Fall can be a good time to apply dry phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizers because of lower workloads and drier soils. A fall dry fertilizer application can also increase P and K availability for crops planted in the spring by giving the fertilizer prill more time to undergo natural weathering and breakdown in the soil compared to spring applications.

However, just because you apply 300 pounds of P and K this fall, it doesn’t mean that all 300 pounds will be available to next season's crop. Soil physical, chemical and biological properties combined with weather conditions all play a role in fertilizer availability. Even under the best conditions, an application of dry fertilizer on its own is usually not very efficient. In the first season after application, only about 10-30% of applied P and 20-60% of applied K is typically available for use by the growing crop.

For a higher rate of fertilizer efficiency, Titan XC can be applied to dry fertilizer blends, increasing the efficiency of applied P and K fertilizers by an estimated 30%. This contributes to a number of benefits, including improved plant performance (as seen in the photos below from Dassel, Minnesota), as well as a positive yield response.

Many agricultural areas across the United States are facing weather-related challenges, but there are still opportunities to make the most out of what Mother Nature is dishing out.

Terramar, a new product for row crops, is formulated to help crops stand up to abiotic stresses (such as heat and dry conditions) while also increasing nutrient uptake for better plant growth.

The photos below document the performance of Terramar applications made on corn, soybeans and wheat earlier this season, and they show some very strong visual results.

With another opportunity to apply Terramar now here (this time with fungicide or plant nutrition products on reproductive-stage corn and soybeans), we wanted to share these images as a reminder of the potential in this year's crop.

Here are the top 10 Terramar field pictures of 2023, so far:

Fall is a good time to apply dry phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizers because of lower workloads, drier soils and greater fertilizer availability for the spring planted crop. This fall, in the face of higher fertilizer prices, many who apply fall fertilizer are trying to figure out how they can get the most bang for their buck out of that application, and some are even wondering if reducing their fertilizer rate makes sense in light of the current farm economics.

It's practical to fertilize this fall to meet the anticipated needs of next year's crop, taking into consideration local recommendations based on soil tests. Reducing fertilizer rates can potentially increase an existing problem, namely the limited availability of nutrients from applied fertilizer in the first season after application. Only about 10-30% of applied P and 20-60% of applied K is typically recovered, or used by the growing crop, in that first season.

To get the most utilization out of dry fertilizers, many farms turn to Titan XC as a tool to maximize fertilizer efficiency without requiring a big investment. This is important whether a full rate or reduced rate of fertilizer is applied.

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.) 

Poultry manures and litters are an excellent source of crop nutrients—ones that can be more easily accessed by the crop when Extract PBA, which contains Accomplish nutrient release technology, is used. In the corn trials below, this biocatalyst technology maximized nutrient release from poultry manures so that more nutrients were available to the crop, leading to higher corn yields.  

In a trial conducted in Kentucky, Extract PBA was spread with UAN over turkey manure in the fall. Soil samples from the treated and untreated plots were taken in January, and showed an increase in the availability of many nutrients with the Extract PBA application. At harvest there was a 16.9 bu/acre corn yield increase where Extract PBA had been applied. 

Burndown season is here, and that offers growers a great opportunity to benefit from an application of Extract PBA on each acre. 

Below is a photo taken in early March from an ongoing wheat trial in Hardin, Kentucky. As you can see, the plant on the right–where Extract PBA was applied with a pre-emerge herbicide–is better positioned to realize top-end yield potential.

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.