrogen (ESN; a polymer coated slow release urea; 45-0-0) at 9 different agro-ecological locations across Alberta for five years. The fertilizers are applied at five different rates ranging from 0 to 120 kg/ha, banded in fall, and side banded and seed-placed at seeding, with each crop. The objectives of the study are to examine nitrogen fertilizer use, nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency and to develop nitrogen fertilizer response curves for each crop, in each major agro-ecological area of Alberta. The study is examining nitrous oxide emissions from the two fertilizer forms and the effects of time of fertilizer application and placement at the various N rates. The intensive gas monitoring takes place in all treatments from time of application to after crop harvest. The intensive sites monitored for gas emission are an irrigated site at Lethbridge in the Dark Brown soil zone, and dryland sites at Lacombe in the Black soil zone and near Westlock in the Gray Wooded soil zone.

Germar Lohstraeter taking a gas sample for nitrous oxide (N₂O) flux measurements by using a gas chamber and syringe

Craig Sprout taking a soil sample to measure available nitrogen beside a GHG sampling chamber.

Cropping Research

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