Crop residue left on the soil surface after harvest can present both challenges and opportunities going into the next planting season. Potential tie-up of important nutrients, delayed nutrient recycling, and difficulty getting pre- and post-applied weed control coverage are some challenges growers may face. However, if crop residues are properly managed, there are great opportunities for nutrient release, improvement in soil organic matter, and soil moisture preservation.

Harvest and tillage equipment that mechanically break down residue are useful management tools, but adding a biochemical tool in the form of Extract PBA can also help growers manage and even benefit from surface crop residue, regardless of their tillage practices.

"Whether you want to release nutrients from the soil or break down your crop residue, Extract PBA does all the heavy lifting, delivering consistent ROI to the farmer," says Michael Bern, Nutrien Ag Solutions Location Manager in Galesberg, Illinois.

Applied in spring or fall, Extract PBA helps to speed nutrient recycling by accelerating the breakdown of organic matter on the soil surface using microbial-derived biochemistry, which allows growers to recapture more of their original fertilizer investment. By helping to decompose crop residue, Extract PBA can also facilitate more effective tillage and better seedbeds, with improved seed-to-soil contact at planting and better crop stands.

On-Farm Studies

In a trial near Edgar, Nebraska, Extract PBA was applied at 1 gal/acre in the spring with pre-emergent herbicide to assess its impact on dryland corn in a corn-on-corn rotation. Both the treated and the untreated parts of the field also had UAN 32 applied at 9 gal/acre. The photo below powerfully illustrates how this treatment can release nitrogen tied up in crop residue.

On the untreated side, not only is more residue present on the soil surface, but the lower leaves of the plant are also firing, a sign that the plant is nitrogen deficient. On the Extract PBA-treated side, there is less residue present on the soil and the lower leaves are still green and healthy. In this trial, the Extract PBA treatment led to a yield increase of +15 bu/acre compared to untreated.

In Essex, Iowa, the addition of Extract PBA (2 gal/acre rate) to the grower's standard program of UAN 32 (applied at 7 gal/acre) also had a big yield impact in continuous corn, with larger corn ears (seen below) and a yield increase of +22 bu/acre where Extract PBA had been used.

In another example, adding Extract PBA (1 gal/acre rate) to the grower's standard program led to corn yield increases of more than +8 bu/acre in the two fields shown below near Greensburg, Indiana. These fields had been continuous corn for roughly six years.

Compatible with Both Spring and Fall Applications

For those considering a spring or fall application, Extract PBA can be tank mixed with herbicides, including glyphosate, and applied with burndown. It can also be broadcast with liquid fertilizers.

By using Extract PBA to increase nutrient release from crop residues and the soil, growers will be set up for greater success in the coming season.

Learn more about the benefits of using Extract PBA in a corn program by downloading the Extract Makes Corn bulletin.

Last season, Agricen's product technology helped some of the highest-yielding corn growers in America take home a winning title in the National Corn Growers Association's 2020 National Corn Yield Contest.

A total of 6 national and 20 state winners used at least one product containing Agricen's biocatalyst technology in 2020. Among them were Don Stall of Charlotte, Michigan, who was the top-yielding grower overall in the contest, Kevin, Shawn, Nikia and Rhylan Kalb of Dubois, Indiana, who took national wins across three categories, and Leonard Truszkowski of Stewartsville, New Jersey, who also placed nationally.

The biocatalyst-based products represented in the top growers' programs were Accomplish LM, Titan XC, Extract PBA, Prologue, Levitate and NexBlu. All are exclusively available from Loveland Products though Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Grower Don Stall came in first place, nationally, in the Conventional Irrigated category with a yield of 476.9052 bu/acre, which was also the overall highest yield in the 2020 contest.

"Titan and Accomplish...turn nutrients into an available, soluble form so we can take them up," says Don. "It obviously works. You can see it, when you run the combine across the field and you weigh it. The results speak for themselves."

The Corn Belt's first place national winner in the Conventional Non-Irrigated Category was Kevin Kalb, with a yield of 385.4405 bu/acre.

"When I talk about raising, potentially, the biggest crop we have, I need to get as much phosphorus as I can into the plant. Titan makes that possible," Kevin says.

