A proactive fall herbicide program can help growers get ahead of next season's weed pressure by controlling difficult weeds, allowing them to start out the spring with cleaner fields and setting the stage for better spring herbicide performance. By adding Extract PBA to a fall burndown package, growers can also gain the benefits of increased yield and ROI. 

In this trial, which was conducted in West Lebanon, Indiana, Extract PBA was applied with fall burndown in 2015 to release nutrients in the soil and residue for the next season's crop. Soybeans were planted in the spring of 2016. At harvest, Extract PBA treatment was associated with a  5.1 bu/a yield advantage and a return on investment for the grower (ROI of $37/acre compared to the untreated soybean yield; ROI calculation for that time period assumes $9.50 cash beans.).

Seeing is believing. These corn plants in Central Indiana show an increase in plant growth and root mass where Accomplish LM is included in the grower's starter fertilizer program. 

Chris Perkins, a Nutrien Ag Solutions location manager in Otwell, Indiana, likes to practice what he preaches when it comes to the products he recommends to growers. If he’s not familiar with something, he tests it on his own family farm and carefully evaluates the data to make sure the product is living up to its claims.

“My dad lets me have 17 acres for a community plot where we’re doing corn on corn,” says Chris. “I want to show guys ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing, and this is what we’re seeing because of this product, management practice or hybrid.’”

Over the past few years, Chris has been evaluating Accomplish LM and Titan on his 17 acres, and he’s seen both his yields and his soil nutrient values rise. Along with the fertility added by the continuous corn, he credits the Accomplish and Titan technologies for contributing to a good portion of those increases.

This year, many parts of the country dealt with above-average to excessive spring rains. Wet conditions set the stage for denitrification (converting nitrogen in the soil system into N₂ gas) and nitrate leaching, which may explain some of the yellowing growers have observed in fields where there has been a lot of moisture.  

By Brian Cornelious, PhD, Director of Applied Sciences 

Why would a grower apply Accomplish LM with sidedress nitrogen? For benefits that include better plant and root growth, improved nitrogen use efficiency and increased yields at the end of the season.

The only difference between the plants shown in Figure 1 is an application of Accomplish LM at sidedress – with noticeably better root development seen with Accomplish LM treatment (right).

Figure 1. Better root development when Accomplish LM is added to sidedress in a corn trial in Blissfield, Michigan.

Growers who use Accomplish LM in their starter programs see the benefits of improved early plant growth and increased yields at the end of the season.

The superior early performance of corn grown with Accomplish LM + RiseR is noticeable just 30 days after planting (Figure 1), with better plant growth and root development compared to a starter program without Accomplish LM.

One major misconception about growing a crop is that once the seed is planted and the crop is up, not much more work is required until harvest. In reality, as soon as growers catch their breath after a rigorous planting season, they must continue making critical management decisions to ensure a good harvest. One important decision is how to manage the sidedress application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer. In this blog, we will explore the benefits of sidedress fertilizer application and how to optimize it for maximum corn yield.