Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / While promoting increased farm production, applications of pig slurry (PS), in notillage systems (NT), may represent an important source of environmental contamination. Therefore, the pursuit of technological strategies to minimize this potential polluter of DLS is one of the main current challenges in pig farming. Given this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate how the subsurface injection of PS in NT and the use of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) affects emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), N losses by ammonia (NH3) volatilization and nitrogen (N) supply to corn. The study was conducted at the Federal University of Santa Maria during the growing seasons of corn in 2011/12 and 2012/13. Two experiments were conducted, one in a Typic Paleudult (Site I) and another in a Typic Paleudult (Site II). In both sites, we used the experimental design of randomized blocks with four replications of the following treatments: Pig slurry surface (PSs), PSs + DCD, pig slurry injected into the subsurface (PSi), PSi + DCD, control without fertilizers or DCD (Control) and mineral fertilization (urea). The injection of PS reduced NH3 emissions by 70%, but increased N2O-N from 2.628 to 6.198 g N2O N ha-1, compared to surface application. The addition of DCD to PS, at the time of its application to the soil, reduced N2O emissions by 28% when the PS were applied on the soil surface and 66% when injected, but did not influenced the emissions of NH3. The emission factor (EF) of N2O was higher when the PS were injected (3.6%) than when applied to the surface of the soil (1.3%), whereas the DCD reduced such EF to 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively. The injection of PS in the soil increased N use efficiency and the yield of corn grains compared to surface application, while the DCD did not affect these two attributes. When N2O emissions from each treatment were related to corn yield, the best results from an environmental point of view were obtained when the injection of PS was associated with the use of DCD. From these results it is concluded that the injection of PS in the soil under NT associated with DCD, is a promising alternative compared to current technology for the application of PS on the soil surface and without DCD. However, this strategy can only be recommended and widespread safely to producers if their agronomic and environmental benefits are followed by an economic analysis as well as an analysis of the environmental impact of the additional demand for energy and fuel to make the mechanical operation injection of PS in the soil. / Ao mesmo tempo em que promovem o incremento da produção agrícola, as aplicações de dejetos líquidos de suínos (DLS), em sistema plantio direto (SPD), podem representar uma importante fonte de contaminação ambiental. Por isso, a busca de estratégias tecnológicas para minimizar esse potencial poluidor dos DLS constitui um dos principais desafios atuais da suinocultura. Diante deste contexto, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar como a injeção subsuperficial de DLS em SPD e o uso do inibidor de nitrificação dicianodiamida (DCD) afetam as emissões de óxido nitroso (N2O), as perdas de N por volatilização de amônia (NH3) e o fornecimento de nitrogênio (N) ao milho. O estudo foi conduzido na Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), durante as safras agrícolas de milho de 2011/12 e 2012/13. Foram conduzidos dois experimentos, sendo um em Argissolo Vermelho Distrófico arênico e outro em Argissolo Vermelho Alumínico úmbrico. Em ambos os locais, utilizou-se o delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições dos seguintes tratamentos: DLS aplicados na superfície do solo (DLSSup.), DLSSup.+DCD, DLS injetados em subsuperfície (DLSInj.), DLSInj.+DCD, testemunha e adubação mineral. A injeção dos DLS reduziu as emissões de NH3 em 70 %, mas aumentou as de N-N2O de 2.628 para 6.198 g N2O N ha-1 , em comparação à aplicação superficial. A adição da DCD aos DLS, no momento da sua aplicação ao solo, reduziu as emissões de N2O em 28 % quando os DLS foram aplicados na superfície do solo e em 66 % quando injetados, mas não influenciou as emissões de NH3. O fator de emissão (FE) de N2O foi mais elevado quando os DLS foram injetados (3,6 %) do que quando aplicados na superfície do solo (1,3 %), sendo que a DCD reduziu tais FE para 0,9 % e 0,8 %, respectivamente. A injeção dos DLS no solo aumentou a eficiência de uso do N e a produtividade de grãos de milho em comparação à aplicação superficial, enquanto que a DCD não afetou estes dois atributos. Quando as emissões de N2O de cada tratamento foram relacionadas à produtividade do milho, os melhores resultados do ponto de vista ambiental foram obtidos quando a injeção dos DLS foi associada ao uso da DCD. A partir desses resultados conclui-se que a injeção dos DLS no solo em SPD, associada à DCD, constitui uma alternativa promissora, em relação à tecnologia atual de aplicação dos DLS na superfície do solo e sem DCD. Contudo essa estratégia somente poderá ser recomendada e difundida com segurança aos produtores se os seus benefícios agronômicos e ambientais, forem seguidos de uma análise econômica e também de uma análise de impacto ambiental decorrente da demanda adicional de energia e combustível para poder realizar a operação mecânica de injeção dos DLS no solo.

Cover crops are instrumental in nutrient management and soil health. A field experiment was conducted from fall 2020 to summer 2021 to evaluate the efficiency of different cover crop termination techniques and supplemental nitrogen on sweet corn yield, ear quality and nitrogen use efficiency. The four termination types are herbicide and disk tillage (HDT), herbicide no-till (HNT), cultivation disk till (CDT), and roller crimped no-till (RCNT). These termination types were each divided into four different nitrogen treatment: 0%, 33%, 67% and 100% of the recommended doses (145 kg haˉ¹). Sweet corn yield was highest and % unfilled tip was lowest when cover crops terminated by CDT, followed by RCNT, HNT and HDT. The highest ear weight obtained when 100% of the recommended nitrogen rate was applied to the sweet corn. However, the highest nitrogen use efficiency was obtained when 67% of the recommended nitrogen application rate was used.

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Cereal rye (CR), the most common and effective nitrogen (N) scavenging cover crop option in the Midwest, is often utilized in cropping systems to reduce nitrate loss for environmental benefits. To increase environmental efficiency in Midwest corn cropping systems, we must increase the overall adoption of CR. However, due to the yield reduction potential (6%) for corn planted after CR termination, CR is primarily recommended before soybean. To increase CR adoption, we must develop adaptive fertilizer management practices that achieve competitive grain yields relative to cropping systems where CR is not adopted. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to determine (1) the effect of CR and starter nitrogen rate on corn growth and nitrogen content. (2) the optimum starter nitrogen rate to achieve agronomic optimum corn yield following CR. (3) the impact of phosphorus (P) at starter on plant growth, nitrogen content, and yield with the inclusion of CR. For our study, five starter N rates were applied in a 5x5 cm band to both CR and non-CR plots, concentrations ranged from 0-84 kg N ha^-1in 28 kg N ha^-1 intervals. Total N applied was the same for each treatment, relative to its location, and was split between starter N at planting and sidedress applied at growth stage V6 relatively. Although CR termination took place at least two weeks before planting, CR decreased corn grain yield at one of three locations by an average of 8%, nitrogen recovery efficiency (NRE) by 27%, and R6 total N content by 23%, relative to the conventional control (non-CR 0N), when no starter N was applied. At one of three locations, starter N rates of 56 kg N ha^-1, 56 kg N ha^-1plus 17 kg P ha^-1, and 84 kg N ha^-1 increased corn grain yield, in CR plots, and 56 kg N ha^-1 plus 17 kg P ha^-1 increased corn grain yield in non-CR plots. Phosphorus increased corn grain N content at growth stage R6 in one of three locations and did not impact corn grain yield at all locations. We conclude that the inclusion of starter N at planting has the potential to increase agronomic productivity in CR corn cropping systems in soil environments with a high capacity to mineralize soil N. However, further research is required to refine our starter N results to find an optimum starter N rate to apply before planting corn following CR.