Kevin's wife, Shawn Kalb, also took home a first place national win in the No-Till Non-Irrigated category in the Corn Belt (329.0569 bu/acre), while Kevin and Shawn's children, Rhylan and Nikia, each placed second nationally in the Conventional Non-Irrigated (345.9045 bu/acre) and Strip, Min, Mulch, Ridge-Till Non-Irrigated (323.7572 bu/acre) categories in the Corn Belt states, respectively.

If you are interested in more details about these and other growers who have had winning corn yields in the NCGA contest, you can read about them in these posts:

• "Congratulating the 2019 NCGA Corn Yield Contest Winners"
• "Biocatalyst Technologies Are Helping to Transform Grower Productivity"
• "Starter Program with Accomplish LM Key Part of Farmer's Success"
• "Top Corn Producers Used Accomplish LM, Extract PBA & Titan XC" 
• "Accomplish LM Helps Couple Win Two Corn Yield Contest Categories"
• "Titan XC Helps Bring in Big Yields in 2017 Corn Yield Contest"
• "Accomplish LM Proves Worth to Idaho Corn Growing Champions"

Wishing everyone great success in the coming season!

You can learn more about the biocatalyst technology that is helping top corn growers achieve big yields by watching our film, Last Stand, or downloading our FAQ.

Does a pre-emergence application of Extract PBA increase soybean yields, and does it provide a return on investment?

In recent on-farm, replicated research conducted by Ohio State University (OSU) Extension, Extract PBA checked off both boxes, showing a positive yield benefit and a positive net return to the grower.

John Barker, OSU's County Extension Educator in Knox County, worked with grower Dave Mitchem of Mitchem Farms on the trial, which was designed to test the effects of adding a pre-emergence sulfur application to a soybean production program. Extract PBA, which has an analysis of 6-0-0-13S, was selected as the sulfur treatment.

In a video posted by OSU Extension about the trial, both Dave and John emphasize the need for profitability when using any product or practice.

"It has to have a return on investment over the labor and management costs it takes to put it in there," says Dave.

The study was designed as a randomized complete block study and was performed on two plots (4 replications each) located near Centerburg, Ohio. The Extract PBA treatment was applied pre-emergence at a rate of 1 gallon per acre and compared to the check (no treatment). The previous crop was corn. 

Growing conditions were favorable for soybeans in their part of the country in 2020, with adequate rainfall throughout the season and little to no stress on the plants.  

Throughout the growing season, John and Dave observed that the treated areas were slightly greener than the untreated areas. At harvest, the average yield in the first plot was 71.23 bu/a with Extract PBA treatment, compared to 66.99 bu/a (no treatment), a yield increase of +4.24 bu/a. In the second plot, the average yield was 80.62 bu/a with Extract PBA treatment, compared to 75.91 bu/a (no treatment), a yield increase of +4.71 bu/a.  

Yield data taken from OSU Extension video., "Knox County On-Farm Research 2020"

Importantly, the calculated return on investment with Extract PBA as a sulfur treatment was also favorable in this trial. 

“The bottom line is so important to these guys. They’ve got to be able to show a profit and be able to make money to be back in the game again next year,” says John. “We showed a positive net return to sulfur on both of our plots.” 

Assuming soybeans at $13.50/bu, the average net return with Extract PBA in this trial would be $48.41/acre.*

You can hear more trial details directly from John and Dave in the video.

To learn more about Extract PBA, download the Extract PBA booklet.

*ROI calculation does not include application costs.

At Nutrien Ag Solutions' Snake River Division in Idaho, Josh Perotto and his team have been looking at the benefits of treating dry fertilizer with Titan XC in potato growing operations over the past two years.

In a split-farm trial harvested in 2020, the grower's potato yield was increased by +105.1 sacks per acre where his dry fertilizer had been treated with Titan XC to maximize prill breakdown and nutrient release, as compared to yield where untreated dry fertilizer had been spread. There were also fewer culls (unmarketable potatoes) where Titan XC had been used.

These potato yield results followed the team's findings from the 2019 season, where a split-field trial showed that potatoes grown with Titan XC-treated dry fertilizer outyielded the untreated dry fertilizer by +19 sacks per acre (572 cwt/acre with Titan XC vs 553 cwt/acre untreated).

