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Crop nutrition

The following articles are categorized as 'Crop nutrition'

• Tips from excess moisture meetings

  Nutrient carryover is a common question from growers with unseeded acres. The standard answer is: Nitrogen is always variable throughout a field, and after a wet year without a crop, reserves might actually be better on the hilltops than in low spots. In low areas flooded for long periods, lack of oxygen limits microbial breakdown of organic matter. Therefore nutrients made available through mineralization will be lower than expected in these low-lying areas. Leaching of nitrogen and sulphur and de-nitrification of nitrogen will be higher in those areas as well. Test saturated areas separately.

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• Good time for soil tests

  Fall is a good time to do soil tests. Growers may have a extra few hours to take samples, unlike in spring. And with results and recommendations in hand before winter, growers have more time to plan their fertilizer programs for 2012, to order fertilizer, and to take advantage of reduced pricing opportunities that may occur.

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• Ask for an organic matter test

  Soil organic nitrogen levels in the top 6” of soil can range from 2,500 to 7,500 pounds per acre. Around 1% to 3% of that soil organic N mineralizes and becomes available for plant uptake each year. If soil has 5,000 pounds of soil organic nitrogen in the top 6”, it could provide anywhere from 50 to 150 pounds of nitrogen to the crop using those numbers.

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• Canola can recover from hail at rosette and flowering stages

  Fertilizer top dressing right after a hail has been shown in some anecdotal cases to improve canola recovery after a hail, but third party research into this practice is limited. Consider the stage of canola and its chance of recovery before investing in a fertilizer top up.

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• Fertilizer top up to rescue late thin crop

  A crop needs 40 to 60 frost free days after the start of flowering to reach maturity. That takes us to late August or early September if the crop is flowering today. If a late crop is still two or three weeks from flowering, it is already at high risk of fall frost damage which could negate any economic benefit from added nutrient.

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• Top dress canola with sulphur deficiency

  Some canola fields are showing signs of sulphur deficiency. Without enough sulphur, it doesn’t matter how much of the other nutrients are available, the canola crop cannot produce top yields. Post-emergence sulphur can be applied up to early flowering and still provide a yield benefit.

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• How waterlogging hurts canola

  Canola yield potential can start to drop after a few days underwater. Top up fertilizer may help a canola crop set back by waterlogging, but don’t apply anything until soils dry out and the crop starts growing again.

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• Water stress reduces herbicide tolerance and nutrient uptake

  Water stress can make canola more susceptible to herbicide damage. Damage can be enough to kill plants under extreme stress. Resist the temptation to increase herbicide rates if the crop is under stress.

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• Still time for a crop nutrition top up

  Growers still have time to top up nitrogen and sulphur to take advantage of higher yield potential. Nitrogen should be applied before the 5-leaf stage to provide a strong economic benefit. Sulphur can be applied up to bolting.

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• Ensure adequate stand before fertilizer top up

  Growers who broadcast canola with a cut rate of fertilizer (or perhaps no fertilizer in the case of aerial seeding) may want to wait for crop insurance to approve the stand before investing in a fertilizer top up. Evaluating the stand will also be necessary to set a reasonable yield target for fertilizer applications.

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