Profitable nitrogen rates for corn with Dr. Carrie Laboski

You can earn CEUs by listening to Field, Lab, Earth, a podcast of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. For your convenience, below is a quiz from Episode 72 (Profitable Nitrogen Rates for Corn with Dr. Carrie Laboski). Nitrogen is an important nutrient for corn, which when applied as a fertilizer, can increase yields. However, too much nitrogen can lead to negative impacts on human health, water quality, plant health, and the environment. In this episode, Dr. Laboski discusses her work testing nitrogen rate recommendation tools and how we can best balance profitability, plant health, and the environment.

1. This study evaluated various nitrogen fertilizer recommendation tools by testing their performance and recommendation rates in field trials.

   1. True.
   2. False.

    

2. The optimum rate for nitrogen fertilizer is:

   1. Slightly less than the rate where the yield curve flattens off.
   2. Slightly more than the rate where the yield curve flattens off.
   3. At the exact point where the yield curve flattens off.
   4. None of the above.

    

3. In this study, nitrogen fertilizer recommendation tools were evaluated based on the accuracy of their recommendations, their profitability, and their potential environmental cost.

   1. True.
   2. False.

    

4. Which of the following was listed as a factor that could impact the profitability of a tool?

   1. The amount and value of any increased yield.
   2. The cost of the fertilizer.
   3. The cost of the tool.
   4. All of the above.

    

5. While some tools performed better than others, no single tool was found to be reliable across all of the Midwest.
   1. True.
   2. False.