North America - Northeastern

March 10, 2010 – Avoid Stalk Rot at Corn Harvest
Is it possible that increasing use of fluid fertilizers has led to lower supply of K and chloride (Cl^-) than in the past? Banding fluids close to the seed efficiently delivers the P demanded by the young seedling, but it often supplies less K and little to no Cl^-. You may need to supply these two critical nutrients another way. Research has confirmed two important facts: first, the need for K in starters for no-till corn, and second, that the Cl^-in muriate of potash helps to suppress stalk rot in corn. The optimal combination for your K management plan may include both starter and broadcast, with different sources for each.

March 1, 2010 – Chemistry in a Starter Band
Starters can do a lot for corn in a cool soil. Nitrogen and P work together to boost the vigor of the young seedling, and K is especially important in no-till soils. In calcareous soils, high in pH, starters can also improve the root environment by temporarily lowering pH within the band in which they are placed. Ammonium forms of nitrogen are particularly good acidifiers. Monoammonium phosphate and triple superphosphate lower the pH in the band a little, too. The small band of soil with lowered pH can supply more manganese, zinc, iron and P to the young seedling.

February 20, 2010 – Fertilizer and Vitamins
Fertilizer nutrients influence the levels of vitamins in vegetables. Nitrogen will enhance carotene, but excessive amounts can reduce ascorbic acid, also known as Vitamin C. Potassium boosts both. In tomatoes, K enhances red color, carotenoids, and especially lycopene, a pigment increasingly recognized for its importance in human health. Potassium increases isoflavone levels in soybeans. Further research is exploring many more “nutraceutical” food components and how fertilizers affect them. Watch for results you can use!

February 10, 2010 – Using Fertilizer Efficiently
Fertilizer use is important for productivity, profitability, and the health of the environment. The importance of fertilizer use efficiency is increasing. If you want to improve it, make sure you are applying the right source, at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place. Here is a list of 20 right practices, from a recent BMP guide. How many are you using?

RIGHT SOURCE

Credit nutrients from manure and composts
Credit N from previous crops
Choose a fertilizer nutrient source to suit the crop, soil, and placement
Assess use of enhanced-efficiency N sources

RIGHT RATE
Measure soil nutrient supply

Maintain soil pH
Calculate nutrient removal and balance
Determine crop yield potential and nutrient demand
Estimate most economic rates at current prices
End-of-season evaluation for appropriate N rates

RIGHT TIME

Assess split application to match crop nutrient uptake
Crop scouting and plant analysis
Manage cover crop for optimum nutrient-release timing
Assess optimum timing to suit tillage system

RIGHT PLACE

Calibrate equipment for accurate metering and placement
Assess possibilities for with-seed and band placement
Management zones for variable rate application
Apply soil survey information
Use risk indices to protect water quality
Incorporate or inject volatile N sources

February 1, 2010 – Thinking Ahead
Come spring, you’ll have a lot on your mind – seeds, seed treatments, weed control, tillage… and the machinery for each. Make sure the machinery is also ready to get the nutrients where you need them. Equipment for fertilizer placement demands your attention. Be sure it’s ready to go without delay. Timeliness is the key to start up a high-yield crop… but those seedlings won’t go as far as they should without nutrients for early growth.

January 20, 2010 – Budget Time – for Nutrients
You’ve probably balanced the books on last year’s finances by now. Why not check the balance on the nutrients in your fields? You can calculate how much P and K your crops removed – multiply what you harvested last year by the amount removed per bushel. You can find general figures at IPNI’s Website and more detailed figures at the new Nutrient Uptake and Removal Database.

January 10, 2010 – Review Soil Tests
Have you reviewed the latest indicators on your soil’s fertility? Especially after some of the very high yields we saw last fall, soil test results may be reflecting large removals of nutrients. If you have questions on the meaning of all those numbers you see on your soil test report, it’s time for a short course in soil fertility. Knowing your NPK’s is as important for producing crops as knowing your ABC’s is for writing. Look around for learning opportunities. If you need help, check with your local Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) or soil test laboratory.

