Corn (Zea mays L.) Production in Living Mulch Systems Using White Clover (Trifolium repens L.) under Different Nitrogen Fertilization Rates

Quinby, Marcia Pereira; Nave, Renata La Guardia; Sykes, Virginia; Bates, Gary; Sams, Carl; de Almeida, Otávio Goulart

doi:10.3390/agronomy13092377

Open AccessArticle

Corn (Zea mays L.) Production in Living Mulch Systems Using White Clover (Trifolium repens L.) under Different Nitrogen Fertilization Rates

by

Marcia Pereira Quinby

,

Renata La Guardia Nave

^*,

Virginia Sykes

,

Gary Bates

,

Carl Sams

and

Otávio Goulart de Almeida

Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, 2505 E J Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Agronomy 2023, 13(9), 2377; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13092377

Submission received: 3 August 2023 / Revised: 1 September 2023 / Accepted: 7 September 2023 / Published: 13 September 2023

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Forage Production in Crop–Livestock Systems)

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Abstract

The use of living mulch (LM) in corn (Zea mays L.) production must be evaluated under different N fertilization levels. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum amount of N fertilization in white clover (Trifolium repens L. (WC)) LM in corn. The study was conducted in Spring Hill, TN, from 2020 to 2021. The treatments were [C-0] no LM + no N, [C-135] no LM + 135 kg/ha N, [CLM-0] LM + no N, [CLM-45] LM + 45 kg/ha N, [CLM-90] LM + 90 kg/ha N, and [CLM-135] LM + 135 kg/ha N. We evaluated the LM mass and corn production (silage and grain). In general, the LM mass was higher with CLM-45, CLM-90, and CLM-135 during both years. Corn silage production was higher in 2020 compared with 2021 (6.8 and 2.8 Ton/ha, respectively), and showed differences among treatments. The production of corn grain showed the same response pattern with a higher value in 2020 than in 2021 (1.8 and 0.1 Ton/ha, respectively). Thus, the use of LM did not increase corn silage or grain production, even receiving a high N rate as in conventional systems.

Keywords: fertilizer; forage production; grasses; intercrop; pasture; sustainable system

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MDPI and ACS Style

Quinby, M.P.; Nave, R.L.G.; Sykes, V.; Bates, G.; Sams, C.; de Almeida, O.G. Corn (Zea mays L.) Production in Living Mulch Systems Using White Clover (Trifolium repens L.) under Different Nitrogen Fertilization Rates. Agronomy 2023, 13, 2377. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13092377

AMA Style

Quinby MP, Nave RLG, Sykes V, Bates G, Sams C, de Almeida OG. Corn (Zea mays L.) Production in Living Mulch Systems Using White Clover (Trifolium repens L.) under Different Nitrogen Fertilization Rates. Agronomy. 2023; 13(9):2377. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13092377

Chicago/Turabian Style

Quinby, Marcia Pereira, Renata La Guardia Nave, Virginia Sykes, Gary Bates, Carl Sams, and Otávio Goulart de Almeida. 2023. "Corn (Zea mays L.) Production in Living Mulch Systems Using White Clover (Trifolium repens L.) under Different Nitrogen Fertilization Rates" Agronomy 13, no. 9: 2377. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13092377

APA Style

Quinby, M. P., Nave, R. L. G., Sykes, V., Bates, G., Sams, C., & de Almeida, O. G. (2023). Corn (Zea mays L.) Production in Living Mulch Systems Using White Clover (Trifolium repens L.) under Different Nitrogen Fertilization Rates. Agronomy, 13(9), 2377. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13092377

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Corn (Zea mays L.) Production in Living Mulch Systems Using White Clover (Trifolium repens L.) under Different Nitrogen Fertilization Rates

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