Fertilizer application method affects nitrogen uptake in weeds and wheat

Managing fertilizer in cropping systems may be an important component of integrated weed management programs A field study was conducted to determine the effect of various application methods of the N-15-enriched nitrogen (N) fertilizer on N uptake in green foxtail, wild mustard, and spring wheat and on crop weed competition N application methods consisted of ammonium nitrate in solution applied broadcast on the soil surface, applied in pools on the soil surface at 20-cm intervals between every second wheat row, and point injected 10 cm deep at intervals similar to those of the surface pools An unfertilized control treatment was also included N uptake by green foxtail throughout the growing season was often greater from surface broadcast than from surface pools or point-injected N and was sometimes greater from surface pools than from point-injected N In contrast, N uptake by wild mustard was rarely affected by the fertilizer placement method In the presence of weeds, the ranking of N uptake by wheat usually was point injected > surface pools > surface broadcast Weed biomass was often greater with surface broadcast than with either surface pools or point-injected N In the absence of weeds, wheat yields were similar across the three N application methods However, in the presence of green foxtail, wheat yields were greater with point-injected N than with surface broadcast N in two of the 3 yr and with surface pools of N in one of the 3 yr In the presence of wild mustard, wheat yields were greater with surface pools and point-injected N compared with the unfertilized control in two of the 3 yr, whereas yields with broadcast N were never greater than the unfertilized control Study findings suggest that point-injected N results in suppressed weed growth, not by reduced N uptake by weeds but instead by greater N uptake by wheat that increases its competitiveness with weeds Information gained in this Study will be utilized to develop a more integrated program for weed management in spring wheat.