Effect of Silicate Slag Application on Wheat Grown Under Two Nitrogen Rates

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 6; no. 4; p. 47
• Main Authors: White, Brandon, Tubana, Brenda S, Babu, Tapasya, Mascagni, Henry, Agostinho, Flavia, Datnoff, Lawrence E, Harrison, Steve
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 11.10.2017; MDPI
• Subjects: Crop yield; Essential nutrients; Floodplains; grain yield; Nitrates; Nitrogen; Nutrient availability; Nutrients; pH effects; plant-essential nutrients; Productivity; silicate slag; Silicon; Slag; Soil chemistry; Soil lime; Soil pH; Soils; Triticum aestivum; Wheat; plant-essential nutrients; silicon; nitrogen; soil pH; wheat; grain yield; silicate slag
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants6040047

Field studies were established on the alluvial floodplain soils in Louisiana, from 2013 to 2015, to evaluate the effect of silicate slag applications on productivity of wheat ( ), under sufficient and high nitrogen (N) application rates. Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design, with four replications consisting of twelve treatments: a factorial combination of two N (101 and 145 kg N ha ) and five silicate slag rates (0, 1, 2, 4.5, and 9 Mg ha ), and two control plots (with and without lime). Nitrogen had a greater impact on wheat productivity than silicate slag application. Wheat grain yield reached over 7000 kg ha with applications of 145 kg N, and 9 Mg silicate slag per ha for soil having Si level <20 mg kg . Yield increases due to N or Si were attributed to the increase in number of spike m and grain number spike . Silicate slag application effectively raised soil pH, and availability of several plant-essential nutrients, including plant-available N (nitrate, NO₃ ), demonstrating the benefits of slag application are beyond increasing plant-available Si. The benefits of silicate slag application were clearly observed in wheat supplied with high N, and on soil with low plant-available Si.