Hop into High Yields with Early-Season Foliars
Posted By Jessica Stacy, Product Specialist on April 19, 2019
This spring’s cold, wet weather may cause delayed planting in many areas of the country, providing a rocky start to the beginning of the growing season. To add insult to injury, the above-normal precipitation is leading to an increase in runoff (figure 1), meaning broadcast-applied nutrients may not stay in the field for the crop to use. Due to the current adverse weather conditions, it is important to put together a season-long fertilizer strategy in order to maximize your crop’s genetic potential. Spoon feeding the crop throughout the growing season will help offset poor early growing conditions and help you hop into high yields.
Figure 1: Map of the United States demonstrating the calculated average runoff for the first two weeks of April 2019
After your corn is safely in the ground with a PureGrade® liquid starter, and prior to the V5 growth stage, a foliar fertilizer application is ideal, especially if paired with your post-herbicide. By V5, the number of kernel rows on the primary ear has been determined in the corn plant. Reducing the amount of stress to the crop by this yield-deciding stage is important so the plant can focus its energy on maximizing ear size, rather than fighting early-season stressors. A foliar fertilizer ensures that luxury levels of macro and micro-nutrition are available, in order to not limit ear sizing and subsequent genetic yield potential.
In soybeans, a foliar application in the V growth stages, applied with post-herbicide, will help maximize vegetative growth and assist in overcoming early growth stresses. By giving the crop the nutrients it needs throughout the season, it will be able to focus energy on thriving and future pod set, rather than surviving, thereby maximizing genetic yield potential.
Phosfix®, MicroBlitz®, and Eezy™ Moly-B are a few products from The Andersons’ MicroSolutions Micronutrients portfolio that will provide the nutrients your crop needs at these critical growth stages in corn and beans.
Phosfix
Phosfix is a 7-4-9 blend of macronutrients and plant growth enhancers that improve yield and profit by encouraging crop health and vigor. Phosfix contains trace amounts of humic acid, fulvic acid, and seaweed. The application of Phosfix improves plant tolerance to stress, aiding growth through adverse conditions.
The images above are from a field in Indiana, taken in July 2017. The soybeans on the left were treated with 3.5 pt/ac of Flexstar® GT herbicide. The plants on the right were treated with 3.5 pt/ac of Flexstar GT plus 1 pt/ac of Phosfix. It was noted that the plants on the right were recovering well following the treatment.
Foliar application instructions: Apply 1-2 pints per acre post emergence. Phosfix can be mixed with XtendiMax® with VaporGrip® Technology, FeXapan™, and Engenia® herbicides. Visit our Tank Mix page for more details.
MicroBlitz
MicroBlitz features a unique NPK analysis and a background micronutrient package including boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc. MicroBlitz is designed with fulvic acid for enhanced nutrient uptake. The application of MicroBlitz will increase overall plant health, giving a boost of essential nutrients which are immediately available to the plant when foliar applied.
The above trial was conducted in Ohio in 2016. MicroBlitz was applied at 1 qt/ac at the V6 growth stage on soybeans. The resulting yield observed a 3.4 bu/ac increase compared to the portion of the field treated with low-salt starter alone.
Foliar application instructions: Apply 1-2 quarts per acre post emergence.
Eezy Moly-B
Eezy Moly-B provides essential micronutrients, molybdenum and boron, to the crop when used. It is designed to be positioned on crops that have a high demand for boron and molybdenum, especially 2x2 and sidedress placement in soybeans, or foliar application in pastures and hayfields. Application of Eezy Moly-B aids in the development of cell walls to increase plant stability, stimulates plant development, encourages proper maturity, and increases nodule efficiency in soybeans.
Foliar application instructions: Apply 1-2 pints per acre post-emergence.
By using high yield management strategies, including foliar fertilizer applications, producers can greatly influence the yield potential and ultimately the profitability of their crop.
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