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See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen. 
Enhancing UAN Sidedress Efficiency to Optimize Corn Yield Potential
June 4, 2024 — Posted By Agricen

05-24-Sidedress-webinar-landing-pgHow can farmers maximize every unit of UAN sidedress they apply to help them reach their maximum yield potential?

Watch our on-demand webinar, "Enhancing UAN Sidedress Efficiency to Optimize Corn Yield Potential," to learn:

  • What conditions favor best responses from sidedress nitrogen applications

  • How enhancing a sidedress nitrogen application can potentially help offset the impact of planting delays

  • When growers should apply UAN sidedress for optimal benefits

  • How EXTRACT PBA can maximize the impact of UAN sidedress applications to optimize corn yield potential

Not all forms of nitrogen in UAN are readily available for crop uptake when applied. EXTRACT (6-0-0-13S), a combination of a fertilizer biocatalyst and ammonium thiosulfate (ATS), can improve the efficiency of UAN sidedress applications by influencing the two most important sources of plant-available nitrogen: the applied UAN and the residual soil nitrogen.

Accelerating the conversion of the urea component (50%) of UAN and positively affecting the mineralization and recycling of organic nitrogen in the soil are two key mechanisms in nitrogen use efficiency that lead to more available nitrogen from both applied and residual (already on/in the soil) nitrogen sources. Increased nitrogen availability combined with a more efficient use of nitrogen equals better growth potential, both immediately after EXTRACT application and for weeks to come in the growth cycle of the crop.

EXTRACT is also compatible with other technologies that enhance liquid sidedress nitrogen applications, such as BLACKMAX 22, an organic acid-based product that can be applied in tandem with liquid nitrogen to improve nutrient availability and support positive soil attributes.

Whether applied alone with UAN sidedress or with other sidedress-enhancing technologies, EXTRACT helps ensure that crops can access nitrogen during peak demand and that farmers can get the most out of their UAN sidedress investment.

Watch the on-demand webinar today to learn how to get the most efficiency out of your UAN sidedress application.

Watch the Webinar

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Enhancing UAN Sidedress with EXTRACT PBA to Maximize Corn Yield
June 19, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Growers who are applying UAN sidedress this season have multiple technologies and practices they can utilize to minimize nitrogen loss to the environment and increase nitrogen efficiency and uptake by the corn crop. Examples include chemical nitrogen stabilizers, cultural Y-drop systems and Extract PBA nutrient release technology, all of which can be used individually or as part of an integrated approach to maximize the benefits of a UAN sidedress application.

Extract PBA is a biocatalyst technology for enhanced nutrient release and mineralization combined with ammonium thiosulfate, a source of nitrogen and sulfur. By accelerating nutrient mineralization and recycling, Extract PBA can help improve crop growth and vigor, extend nutrient availability to the crop and improve nutrient efficiency when used with UAN sidedress.

How do we know that Extract PBA influences nitrogen availability?

One example comes from research performed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. There, at the West Central Research and Extension Center, Extract PBA was applied at 1 gallon per acre onto fallow soil (absent of a growing crop) with a history of manure applications. Soil testing was then performed on the treated and untreated fallow soil every two weeks for four months to determine nutrient availability and assess soil health. 

Extract PBA increased the availability of all pools of nitrogen, including inorganic and potentially mineralizable N pools, compared to the untreated soil.

Better Nitrogen Availability with Extract PBA

This is important in the setting of a UAN sidedress application. In the cropping cycle, optimal sidedress timing is at the V4-V8 growth stage, right before the period of rapid nitrogen uptake in corn. By enhancing the availability of nitrogen in a sidedress application with Extract PBA, the corn crop can get more of what it needs for optimal grain fill and yield.

In real world, on-farm situations, this can translate into higher yields, as seen in the examples below. 

Extract PBA + UAN at Sidedress

By influencing both applied and residual nitrogen sources, Extract PBA can increase the efficiency of UAN sidedress applications and help maximize nitrogen uptake.

Watch the short video below to hear Agricen’s Dr. Brian Cornelious explain how using Extract PBA to enhance UAN sidedress applications can maximize corn yields.

 

Learn more about using Extract PBA in sidedress nitrogen applications by downloading our booklet, Sidedressing Nitrogen for Maximum Yields.

Download the Booklet

 

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Getting Corn Ready for Rapid Nitrogen Uptake
June 8, 2022 — Posted By Agricen

corn-ready-1200pxCorn undergoes a period of rapid nitrogen uptake after the V8 growth stage and through tassel and silking. If nitrogen is not readily available to the corn plant as it enters this period, it can limit yield potential.

