Stacking Nutrient Application - Why this approach can increase yield
What exactly are we getting at when suggesting “stacking nutrient applications”? What we mean by this is taking the opportunity to address potential nutritional needs of the crop by using every pass over field (seeding, herbicide, fungicide) to add in additional nutrients to ensure sufficiency levels to help the crop reach its full yield potential.
To look a little closer at this, it might be beneficial to use an example. We will look at the boron needs of a 50 bushel canola crop.
A 50 bushel canola crop requires 185 grams of boron for uptake to grow plant and fill the pods. Of this 54 grams will be removed from the field in the seed on the truck. Understanding this is important as it helps us decide on ways to address the need for boron in this crop.
- Boron requirement: 50 bu x 3.7 g/bu = 185 g
- Boron removal: 50 bu x 1.08 g/bu = 54 g
If we were to use YaraVita PROCOTE B at a rate of 180 ml/ac on a 100 lb/ac seed blend we would get 18 grams of boron available for the crop to use. This is a great start as boron needed in the plant right from the beginning to help promote superior root growth and strength.
We know there is at least 1 opportunity to address the needs again with an herbicide pass. Using YaraVita BORTRAC at a rate of 400 ml/ac would give the crop another 59 grams of boron nutrition to help supply the demands of the growing crop.
At this point we have satisfied the needs of the boron removal for the crop, but we may be concerned regarding the uptake and making sure we will continue to have some boron nutrition throughout the growing season. We could always use another application of YaraVita Bortrac at a rate of 200 ml/ac at the fungicide pass. This would give us another 29 grams of nutrients and help to ensure we continue to have a supply for the plant’s needs.
Because of the nature of boron in the soil and in the plant itself, metered nutrition can provide great benefits as you are continuously having boron available for the plant to use. Risk of leaching of boron can drive the nutrient away from roots temporarily and having the foliar application allows a consistent supply.
When we look at crop nutrition, we want it to be easy for the customer to make decisions on their farm. We offer different product choices that will fit a variety of needs and will not be difficult to use. After all there are enough stresses out there and we don’t want crop nutrition to be one of them. With a solid plan, there can be peace of mind knowing that the nutritional needs of crop are being looked after to allow it to reach yield potential.
What is Happening in Ag?
Recent years have brought about questions around the variability of seed and fertilizer distribution across air seeders. Fertilizer variability can lead to toxicity potential, lodging issues, and maturity issues to name a few. Here is some recent news from Top Crop Manager on what research is being done.
TopCrop Manager - Reducing variable rate in air seeders
Resource of the Week: Fertilizer Canada
Fertilizer Canada has a lot of great information regarding 4R Nutrient Stewardship across Canada as well as down to the provincial level. As we take a look into the future and the possibilities of applying different fertilizers in new and unique ways, this helps provide a framework to show where it fits into the 4R principles.