January 1, 2010 – Managing Nitrogen by Weather
Do you adjust your N applications for differences in weather from year to year? Not many recommendations make allowances for it, but the weather indeed plays a large role in determining crop response. The Adapt-N adaptive management tool at Cornell University provides one example of a possible approach. It provides in-season N recommendations for corn production based on simple soils, management, and crop inputs. Its key feature is that it accounts for changes in soil N due to early season weather and adjusts the in-season N recommendations accordingly. If you are in New York state, try it! If not, look for opportunities to work with agro-meteorology and soil and crop specialists in your state or province.

December 20, 2009 – Best Management Practices for Dairy-based Cropping Systems
Dairy-based cropping systems face big challenges in nutrient management. Producers want to make good use of the nutrients in manure, but also to apply it in a manner that fits in with conservation tillage. Cover crops help retain nutrients in the soils. Matching the nutrients removed by crops demands careful documentation of the nutrients supplied from all sources. Organic nutrient sources like manure are often economical and beneficial to the soil, but need to be supplemented with specific mineral fertilizers to match the ratios of nutrients removed. Best Management Practices for Fertilizer Use recognize all of these objectives.

December 10, 2009 – Nutrient Management Planning
An accurate accounting of crop removal of P and K is an important component of a nutrient management plan. The amounts in harvested corn grain vary considerably across sites and growing conditions. They tend to increase with soil fertility level and corn yield. In calculating what your crop removes, you may want to get your own specific analysis.

December 1, 2009 – Stalk Rot in Corn
Did you harvest a lot of lodged corn this year? Lodging often results from stalk rot. Both the K and the chloride in muriate of potash suppress stalk rot. The liquid starters that so efficiently deliver P to the young seedlings often supply little K and almost no chloride. But the crop may need them later in the season. Make sure your fertilizer program is complete and matches the needs of your crops and soils.

November 20, 2009 – Fertilizer for Forage
Mixed forage stands of the Northeast respond well to nutrients applied in either manure or fertilizer form. Management of P and K in these stands can improve forage yield and quality. It is also essential for maintaining soil fertility. Forage harvests remove large amounts of these nutrients. Have you checked your nutrient balance lately?

November 10, 2009 – Banded Potash for No-till Corn
In no-till soils, immobile nutrients such as K may accumulate at the surface and be less available to corn plants. Three years of field research in Ontario confirmed that K needs were indeed higher with less tillage. Placing the potash in a band 2 in. beside and 2 in. below the seed row gave the most economical results. Does band placement fit your system? Plan for it!

November 1, 2009 – Soybean Quality
Poor quality soybeans this fall? Don’t neglect fertility factors. Adequate K nutrition is known to reduce moldy seed arising from pod blight (Phomopsis) and purple seed stain caused by Cercospora. It also helps the crop mature uniformly, and can improve market grade by reducing the percentage of diseased and shriveled seed. Generally, proper nutrition produces healthy soybean plants, which in turn are better able to resist or withstand diseases and insects. This has been demonstrated for purple seed stain, pod and stem blight, Asian rust, soybean stem canker, and aphids. For more information, see Best Nutrient Management Practices for Soybean Health and Nutrition and Influence of Potassium Fertility on Soybean Aphid.

October 20, 2009 – Soil Sampling
Fall is a good time to collect soil samples. Soil sampling on a grid pattern or by management zones helps identify high and low fertility areas within the field. Test results can predict whether variable-rate application will be beneficial to increasing yields and profits. Keeping track of test locations and keeping results for each sampling location separate are important steps toward a more intensive level of management.

October 10, 2009 – Potato Specific Gravity
Both P and K influence specific gravity, an important quality characteristic of potatoes. While P generally boosts it, K has to be managed more carefully. Excess chloride may lower specific gravity, but K deficiency cuts both yield and quality. Check your soil tests. Fall application of muriate of potash (0-0-60) is an economical way to supply K, since it allows time for excess chloride to leach away.

October 1, 2009 – Consequences of Cutting K
There’s no question that increases in potash prices have led to cutbacks in maintenance applications. Maintenance applications typically aim to replenish the K removed with the harvest of crops. Continuing cutbacks indefinitely will inevitably reduce yields, but you want to know when and how much. Check out IPNI Insights for an article with the answers.

September 20, 2009 – Worried About Corn Drying Costs?
Delayed maturity and high moisture at harvest are signs of P deficiency. Starters containing P hasten crop maturity. In fact, where soils test low, fertilizing with P can bring down harvest moisture by 4 to 5 percentage points. Drying down from 25%—rather than 30%—can save you money.

