LEAFLET NO. 61
APRIL 1959
SOURCES aad RATES
o4 NITROGEN ao
STRAWBERRI ES
T. B. HAGLER* and JACK TURNER**
Department of Horticulture
ei'owxtl awl( large x jelds otf higho pialit\
1)erii 110 o11111 tir strawberr plan 
1
1,1ts.
Feri'tlizer studies in Alabhtiial com-1
liftl'el01 itaxc shown151 the fax 01,1111 ill
artd( ft litilw~ habitsk of stahclr)11 
1
)1,ilt'.
hi I955, te'sts wer 010 in~l to (defer-
1011)0 a satisLictorN lox el and1( source( o1f
01(1d Xield. (:1ottoied meal0, 1110 ftor
plied tol the Soil and its at fo] at' xprl'X
Ot. Itoxelc of\t'o,,
l~sti s l ft.\\r, 
a nd lF ruits' 
of t io S tra 
\
1
)011X . Pn 10. Atttt' Soc. fbIr. Sci. 29:
MATERIALS AND METHODS
PIhiiitx ixod ill tilt ilA ',t l XIII t
we re ce11 fill
1  
Ku I IoII set 0) iIIIws
bills. After h141X (st thesxe 1)141ts Xwe(re
I1)1plac(hv X ith k1oIltilt)I'. Httiittoi XX 01 -e
1elie as11 X0( tillOX (clO It1)', ea ilig
the test.
Feritlior ft o,1tine1t xx\ax 48 ptiiidx
each1 of ;ix ailable iiitiogoit, phospha1),te,
MR111 poItasht applihed ill thle tutul ot 60(1
XXeelks p1rir to xettit)(y phaits. All all
tretatmvetts tit' chaIrTge( Octobter 1,
1955 tuo ittt'iidi 96, 1 28, aid 160
Surce 'is usetd XXer1 shiiiiit nitraite
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
4. ALABAMA POLYTECHNIC
E. V. Smith, Director
IN ST IT UT E
Auburn, Alaubama
i1ge1 1,u'ila oiiildelix dc 1;38 per cent),
itild Cottoiist'tt mecal (6-9 per Cent).
All materils jwere i applied at rates of
96. 128, and 160o poiinds of N per. acre
pe cr y ear exep
1
t eottoi sect i eal, x\ Iiicli
xWias atppt ed att the fir st txxo i ats ((lixy
Phosphoiu aindO~ potassitm wx i c applied
ait the irate of 128 pouidts each per
atcre. [Three equ
1
al a ppl ication s werec
uiitle tol the~ snil: October 1, Ji~an va
1.5. alnt Ater harxvest (abhout Junei I)
eclh yeai. A total of nine ni ca spitx ,s
Witas liI)Ilictt: ont cacti uiiii itt 
foi tt-i(i
conisecutixve months, begmioi og lit the
salit timei soil appjlicatioiis xxr il I mate.
No sprat - s xwere applied inl Apili, \,tx \
anid September. Sprax , \s weie foi in-
it ed to sli ppl , th e samille lex el af litri -
('(tl is sil ti cttillntts.
96 pounods of X per acme xx-ias applieti
to the soil \\,ias t1,345 quari~ts per acre
fromn sotdiiim niti ate, 2,358 tquar ts per
acme fiom aomniim nitiate. 2,111
quiat- from liiCa, 1,748 quarts froim
ureai-omatldetix te, antd 2,083 quarts
froint cuittin(i ixtinmat. Fotiar aiicaL
tiomis of ure a at 96 pmmnds of N per
ilCmt prodittucedl it I tie ot 113, 133 (quarts
per acet. \hen i rates of N xxerie in-
t1'i csctt to 128 ancd 161) pouiints per aicre.
.\ettIls ilei mc fet or alt sources esxctpt~
toliar sprax x\, of il-it. c N inct\ -six poiiits
sAiIL 1I. i ii OF SinWBtME Ax rmm S
IIxENCEt BY-c SOrot ( Il xn iiNDiEO
NIRiO(.iN, :3-YE1 i) Ax 'i-mu su-, 1956-58
Sourice
RESULTS
Effect on Yield
1 oliaii spriax s of (00. att afl lil ,s of
N iuocmcasttl xie
t
lds more th tan aiix ot 11 i
soliicc or r~itc, Table 1. FThe :3 x ar
ax trage x ield of' No). I ter ries sx cit.
Nitrat of sotda
rik "~ ('oil lipp.
I.. it ( oliar app.)
foillidh de))) o i
Poundts (if N per acre
96 128 160
Qts. ()ts. (3/v.