With UAN, this is especially applicable to the urea portion of the fertilizer (comprising 50% of the UAN), which has to be converted into ammonium before the plant can use it. Enhancing a sidedress UAN application with Extract PBA, which accelerates nutrient mineralization and recycling, can ensure that the crop has the nitrogen it needs in that 21-day period of rapid uptake without falling short.

Extract PBA, a proprietary formulation of our proven Accomplish biocatalyst and ammonium thiosulfate, is designed to increase the efficiency of sidedress UAN by influencing both applied and residual nitrogen sources, helping to get nitrogen into a plant-available form and into the crop. This is supported by data from numerous trials over the past decade showing an average yield increase of ~10.1 bushels/acre with Extract PBA. With current commodity prices, it takes less than 3 bushels/acre of yield increase to break even on Extract PBA, providing a high likelihood of positive ROI.

For optimal nitrogen uptake, UAN sidedress applications should be made around the V4 to V8 growth stages. Using Extract PBA at this critical juncture can maximize nutrient use efficiency by increasing the availability of the applied nitrogen.

You can find out more about corn nutrient needs in this short presentation by Dr. Fred Below, who explains the importance of having nitrogen in the system prior to the period of rapid nitrogen uptake by corn.

Learn more about using Extract PBA to enhance sidedress nitrogen applications by downloading the sidedress booklet.

Download the Booklet

 

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A Better Investment by the Day
May 19, 2022 — Posted By Agricen

Wity-radio-down on farmAgricen’s Scott Lay sat down with WITY Radio’s Dennis Michelsen to discuss how EXTRACT PBA can enhance sidedress nitrogen applications.

Dennis - WITY Radio: With a wet spring, I think it makes a product like EXTRACT even more important.

Scott - Agricen: With later planting, advancing the crop through all of its physiological stages from emergence on out is critical. One way we can do that is by increasing nutrient availability with EXTRACT to hasten maturity and move the crop through its growth phases as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

Dennis - WITY Radio: There’s no doubt from the trials that have been done over the years that EXTRACT really does help improve the efficiency of a sidedress application of liquid nitrogen. How and why does this work so well?

Scott - Agricen: By incorporating EXTRACT in a sidedress UAN 28 or 32 application, we’re able to increase the pool of available nitrogen by mineralizing more nutrients that are already in the soil profile—in other words, converting that nitrogen into an inorganic form the plant can use. And our university studies have shown that we’re able to increase the available nitrate levels by about 10 percent with EXTRACT, giving the applied nitrogen a higher level of efficiency.

Dennis - WITY Radio: When is the optimal time to sidedress nitrogen and use EXTRACT?

Scott - Agricen: In general terms, the ideal timing is starting at about V4 up to about V10 or V11. But why is that timing critical? Dr. Below at the University of Illinois has done a lot of work around nutrient partitioning in a corn plant, and he’s determined that the period from V6 up through tasseling is the time of rapid nitrogen uptake during which that plant will consume 7 pounds of nitrogen per day. So, it makes sense to apply nitrogen in the time frame to coincide with the crop's physiological demand for nitrogen.

Dennis - WITY Radio: There have been some impressive trials with EXTRACT in nitrogen sidedress trials. This has been very effective with different types of soil types.

Scott - Agricen: The idea of increasing the nitrogen mineralization rate or increasing the amount of available nitrate in the soil translates to any soil type or growing environment. Over our third-party and internal split-field type trials, the average yield response has been about 8 bushels with EXTRACT compared to check. Right now, it takes less than 2 bushels of additional yield to pay for this technology. With today's economics, it becomes a better investment by the day.

Extract PBA is available from Nutrien Ag Solutions. 

This interview was edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the full interview below or on Agricen's YouTube channel.

Learn more about using EXTRACT in a sidedress nitrogen application by downloading the UAN sidedress bulletin.

Access the Bulletin

 

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Meeting Corn Nutrient Needs with Sidedress Nitrogen
June 5, 2017 — Posted By Agricen

Corn crop.pngAlthough it’s tempting for growers to put out all of their nitrogen early in the season when it’s easier to apply, splitting the application into a pre-plant and a sidedress application can be an effective way to ensure that the corn crop has enough nitrogen to meet its needs at peak demand. This can be especially beneficial in wet years where leaching of pre-plant nitrogen is likely to have occurred.

