There are 6 macronutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S). “Changing source in a major way from what was planned, and doing that on short notice, may not be easy or even possible.The 14 mineral nutrients are classified as either macronutrients or micronutrients based upon plant requirements and relative fertilization need. However, moving solely to dry or liquid products could be a difficult shift in a system geared up for anhydrous ammonia, Nafziger adds. Broadcast urea also can be effective, Nafziger says. Or, if in-season, get UAN on as close to the row as possible using drop nozzles or Y-Drop-like attachments. That’s a good way to reduce the before-planting workload if it’s part of your normal system. “Some guys are switching more to liquid and planning to apply UAN with herbicide right after they plant,” Bontrager says.Īdding 35 pounds of N is 10 gallons of 32% UAN, a good carrier for herbicide applied right after planting. Retail prices for anhydrous have increased 10% to 15% since last fall, and the potential for supply bottlenecks have some producers considering using other sources of N, including dry urea (46-0-0) or liquid UAN (28% or 32%). The product is there, but having enough nurse tanks could be a challenge.” But you can drain a tank pretty quickly and it takes quite a bit of shuffling tanks around to get them out there,” he says. “I don’t have to supply the stuff so I don’t have to worry about it. A potential bottleneck could create headaches, says Servi-Tech’s Bontrager. Most dealers are prepared to stay open longer hours to accommodate farmers. But if cold and damp conditions continue past Mid-March, “that’s pretty tough,” he says. If the window to apply anhydrous opens up in March and lasts a month, most dealers should be fine. While most suppliers are up to the challenge, the number of supply trips that will be needed and the time that field conditions open up will be important factors to watch play out. Nafziger recalls Illinois producers faced a similar situation going into the spring of 2010. When it is time to roll, farmers aren’t going to want to wait around for anhydrous ammonia tanks to be filled at their local supplier. Is an anhydrous ammonia bottleneck forthcoming? Applying anhydrous halfway between corn rows is safe, but it isn’t always the best way to apply 100% of the product because it can take the plant’s roots too long to reach N, and result in yield loss. In heavier soils, where the anhydrous moves a shorter distance from the point of release, it could even be closer,” he says. “I suggest 6 to 8 inches away from the row. Growers equipped to split apply anhydrous could consider using guidance systems to fine-tune that N application closer to the corn row to ensure the nitrogen gets to the plant’s roots. It may seem like split applying N is merely kicking the can down the road, but it could help ease a time crunch if March and April stay cold and wet. Therefore, in a split nitrogen application, get the rest of the nitrogen on by V4 to V6 to make sure enough N is available to support growth at that time. It may not be necessary to get all the fertilizer on upfront, but growers should try to get at least half of it on before or right after planting.Īccording to a 2015 summary from the University of Nebraska, nitrogen use efficiency in corn is improved when roughly 75 pounds of N are applied between fall and spring passes prior to planting, with the rest applied in-season, prior to the eight-leaf stage, for instance.Īccording to research from Pioneer, more than half the corn’s total nitrogen needs occur between V8 and tasseling (VT). The most important factor in applying N is to get at least some of it on in time for plant roots to access the nutrient as the root system begins to develop, he says. “We’re starting to change our tune,” Nafziger says. There’s an old theory that when it’s time to plant corn, plant corn and add N later. Should growers consider split applications? Bontrager reckons fewer than half the acres typically fertilized with anhydrous ammonia in the fall were actually completed.Īssuming Bontrager’s projection that conditions are right in March, there are some questions that need to be answered. That may be of little solace to producers who feel like they’re behind schedule. If we get some warm days in March, things can dry out pretty fast,” Bontrager says. Now, as March approaches, producers are getting anxious to roll again, says Orvin Bontrager, crop adviser for Servi-Tech from Aurora, Nebraska.
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