Corn yield response to sub-surface banded starter fertilizer in the U.S.: A meta-analysis

•Sub-surface starter fertilization increased corn yield by an average of 5.2 %.•Positive starter responses were consistent across various management and environmental scenarios.•Starter yield increases were more frequent at below-critical STP and STK yet were also observed at above-critical levels.•Yield benefits from starter application decreased as corn plant density increased and as corn yield level decreased.