Peak nitrogen demand for corn is right before tassel and continues through grain fill, a period that corresponds with the V8 through VT/R1 corn growth stages. Generally, 1 to 1.1 lbs of nitrogen per bushel of corn is a good way to estimate total crop need for the season. However, the applied nitrogen still has to be taken up by the plant to deliver yield. Sidedressing with supplemental nitrogen by V6 (right before the crop’s nitrogen needs are greatest) allows growers to better manage this critical input. 

Growers can use Extract PBA as a supplemental technology with their sidedress nitrogen application to increase nutrient availability and facilitate uptake. This technology can be used alone or combined with a nitrogen stabilizer to help protect the applied nitrogen from denitrification and leaching.

Learn more about using biocatalyst technology to enhance a sidedress nitrogen application by downloading the Sidedressing Nitrogen for Maximum Yields booklet.

Download the Booklet

 

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Answers to 3 Common Questions about Sidedressing Nitrogen on Corn
May 31, 2017 — Posted By Agricen

Below we answer three common questions on corn nitrogen demands and discuss ways to make the most efficient sidedress application.

11.2-CornShoots

When does a corn crop need most of its nitrogen?

Growers often want to put nitrogen out early in the season—when it is easier to apply—to get their corn crop “up and going.” However, actual peak nitrogen demand for corn is right before tassel (V10 – V14), continuing on through grain fill. Making a sidedress nitrogen application can be an effective way of making sure the crop has the nitrogen it needs when demand is greatest.

How do I know if I am supplying enough nitrogen to meet peak demand and to carry through to grain fill?

Generally 1 to 1.1 lbs of nitrogen per bushel of corn is a good rule for estimating total crop need for the season. However, the nitrogen still has to be taken up by the plant to deliver yield. Nitrogen lost through volatility, denitrification and leaching is no longer available for plant uptake. In addition, poorly developed root systems have less opportunity to take up the nitrogen that is available. Using a split nitrogen application—that is, making part of the application at pre-plant and part at sidedress—can deliver nitrogen when the crop needs it most. This can be especially beneficial in wet years where leaching of pre-plant nitrogen is likely to have occurred.

How can I ensure that the nitrogen I applied is available and taken up by my crop when it needs it?

Many growers prefer a program that both protects the nitrogen and ensures efficient uptake and utilization. To get the most out of applied nitrogen, growers can use a nitrogen stabilizer to help protect nitrogen from denitrification and leaching, combined with a biocatalyst technology like Extract PBA to help increase nutrient availability.

Learn more by downloading our booklet, Sidedressing Nitrogen for Maximum Yields. 

Download the Booklet

Extract Powered by Accomplish is a registered trademark of Loveland Products, Inc. 

 

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Why It Makes Sense to Sidedress Nitrogen
May 16, 2016 — Posted By Agricen

young corn.jpgWe all know the importance of nitrogen in producing a high-yielding corn crop, but it is easy to forget or even ignore that the timing of an nitrogen application can be the key to maximizing its benefits.

Nitrogen applied pre-plant can be susceptible to loss through volatility, denitrification or leaching, which means it may not be available for use by the crop at critical stages. Peak demand for nitrogen in a corn crop comes between V10-V14 (right before tasseling) and, although the demand measured in pounds of nitrogen taken up per day may slow, nitrogen is still a critical factor in grain fill.

One simple method to ensure that your crop has enough nitrogen to meet peak demand is to split your nitrogen application into a pre-plant application and a sidedress application. By delaying application of a portion of your nitrogen until the plants are better able to take it up (through a more developed root system) and utilize it, sidedressing can significantly benefit your nitrogen use efficiency (NUE, measured in lbs/N applied per bushel of grain)—and your yield. This application can be further enhanced with technologies including nitrogen stabilizers or Extract PBA, which helps to maximize the availability and uptake of the applied nitrogen.

With increased scrutiny on nutrient leaching, combined with the need to drive more production out of the same acre, maximizing nitrogen uptake and utilization will become more and more important.

By applying all of their nitrogen up front, growers can miss out on a big opportunity to optimize nitrogen uptake and utilization by the plant. To meet the goals of increased production AND increased sustainability, growers will have to work hard to increase the NUE of their corn crops to lower the pounds of nitrogen used to produce a bushel of corn. For all of these reasons, it makes sense to sidedress.

Learn more about making the most efficient and effective sidedress nitrogen application with Extract PBA in a UAN sidedress program.

Download the Booklet

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