1,34.5 1,714 1,662
2,358 2,195 2,191
2, 111 2,0(45 2,737
3. 1 33 -3102 .3,2:39
1,748 1,96:3
,08:' 2,396
2.691
This plot received 96 pounds N per acre from soil application of sodium nitrate.
'1,,'
-A
~
i..,, I.
4
Al
'-I
,- . ~ ~,
, .-.
oif N })0l 1010( fr'oml IIIC t'i aplied its 0
foliair sproy itppc'.O et to 1)e i, Jctsiibilc
It's ci of itrogen,00 T~ilI 1.
Effect on Nitrogen Content
of Leaves
-Nitrogen onte2ia'~ of Ic~iIX t for the
:3 001 fI('ij is7 5 
11
s
517
t
1
d ill 'Fale 2.
Although ther ('ICXX little dlifferen1ce7 il
nitrogenl conitenit for dlifferenit 50(110175
,oitl1 rates of oitrogei, fobiar X])ra ' s of
tireai at all ri ,tes incru(00,0( initogeni 1011-
2. N11iOoFN C'ONTENT 01 STRAW-
oH-SLEAXVES 1' IAOMi DiFiI FiRUNI Sor 11( S
AND) BATE1 OF( Ni111 GN. .3-YEARI
A\X E'0 (.I
N itraltt of soda1,
Am. nita
forma~ldchl dc(17
Lb. N 11(111( pc7'
96 12
Pct. P07.
2.89 :.00
:3.10 3,.001
.3.24 3.1
3.1 o1
.0 25 1~~
r7 acre
1601
tclit of foliaige in0117 than other soiurcs,
ss ithi the eN('eptioi I of' cottoinseed1 10011
Effect on Fruit Size and Firmness
11111.11 spay s of' urea produced larger
frijts and( dlid not (eLil( hrX est or1 170
dti ir nuIss, 'F11)10 3.' Increased 1 ates
of N 11(1111 01ic ('11 XfO vs o1 Soil Zippit'a-
tioos fioinothIder N sour1ces5 1)11( little
17'10(t on1 filiI117X' iot
1 
1111(17,1 iX- of, fruit.
Effect on Plant Growth
Whe) 110 iltro~i('eII rates fromn all sourcets
XXr ('117'111710s1ed, ph1 ait grow~sth al so ill
171 ('t517'. 'te best gI'oXXth 011100 fri 
toizll r i "
1
11 Xs of 11100. All 50)11017s of
1lore17 plant growth tllo l 11,0 o(lIh1117 nlitrate
,At oil levXels (of N'.
P( . Summary
:3.08 F'oliuii sprIIX Of u((I I i llica ('1 117 1 c~lXiId
fl3 sz, li p)li t growXXth of straXX
:3) 1 1' 1(11)117'or thaii 
niI (the1 source (o (f
utir(run'i or in('tliodl of aippliczttion. Ac
.3.12 96 pout
1
1 rt(' of N fioiol lo cl spra1 , s
This plot received 96 pounds N per acre from urea foliar spray application.
l~I
Soil applications of ammonium ni- Organic 
sources of nitrogen pro-
trate, urea, urea-formaldehyde, and duced 
greater yields and plant growth
cottonseed meal at each level of N pro- than 
sodium or ammonium nitrates at
duced higher yields and better plant the 
highest level of N. Foliar sprays of
growth than sodium nitrate. urea were 
best at all levels of N.
TABLE 3. EFFECTS OF SOURCES AND RATES OF NITROGEN 
ON STRAWBERRY FRUIT SIZE,
EARLINESS, AND FIRMNESS, 1956-58
Source of Nitrogen
Rate Berries Harvest each week Firmness
of per 
of
N quart first second third 
fruit'
Lb./a. No. Pct. Pct. Pct. 
Gm.
Sodium nitrate
Ammonium nitrate
Urea (soil application)
Urea (foliar sprays)
Urea-formaldehyde
Cottonseed meal
96 185 41
128 189 41
160 142 38
96 129 42
128 129 42
160 181 35
96 133 41
128 133 40
160 184 40
96 123 34
128 122 39
160 118 34
96 128 38
128 129 40
160 124 37
96 125 40
128 126 38
32 27 97
30 29 109
81 81 118
30 28 137
32 26 125
36 29 155
33
34
33
26 164
26 159
27 144
85 31 188
32 29 136
36 30 146
33 29 121
32 28 122
31 32 134
34 26 140
35 27 133
1 Average of 50 puncture readings with 
1
/s-inch plunger.