Josh and his team also noted that they performed weekly tissue testing throughout the 2020 growing season and observed that potato plants grown with Titan XC-treated dry fertilizer showed a trend toward higher tissue phosphate levels compared to the untreated dry fertilizer. 

In Idaho, high lime, high pH soils mean that soil phosphate deficiencies are not uncommon. This is because applied phosphorus will react with calcium in the soil, which makes the phosphorus insoluble and unavailable. By applying Titan XC on dry fertilizer, growers can address this limitation and enhance the availability and uptake of phosphate and other nutrients from dry fertilizer. Titan XC accelerates the breakdown of treated dry fertilizer and helps facilitate mineralization – the conversion of organic nutrients into inorganic, plant soluble, plant available forms. With more nutrients available, more nutrients can be captured by the plant, which can lead to significant yield benefits.

Learn more about Titan XC by downloading the Titan XC Booklet.

Yield success for this grower near Macon, Mississippi started in the fall of last year when he applied 1 gallon per acre of Extract PBA (with 1 gallon/acre of UAN 32 +15 gallons/acre of water) on cotton residue from his 2019 crop.

The grower planted corn in the spring of 2020. Where Extract PBA had been used, he realized a yield increase of +11.47 bushels per acre compared to the check, for a net ROI of $33.88 per acre with his Extract PBA application.

The NDVI shows the greater vegetation density and crop health where Extract PBA was applied on the cotton residue.

Extract PBA was applied in early October 2019 with 15 gallons of water per acre.

Extract PBA is a mineralization technology that converts organic nutrients into plant-available, inorganic forms that the plant can take up and use for nutrition. For example, an application of Extract PBA can help convert organic nitrogen into plant-available ammonium (NH₄+) and convert organic phosphorus into plant-available hydrogen phosphate (HPO₄^2-). In addition, potassium and micronutrients are mineralized and released back into the soil solution.

Extract PBA combines the concentrated biochemistry of Accomplish LM with ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) to help growers easily and effectively manage nutrients tied up in the soil, in crop residues and in animal manures and poultry litters. The biochemistry in Extract PBA increases nutrient release and accelerates residue and manure/litter decomposition for rapid nutrient recycling, while ATS promotes an optimal carbon to nitrogen ratio to enhance soil microbial activity, further expediting nutrient return to the soil profile.

For growers, increased mineralization with Extract PBA can equate to greater nutrient availability for the next crop and an increase in crop yield.

Learn more about the mineralization technology in Extract PBA by downloading the Extract PBA Frequently Asked Questions booklet.

Recent corn and soybean trials from the Bruce Research Farm at Hopkinsville, Kentucky highlight the opportunities for yield success with Titan XC on dry fertilizer.

In corn, a replicated trial demonstrated a yield increase of +9.5 bushels per acre when dry fertilizer (300# 9-23-30) was treated with Titan XC and compared to untreated dry fertilizer, with a calculated net return of $31.48 per acre. (The ROI calculation assumes corn at $4.05 per bushel.) 

Even with a reduced rate of fertilizer (90% of the standard rate, or 270#), treating the fertilizer with Titan XC produced a yield increase of +6.3 bushels per acre, for a net return of $24.93 per acre.

In soybeans, Titan XC was applied to 200# of 9-23-30 fertilizer. Similar to the corn trials, it led to a yield increase of +9.5 bushels per acre compared to the untreated dry fertilizer, for a net return of $94.99 per acre (assuming soybeans at $10.50 per bushel). 

Dry fertilizer is one of the largest investments made in a grower's production program each season, but it can also be highly inefficient. Growers, therefore, can benefit from technologies that enhance their dry fertilizer efficiency.

With a proven track record of performance over a range of geographies, genetics and management systems, Titan XC is designed to help you get the most out of your applied dry fertilizer. Utilizing unique biochemistry to increase nutrient availability from treated prills, it can enhance the efficiency of dry phosphorus and potassium blends—turning your dry fertilizer into a driver of performance for your farm.

With Titan XC on your dry fertilizer, more of your applied nutrients will be available to your crop, which can help you drive yield on every acre.

