JOHN SANDMEYER, CROP PROTECTION & NUTRIENTS DIRECTOR
John.Sandmeyer@NuWay-KandH.com
With the current volatile fertilizer market, it is good to revisit your fertilizer plans, particularly your nitrogen (N) strategy. When making next year’s plans, it is important to set yield goals. This will determine the rate of N you need.
Here’s something to think about. “How do I make sure that the N needed to obtain those yield goals will be there when the crop needs it the most?” One thing to consider is stabilizing your N applications to keep them from leaching and/or volatilizing before your crop is ready to take it up.
According to the accompanying chart, only 20% of your nitrogen is taken up between the V6 and V12 crop stages. The biggest uptake of N happens during the V12 and R1 stages. Stabilizing your fall N will help keep that nutrient available longer, until the plant can begin to take it up.
Also, it is best to split-apply your N, so you are not putting all the N your crop needs on at one time. By split-applying, you are spoon-feeding your crop closer to when the corn will need the N most. This will give you the best opportunity to capitalize on your N investment and to reach your yield goals.
Sidedress application of N would be the other option to consider. You can use a predictive N model called Adapt-N to help monitor this critical nutrient throughout the season. Adapt-N has been a reliable source in past years to help determine N needs based on the weather conditions.
Ready for Adapt-N? Call your Agronomy Account Manager.
“The biggest uptake of N happens during the V12 and R1 stages.”
NITROGEN UPTAKE CHART – CORN
Attribution: Courtesy University of Illinois.