September 10, 2009 – Did You Feed Your Soybeans Enough?
Once you harvest your soybeans, you can calculate your nutrient balance. Soybeans remove large amounts of K – usually 1.4 pounds of K₂O per bushel. Check the math to see whether you’ve put in as much as you’ve taken out.

September 1, 2009 – Winter Wheat Responds to Phosphorus
Winter wheat responds well to P. The time for P application is now, either broadcast and worked in just before seeding, or placed with the seed using a drill. Use a soil test to determine rates to apply. When harvested as grain, a hundred bushels of wheat removes 55 pounds of P₂O₅.

August 20, 2009 – Time to Sample
There’s a limited amount of time to take soil samples. Crops cover fields for five to ten months of the year. Snow, frost or excess water hits them for several more, leaving only one or two months of good sampling. The best time to sample is after harvest, especially after wheat. Too many fields are fertilized or manured without a recent sample, which is akin to maintaining a bank account without a statement. Put your fields on a three-year schedule, and sample regularly!

August 10, 2009 – Fortify Alfalfa with Potassium
It’s getting close to that time: the critical fall period when alfalfa builds up its root carbohydrates to fortify its winterhardiness. During that period, it’s best not to disrupt that process by cutting and harvesting. But it’s also important to prepare beforehand. Make sure the crop has plenty of K to support the production and storage of carbohydrates. Just after the last summer cut is an excellent time to broadcast K fertilizer. Applying at the right time enhances fertilizer efficiency.

August 1, 2009 – Cover Cropping
An increasing number of producers in the Northeast are seeding cover crops. This practice keeps fields trafficable longer, captures residual nutrients, and reduces soil erosion. Legume cover crops provide a direct N credit to the following crop. With high prices for fertilizer, credits you once thought too small to bother with may now be more important. Both legume and grass cover crops contribute to building your soil’s organic matter and improving its structure. Look for opportunities to extend the green cover on your land, enhancing its productivity at the same time.

July 20, 2009 – Phosphorus Buildup
Paying closer attention to soil tests is one way to deal with increasing fertilizer prices. Phosphorus reacts with common soil substances to form minerals. Whether applied as fertilizer or manure, a fraction is always kept away from plants by reactions with calcium, aluminum and iron. A deficient soil must usually be fertilized with more than the crop removes. Over the years, the stable fractions that remain in the soil gradually build up, and begin to contribute a greater proportion of crop needs. Eventually, P no longer needs to be added in amounts greater than removal. Building up the soil test is a necessary condition for efficient fertilizer use. Once the soil reserve is built up, the amount applied doesn’t have to exceed the amount removed. For more information, see Better Crops for the article Phosphorus Balance Trends on Agricultural Soils of the Lake Erie Drainage Basin.

July 10, 2009 – Soybean Potassium Deficiencies
Out scouting for soybean rust or aphids? Potassium deficiency symptoms are often confused with other stresses. Soybeans affected by ozone air pollution, by leafhoppers or by cyst nematodes often show the same yellowing of leaf margins produced by K deficiency. Aphids flourish in the most K-deficient parts of the field. Diagnose the real cause with soil and tissue tests that include K. Leaf samples at flowering should contain at least two percent K on a dry matter basis.

July 1, 2009 – Managing Forages to Reduce Greenhouse Gases
Did you know that when cattle graze on better quality pastures, they emit less of the greenhouse gas methane? A sound soil fertility program can be a key to improving the quality of forages for either harvest or pasture. Start with a soil test! With prices where they are this year, you can’t afford not to. A recent article in Better Crops, Forage Fertilizer Decisions in an Uncertain Market, and an IPNI Insights article, What Are the Consequences of Not Maintaining Soil Potassium?, both highlight the fact that profitable fertilizer decisions depend on sound diagnosis that includes soil testing.

June 20, 2009 – Does it pay to fertilize forage?
If forages are properly valued, fertilizing is profitable. Many producers undervalue grass. A study in New Brunswick indicated that the most profitable rate of commercial fertilizer for a timothy stand, maintained 26 years without reseeding, was 140-90-129 pounds per acre of N, P₂O₅, and K₂O annually. Your own most profitable rate will depend on how you value your hay, and how you manage your crop for optimum yields of quality forage.

