Nitrogen Helps Absorb other Nutrients in Corn, Scientists Find

A historical analysis of corn research shows that new hybrids are taking up more nitrogen than older plant varieties after the crucial flowering stage, a clue as to how plant scientists will need to adapt plants to increase yields. With this finding, scientists have studied the timing of nutrient uptake in corn and how that process affects yield. They found that modern hybrids took up 27 percent more total nitrogen from the soil after flowering than pre-1990 corn plants.

Post-1990 corn hybrids use nitrogen more efficiently, so less is necessary per unit of yield. But as those plants increase nitrogen utilization, they increase their uptake of other nutrients, which affects how much of those nutrients growers need to use and when they need to apply them. The results of the studies were reported in two journal articles, Crop Science and Agronomy Journal.

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