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Articles by Anne Struffert
Corn Fertigation: How Much and When?
In the Central Sands of Minnesota, planting is under way. With a week of warm and windy weather, things are drying out and warming up quickly. While most growers have made decisions on variety and tillage, one thing you may not have nailed down is when and how many times should you fertigate nitrogen on corn. Loss potential in the spring is almost always high on sandy soils.
Corn Fertigation: How Much and When?
Source: University of Minnesota Extension By Anne Struffert, Extension Educator and Fabián Fernández, Nutrient Management Specialist In the Central Sands of Minnesota, planting is under way. With a week of warm and windy weather, things are drying out and warming up quickly. While most growers have made decisions on variety and tillage, one thing you may not have nailed down is when and how many times should you fertigate nitrogen on corn.
Fall nitrogen-loss scenarios compared
Not all fall-applied nitrogen sources are equal. Fall-applied anhydrous ammonia behaves differently than fall-applied urea.Anhydrous ammonia is as harmful to microorganisms as it is to people, so the microbes that convert ammonium to nitrate in the soil are typically killed in the area right around the injection band. Those microorganisms will eventually recolonize the injection zone and ammonium will begin converting to nitrate.Urea does not inhibit the activity of the microorganisms.
Fall nitrogen loss: Do these scenarios apply to you?
By Greg Klinger and Anne Struffert University of Minnesota Extension Educators Not all fall-applied nitrogen sources are equal. Fall-applied anhydrous ammonia behaves very differently than fall-applied urea. Anhydrous ammonia is as harmful to microorganisms as it is to people, so the microbes that convert ammonium to nitrate in the soil are typically killed in the area right around the injection band.
Here’s how to assess fall nitrogen loss
By Greg Klinger and Anne Struffert University of Minnesota Extension Educators Substantial nitrogen loss from fall applied fertilizer can happen under a few key conditions: • Warm temperatures (especially above 50°) that increase the activity of nitrifying microorganisms. • A large portion of nitrogen in the soil in the form of nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), usually due to nitrifying microorganisms. Nitrogen loss can also result from a lack of fertilizer to soil contact.
Fall N availability: Do these scenarios apply to you?
Scenario 1 Anhydrous ammonia is fall-applied in early October when soils are at 60?. Soil temperatures don’t drop below 50? for another 3 weeks, and rainfall is 50% above average until the soil freezes. Nitrogen loss is likely to be high in this scenario. Much of the applied nitrogen has converted to nitrate form by November and can move down through the soil with the leaching rainfall. Scenario 2 Anhydrous ammonia is fall-applied in early November when soils are below 50?.
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