June 10, 2009 – Sound fertility for forages
A soil test is the foundation of a sound forage fertility program. Unfortunately, many forage producers don’t have time to sample as frequently as necessary. High-producing fields should be sampled every year, because nutrients turn over rapidly. Each cutting removes large amounts of K and P. Manures, when applied, return large amounts. Keeping the system in balance demands frequent monitoring. Analyzing the forage from each major cut can help you make decisions on fertilizing your forage.

June 1, 2009 – Sidedress nitrogen
“Does a split application of N preplant and side-dressed increase corn yields compared to one application of N?” Split application increases yields, but profits even more. There are two things you can estimate better in June than at planting: one, the soil’s ability to supply N, and two, the crop’s potential need. While corn doesn’t take up much N for the first month after it emerges, it needs a good supply from the start. Applying the smaller part at planting and a larger dose in June maximizes yield and minimizes waste.

Split application is a sound strategy for most well-drained soils. It may have downsides on some soils. Occasionally, on poorly drained soils, incessant June rains prevent timely sidedressing. There are also instances where dry soils prevent timely root access to N applied by sidedressing. For these situations, earlier application of a controlled-release product may be more reliable.

May 20, 2009 – Soil nitrate test
The soil nitrate test is to the N cycle as a depth gauge is to a reservoir. The depth of a reservoir doesn’t tell you much about water supply unless you look at the height of the dams controlling the inflow and outflow. Consider both the inflows (N mineralizing from soil, manure and crop residue; nitrate left over from last year) and the outflows (leaching, denitrification, volatilization, and plant uptake) before you relate the soil’s nitrate level to the crop’s needs. The N cycle is anything but simple. For help in sorting out its complexity, consult your local Certified Crop Adviser.

May 10, 2009 – Fertilizing forage
Across the Northeast, more than 5 million acres of land produces mixed hay from forage crops other than alfalfa. The hay crop is often undervalued, and therefore much of this land receives little attention to its fertility needs. The lost opportunity owing to under-fertilizing is in the neighborhood of $300 million. Testing soils for hay is more than likely to pay!

May 1, 2009 – Why don’t soybeans react to fertilizers?
They do; just not as dramatically as other crops. One reason is that soybeans often follow corn, and corn leaves a lot of K behind in the stover. It’s one of the first nutrients released as the stover decomposes. A lot of other problems in soybeans are related to K levels. Aphids congregate wherever plants are most K-deficient. In general, K helps the plant do the best it can to resist pests and diseases, including cyst nematodes and rust.

April 20, 2009 – Double-banding
A producer asks: “Can I exceed the maximum safe level of urea and potash if I split the fertilizer into two bands, one on each side of the corn row?” Yes, two bands spread the fertilizer over a greater volume of soil, so it reduces the risk of the roots encountering excessive concentrations of salt and ammonia. How much? Even though in theory twice as high a rate could be applied safely, we are not aware of research documenting safe rates for double-banded situations. Note that when testing safe rates, the effects are very much weather-dependent: rates that prove safe one year may be excessive in another.

April 10, 2009 – Liquid pop-up starters
Does a liquid “pop-up” starter inhibit the germination and emergence of corn and soybean seedlings? Indeed it does, and more for soybeans than for corn. Germination demands water, air, and warmth – but no more nutrients than the seeds contain. So why apply “pop-up”? Once the seedling starts to take in nutrients, P supply becomes crucial. In corn, the benefit of early P nutrition overcomes the delay in emergence. In the shorter-season areas of the Corn Belt, seed-placed P often boosts yields by 2 to 6%. In soybeans, starter with the seed is more harm than help, but side-bands produce results.

April 1, 2009 – Lime
“Our clay soils, high in Mg, need lime. Does it matter whether we use dolomitic or calcitic?” Dolomitic lime supplies Ca as well as Mg, so in most cases it would be just as effective as calcitic. If the Mg is so high that the soil’s structure is poor — a rare condition occurring in serpentine soils — calcitic lime may improve the soil’s tilth more than dolomitic. Either form of lime may reduce K availability, since both Ca and Mg antagonize its uptake. Check out the K on the soil test.