Differences in Physiological Age Affect Diagnosis of Nitrogen Deficiencies in Cornfields*1

Many studies have shown that chlorophyll meter readings (CMRs) can be used to diagnose deficiencies of nitrogen (N) during the growth of corn (Zea mays L.) in small-plot trials, but there is need to address additional problems encountered when diagnoses are made in fields of the size managed in production agriculture. A noteworthy difference between small-plot trials and production agriculture is the extent to which the effects of N are confounded with the effects of other factors such as tillage, landscape, soil organic matter and moisture content. We illustrate how some of these factors can cause differences in the physiological age of plants and introduce errors in the diagnoses of N deficiencies. We suggest methods (measuring the height to the youngest leaf collar and assigning leaf numbers by using the first leaf with pubescence and the ear leaf as references to identify growth stages) for minimizing these errors. The simplified method of growth stage identification can be used to select appropriate plants and leaves for making diagnoses in fields and to distinguish the effects of N from the effects of other factors that influence plant growth.