Fertilizer nitrogen timing and uptake efficiency of hybrid hazelnuts in the Upper Midwest, USA.

Additional index words. Corylus, tracers, nitrogen allocation, nutrient recommendations Abstract. Hybrids of Corylus avellana, C. americana and C. cornuta, are being developed as a potential crop for the Upper Midwest of the United States, but little is known about fertilizer nitrogen (N) management. We hypothesized that N application when the bushes were most fully leafed out would result in highest N uptake efficiency (NUE). We used 15 N-labeled ammonium nitrate to measure NUE from soil applications in mid-April, late April, late May, early August, and mid-September. Nitrogen applied in either mid- or late April never comprised more than 5% of the total N in shoots or leaves, suggesting that N used for early leaf expansion came primarily from stored reserves. Applications made after April demonstrated that N was quickly translocated to rapidly growing plant parts: May applications comprised 9% of the N in leaves collected in July; August applications comprised 12% of the N in nut kernels collected in September; and September applications comprised 9% of N in catkins collected in October. Nitrogen applied in August and September appeared in new shoots the following April at higher levels than it did aboveground the previous October, showing that N applied late in the season may be stored belowground over the winter. NUE was highest for August and September applications at one site and August and mid-April applications at the other, implying that summer is generally the best time to apply N for most efficient uptake. However, overall NUE was low, only 5% for August applications, suggesting a need to develop other methods of improving NUE in hybrid hazelnuts.