This blog provides a breakdown of nitrogen concentration and quantities by organ, and discusses the use of the corn stalk nitrate test as a way to measure residual N.

By: Bob Gunzenhauser By far, most corn grown in the United States is for grain; a small amount is harvested for silage for ruminants like beef or dairy cattle. Of the 90-95 million acres of corn grown in the US yearly, about 6-7 million is devoted to corn silage. Despite this, corn silage can give us a very good indication of nitrogen uptake. Because the whole plant is harvested, analysis of the silage can provide a crude protein content, along with moisture content. If a yield, in wet tons...

As we discussed last time, at the R5 growth stage, corn is dying to fill the developed kernels with photosynthate by remobilizing nutrients from leaves and stalk into the ear. If the plant already has reduced levels of nitrogen due to stress or poor management, excessive cannibalization as senescence will occur. But what happens if there's plenty of nitrogen during the R5 growth stage? Will that make more grain yield, higher protein, both, or neither? Under High N Management Under high...