Tillage effect on seasonal nitrogen availability in corn supplied with legume green manures

It has been shown that legume green manures have great potential for replacing a substantial amount of the N fertilizer required for corn (Zea mays L.) production. An experiment was conducted in central Pennsylvania (USA) to study seasonal fluctuation of nitrogen (N) availability in corn with conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) following red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) green manures double-cropped with winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Samples of corn, weeds, and soil were taken periodically and analyzed for total N content in plant tissue and soil nitrate-N content. The sum of plant N (corn plus weed) and soil nitrate-N in the upper 45 cm profile was used as an indicator of total available N. Under CT, total available N increased rapidly upon legume incorporation and reached 80% of the maximum within 4 weeks. Under NT, total available N increased steadily after the legumes were killed with herbicides and reached a maximum within 7 to 8 weeks. Seasonal corn N accumulations with the legume N source were similar to those where corn followed fallow with 200 kg N ha⁻¹ fertilizer with CT, but were less than those in the same fallow 200 kg N ha⁻¹ treatment with no-till. Dry weather conditions together with weed competition reduced N availability to the no-till corn compared to the CT treatments. The seasonal fluctuations of total available N and corn N uptake suggest good synchronization between N availability from the legume green manures and N accumulation by corn plants in both tillage systems under the conditions of this study.