Learn more by downloading the Titan XC Drives booklet.

When it comes to growing forage and pasture crops as feed for a successful livestock operation, simply increasing the biomass of these crops isn't enough. Feed quality is another important consideration. In fact, it may be the most important variable in livestock and dairy production, as increased feed quality can lead to higher production of meat and milk.

Biocatalyst technology can have a positive effect on these variables, increasing total biomass of the crop and improving feed quality. 

Increase in Dry Matter Production

In Victoria, Australia, a third-party, replicated pasture trial was conducted to evaluate the performance of the biocatalyst technology Titan XC (marketed as Basis XC in Australia) when used in the grower's standard dry fertilizer program. Treating diammonium phosphate (DAP) with the Titan XC technology led to a statistically significant increase in dry matter (+236.1 lb/acre) compared to untreated DAP (p<0.05). Crude protein, an indicator of crop quality, was also higher when Titan XC was used to treat the DAP compared to the untreated dry fertilizer.

Improvement in Feed Quality

What about the effect of biocatalyst technology on other indicators of feed quality?

In a pasture trial conducted at Lucindale, Australia, Titan XC technology was applied on single superphosphate (SSP) fertilizer and compared to untreated SSP. The feed analysis showed that Titan XC treatment improved multiple measures of feed quality, increasing crude protein by 26.4%, total digestible nutrients (DMD) by 6.7%, and estimated metabolizable energy by 7.5%. Titan XC treatment of the dry fertilizer also lowered acid detergent fiber by almost 3% and neutral detergent fiber by almost 8%, resulting in greater palatability and digestibility. 

These improvements in feed quality can lead to more pounds of beef and lamb produced per acre. They can also lead to more pounds of milk produced per ton of forage, as seen in a trial at a large dairy in California. 

In the trial, Accomplish LM, which is formulated for broadcast directly onto the soil, was applied at 1 gallon per acre along with the grower's standard practice (GSP) to a field planted for corn silage. The controls were fields planted to corn silage using just the GSP alone. All fields had a history of manure applications from the dairy. Corn silage that was harvested from each treatment was stored in separate bunkers and the feed analysis was conducted after the ensiling process was complete. 

Compared to the GSP alone, feed quality was improved across multiple parameters, including the  most important one: pounds of milk per ton of silage. Overall, Accomplish LM treatment increased milk production by 501 pounds per ton of silage, 16% more than with the GSP alone.

A Positive Impact on Livestock Operations

These trials, and others, demonstrate the positive impact that biocatalyst technologies can have on the forage and pasture crops grown to feed livestock.  

Whether by using Titan XC on dry fertilizer or Accomplish LM broadcast on each acre, farmers can increase pasture and forage total biomass and dry matter while also increasing crop quality. This can lead to increased production of meat and milk in livestock operations.

Learn more by downloading the Biocatalyst Technology booklet.

Already a busy period, harvest is also the time for growers to begin planning for next season's crop. Fall planning can be critical to having a less stressful planting season in the spring. Incorporating Titan XC and Extract PBA into fall plans is one way that growers can set themselves up for success in the season ahead.

Agricen's Stephen Sexton breaks down the benefits of these biocatalyst products and explains where they fit into fall programs.

Titan XC for Dry Fertilizer

Steve says that two key processes occur when Titan XC is applied to dry phosphorus and potassium fertilizer blends and spread in the fall.

First, he notes that the phosphorus and potassium prills are broken down much faster compared to waiting for Mother Nature.

"Remember that phosphorus and potassium fertilizers may have received multiple applications of petroleum-based or vegetable-based oils to reduce dust and maintain prill integrity," he says. "Oil applied to dry fertilizer can delay the breakdown of the prill when soil applied, since oil repels soil moisture. This is not the case when Titan XC is applied to the dry fertilizer."

Then, there are the benefits related to root growth. 

"In the spring, the biochemistry in Titan XC can signal to the plant that nutrition is nearby, which stimulates root growth and feeder tip roots or root hairs, which are the ports of entry for water and nutrition into the plant," says Steve.

Extract PBA for Crop Residue, Manures & Poultry Litter

When it comes to crop residues, manures, and poultry litter, that's where the innovative mineralization technology in Extract PBA comes into play. 

