{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/115399"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/115399","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Biostimulants and phosphorus fertilizer to improve growth and productivity of corn","abstract":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2022-11-11 without embargo terms","abstract_html":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2022-11-11 without embargo terms","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Lenzen, Derek Steven"],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Crop Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Below, Frederick E","Mulvaney, Richard L","Kent, Angela D"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-05","date_published":"2022-05","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:54Z","subjects":["corn","maize","sugar","phosphorus","biostimulants","biologicals","in-furrow","foliar","APP"],"languages":["en","eng"],"rights":["Copyright 2022 Derek Lenzen"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115399","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Below, Frederick E","Mulvaney, Richard L","Kent, Angela D"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Lenzen, Derek Steven"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2022-05","2022-04-26"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Crop Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["corn","maize","sugar","phosphorus","biostimulants","biologicals","in-furrow","foliar","APP"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2022 Derek Lenzen"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115399"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2022-11-11 without embargo terms","The student, Derek Lenzen, accepted the attached license on 2022-04-20 at 08:55.","The student, Derek Lenzen, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2022-04-20 at 09:11.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2022-04-26 at 14:54.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #17829 on 2022-11-11 at 13:42:13","Corn (Zea mays L.) cultivation has been a component of civilization dating back to 2,500 B.C. (Garcia-Lara & Serna-Saldivar, 2019). Production has continuously evolved through selection and breeding efforts to improve genetics, combined with new management strategies that have led to increased productivity. A new category of specialty products to improve crop management, called biostimulants, has gained prominence in recent years, and these products have multiple avenues for influencing crop growth and yield based on the application timing and placement (Sible et al., 2021). Biostimulants are typically intended to increase crop growth, relieve crop stress, improve availability of fertilizer and soil mineral nutrients, and ultimately increase grain yield. However, knowledge and validation from field-tested scenarios using biostimulant applications is lacking for the multitude of products that are available to the producer, and that is the basis for this research. To better understand these biostimulant products and how they may fit into agronomic management systems, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of two biostimulant products and their optimal application methodology to provide increased grain yields and enhanced fertilizer use of corn. This research involved the following two areas: Utilization of Sugar Sources In-Furrow and Foliar-Applied to Improve Growth and Productivity of Corn Multiple application timings and methods of two sugar sources (Clintose A and CornSweet 42) were performed over two study years, 2019 and 2021, with or without a starter fertilizer and/or phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria (PSB; 2021 only) to evaluate the responses in plant growth and grain yield of corn. Supplying combinations of in-furrow applied sugar of either sugar source with starter fertilizer resulted in grain yield increases, with the high fructose sugar source (CornSweet 42) being the better sugar source to be applied in-furrow. Leaf-applied sugar sources resulted in variable gains in yields across both years, but numerical increases were observed in the year when sustained weather stress occurred. Co-Application of Calcified Algae and MicroEssentials-S10 Affects Phosphorus Availability and Productivity of Corn Two rates of a calcified algae product were applied in a band with or without two rates of an acidifying phosphorus (P) fertilizer that also contained sulfur (S) directly beneath the crop row to determine the effects on nutrient uptake and grain yield of corn. The calcified algae product was largely comprised of calcium carbonate along with small amounts of various biostimulatory compounds. Applications of the calcified algae with the phosphorus fertilizer source increased grain yield, with different levels of response depending on the inherent soil characteristics and fertility levels. In conditions with low soil test levels, additions of Algen to P and S fertilizer increased grain yields at both full and reduced fertilizer rates while in conditions with adequate soil test levels Algen additions to P and S fertilizer resulted in a similar yield level as the full fertilizer rate alone. Results indicate that Algen improves soil P availability and as such may be capable of reducing P fertilizer needs."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Biostimulants and phosphorus fertilizer to improve growth and productivity of corn"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Below, Frederick E","Mulvaney, Richard L","Kent, Angela D"],"dc:creator":["Lenzen, Derek Steven"],"dc:date":["2022-05","2022-04-26"],"dc:description":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2022-11-11 without embargo terms","The student, Derek Lenzen, accepted the attached license on 2022-04-20 at 08:55.","The student, Derek Lenzen, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2022-04-20 at 09:11.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2022-04-26 at 14:54.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #17829 on 2022-11-11 at 13:42:13","Corn (Zea mays L.) cultivation has been a component of civilization dating back to 2,500 B.C. (Garcia-Lara & Serna-Saldivar, 2019). Production has continuously evolved through selection and breeding efforts to improve genetics, combined with new management strategies that have led to increased productivity. A new category of specialty products to improve crop management, called biostimulants, has gained prominence in recent years, and these products have multiple avenues for influencing crop growth and yield based on the application timing and placement (Sible et al., 2021). Biostimulants are typically intended to increase crop growth, relieve crop stress, improve availability of fertilizer and soil mineral nutrients, and ultimately increase grain yield. However, knowledge and validation from field-tested scenarios using biostimulant applications is lacking for the multitude of products that are available to the producer, and that is the basis for this research. To better understand these biostimulant products and how they may fit into agronomic management systems, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of two biostimulant products and their optimal application methodology to provide increased grain yields and enhanced fertilizer use of corn. This research involved the following two areas: Utilization of Sugar Sources In-Furrow and Foliar-Applied to Improve Growth and Productivity of Corn Multiple application timings and methods of two sugar sources (Clintose A and CornSweet 42) were performed over two study years, 2019 and 2021, with or without a starter fertilizer and/or phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria (PSB; 2021 only) to evaluate the responses in plant growth and grain yield of corn. Supplying combinations of in-furrow applied sugar of either sugar source with starter fertilizer resulted in grain yield increases, with the high fructose sugar source (CornSweet 42) being the better sugar source to be applied in-furrow. Leaf-applied sugar sources resulted in variable gains in yields across both years, but numerical increases were observed in the year when sustained weather stress occurred. Co-Application of Calcified Algae and MicroEssentials-S10 Affects Phosphorus Availability and Productivity of Corn Two rates of a calcified algae product were applied in a band with or without two rates of an acidifying phosphorus (P) fertilizer that also contained sulfur (S) directly beneath the crop row to determine the effects on nutrient uptake and grain yield of corn. The calcified algae product was largely comprised of calcium carbonate along with small amounts of various biostimulatory compounds. Applications of the calcified algae with the phosphorus fertilizer source increased grain yield, with different levels of response depending on the inherent soil characteristics and fertility levels. In conditions with low soil test levels, additions of Algen to P and S fertilizer increased grain yields at both full and reduced fertilizer rates while in conditions with adequate soil test levels Algen additions to P and S fertilizer resulted in a similar yield level as the full fertilizer rate alone. Results indicate that Algen improves soil P availability and as such may be capable of reducing P fertilizer needs."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115399"],"dc:language":["en","eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2022 Derek Lenzen"],"dc:subject":["corn","maize","sugar","phosphorus","biostimulants","biologicals","in-furrow","foliar","APP"],"dc:title":["Biostimulants and phosphorus fertilizer to improve growth and productivity of corn"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Crop Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:54Z"}