Where The Plant Needs It
Nitrogen is the nutrient needed by a corn crop in the largest quantity and
cost. You know that it has to be managed well to get the best yield possible
from the fewest fertilizer dollars. A traditional broadcast method leaves the
fertilizer prone to volatilization and loss, and also places the fertilizer evenly
across the fi eld, not right where the plant needs it. A better way is a band of
nitrogen placed under the surface of the soil, which protects the nitrogen
from volatilization, and puts the fertilizer right where the plant needs it, not
where a plant is not growing.
From the time a plant emerges through the V8 growth stage, it is determining the maximum size of the ear it will produce. In this timeframe, yield is lost if the plant is nutrient defi cient. Applying fertility with the planter a few inches away from the seed allows moisture to move the nitrogen into the soil profi le so that the plant’s crown roots will intercept the banded nitrogen right when the plant needs nitrogen; while it is determining its maximum ear size. Making sure that the plant has the fertilizer it needs at this point will help you maximize the return on each dollar spent on fertility.
Simple Device For Optimum Fertilizer Placement
n order to accomplish the ideal placement of nitrogen, the attachment must do three things. 1. Always place the fertilizer below the soil surface, even over uneven terrain 2. Always maintain consistent placement of fertilizer relative to the seed, even around curves. 3. Never interfere with other aspects of row unit performance such as closing performance or depth control. Conceal accomplishes all three of these things with a knife that is tucked in a grooved gauge wheel, barely even
noticeable on the row unit, yet doing the most consistent job of nitrogen placement on the market.