"Extract PBA can be applied with burndown applications or alone on crop residues, manures, or litter to mineralize the organic nitrogen and phosphorus into inorganic, plant-available forms," Steve says. 

Plants do not use organic forms of nitrogen or phosphorus. Rather, they can only take up these nutrients when they are in inorganic, plant-available forms. The plant-available forms of nitrogen are nitrate (NO₃) and ammonium (NH₄+), while the plant-available forms of phosphorus are hydrogen phosphate (HPO₄) and dihydrogen phosphate (H₂PO₄). 

"Both of these key macronutrients are mineralized, or converted from an organic form into a plant-available, inorganic form, by the biochemistry in Extract PBA," he explains.

The Last Word

By contributing to increased nutrient availability and an improved root system, Titan XC on dry fertilizers and Extract PBA on crop residues, manures or litter can lead to enhanced nutrient uptake, better crop performance, and higher crop yields. 

Learn more about these biocatalyst technologies by downloading the Biocatalyst Technology Booklet.

At the Nutrien Ag Solutions branch in Manlius, Illinois, farmer and crop consultant Chad Taylor has been witness to many Titan XC success stories. One that particularly stands out in his mind is the effect that Titan XC has had on one of his grower client's fields, helping to transform farmland that was largely phosphorus deficient into land with optimal soil phosphorus levels. 

"The farm was quite run down when he purchased it, and we've been pretty amazed with the activity of Titan XC in just a short time," says Chad.

When the grower first took over the field in 2012, soil tests taken in fall showed that phosphorus levels were very low throughout the field, with an average soil phosphorus level of just 41.5 lbs/acre. Five years later, after applying Titan XC-treated phosphorus and potassium fertilizers every fall, soil phosphorus levels were excellent. In 2017, the date of the most recent soil tests (taken in spring), the average soil phosphorus level had increased to 122.5 lbs/acre. 

The grower has been similarly satisfied with the corn and soybean yields on his acres. 

As seen in this and other trials, the biocatalyst technology in Titan XC can help growers maintain or build soil nutrient levels by increasing the availability of nutrients from applied phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. This can lead to increased nutrient use efficiency while also driving yield and ROI.

Learn more about Titan XC, including how it helps drive yield, innovation and sustainability, by downloading the Titan XC Drives booklet.

Growers make nutrient management decisions all season long. This includes the period just before and after harvest, when they need to decide whether a fall dry fertilizer application makes sense.

Growers who do decide to make a fall application face a significant challenge when it comes to dry fertilizer efficiency. This is because applied phosphorus and potassium fertilizers can be easily tied up by the soil chemistry. Even with the best program, only an estimated 10-30% of applied phosphorus and 20-60% of applied potassium will be available to their crop in the spring. This level of inefficiency is not good for the grower or the crop.  

One way growers can better ensure that they are getting more out of the nutrition they apply is by treating their dry fertilizer with Titan XC, a biocatalyst technology that is specifically formulated to increase nutrient availability from dry fertilizers. This can have a positive impact on a grower’s yield, as seen in the summary of corn, soybean and wheat trials from 2010-2019 below.

Proven on millions of acres across the country, Titan XC helps growers address the challenges related to dry fertilizer efficiency. Here's what some growers are saying:

"Every pound of potash that we put on, we also apply Titan XC with it...The biochemistry of Titan is the best choice for us to help solubilize the potassium and help get it into the corn plant." - Kelly Garrett, Iowa. Hear more from Kelly.

"I use Titan XC on my fertilizer since noticing a better root system and color on my crops versus the untreated fertilized acres." - Matt Minnix, Indiana. Hear more from Matt.

"I really like the biochemistry that Titan XC offers because I love the fact that I'm getting more out of my fertilizer and putting money in my pocket." - Allen Ehrman, Nebraska. Hear more from Allen. 

An application of Titan XC on fall dry fertilizer is a great investment in the next season. Ask for it on your dry fertilizer today!

Learn more about using Titan XC to maximize the efficiency of dry fertilizer applications by downloading our booklet, "How to Get Better First-Year Nutrient Recovery Out of Fall Dry Fertilizer Applications."