Blog

See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen.

Q&A: Should Soybean Growers Consider a Starter Program?

February 12, 2015 — Posted By Agricen

I’ve never used a starter program for my soybean plants. Nutrient deficiencies are not as common as they are in corn, and the salt in traditional fertilizers can harm the seedlings. Why would I consider a soybean starter program now?

It’s true that traditional starter fertilizers are not typically used for soybean crops, for both of the reasons that you’ve pointed out. However, like growers of other crops, soybean growers can benefit from tools that help improve plant health and yields. Accomplish^® MAX and Radiate^® are plant health products that can be used together as a “starter program” for soybean. They contain no salt and provide a cost effective way for growers to improve plant vigor, reduce plant stress and increase productivity. With an early application of these plant health technologies, growers can improve the health of soybean plants from emergence through yield, all while maximizing the efficiency of their total plant nutrition program.

If soybean prices are low, does it make economic sense to use a starter program?

When soybeans sell at a low price, some growers may be inclined to reduce total input costs. But, by using proven technologies to get their crop off to a faster, more vigorous start, soybean growers can have a very successful year. Accomplish MAX and Radiate are proven plant health technologies that work together to help optimize yield potential and return on total program investment when used as a soybean starter.

If my soybean plants need the nutrition, aren’t broadcast applications better at improving yields?

We recommend that soybean growers employ soil testing to determine the nutrient needs of their crops. Accomplish MAX and Radiate are plant health technologies, not plant nutrition products. Accomplish MAX increases the availability and uptake of nutrients in the soil (both applied nutrients and native nutrients) and mitigates the effect of abiotic stress, while Radiate contains plant hormones that drive root development and plant vigor. Both can help optimize soybean yield potential when used together as a starter application, maximizing a grower’s nutrient use efficiency and plant performance all season long.

Radiate is not registered in California, and is not approved or intended to be used or sold in California.

What Is the Value of Your Crop Residue?

November 18, 2014 — Posted By Agricen

snow_residue Here we discuss why your crop residue is valuable and how your farm can benefit from a post-harvest application of EXTRACT.

Q: I mostly consider my residue to be a nuisance. Do I need to rethink that view?

A: Given where prices are, growers are really going to have to focus to make money next year. Residue can play an important role in helping to achieve that. Residue doesn't have to be just another obstacle to deal with when you're trying to get your crop planted. By releasing the nutrients locked up in your crop stubble, you get more ROI out of your original nutrient investment by benefitting next season's crop. We recommend that you rethink your residue as an important component of the planning process for next year's crop.

Q: What is the value of my residue?

A: Here's a great example of the value of residue. If you're a corn producer, for every bushel of corn you grow, your residue contains an average of 0.45 lbs of N, 0.16 lbs of P, and 1.1 lbs of K. If you had a 200-bushel crop in 2014, that's an NPK value of 90-32-220. Think about how valuable those nutrients can be if you can release them in time for spring planting.

Q: With a big harvest, how should I deal with all of my post-harvest residue? What's a good way to speed residue breakdown and access the nutrients in my stubble?

A: Many growers turn to fall tillage or a fall nitrogen application to help them speed residue breakdown. Although tillage does a good job of physically breaking up the residue and increasing the surface area that microbes have to work on, it has little direct influence on the mineralization of nutrients trapped in residue. Nitrogen can provide some benefits, but lack of sufficient N is not the main limiting factor for residue breakdown–soil temperatures are, since microbial activity, which is what produces the biochemistry needed to break down crop residue, drastically drops off below 50 degrees F. This is why we recommend a post-harvest application of EXTRACT – which contains biochemistry that enhances residue breakdown, nutrient release and nutrient mineralization, even at lower temperatures – to help you capture the value of your residue.

Learn more about the benefits of a residue application of EXTRACT by reading the our crop residue booklet.

Growing a Better Soybean Crop in a Corn-Soybean Rotation

December 22, 2013 — Posted By Agricen

Accomplish technology can be used to help release and mineralize nutrients in high residue fields. Given the high potassium levels in corn stover and the high potassium demand for a soybean crop, this is a perfect situation for using a residue application of Accomplish technology to improve plant performance (Figures 1-3) and gain a yield advantage in the coming soybean crop (Figure 4).

residue-blog-2

Figure 1. Soybeans, Wimbledon, ND (2011). Improved nutrient uptake in soybean treated with fall-applied Accomplish LM (right) compared to check (left). Accomplish LM was applied in the fall of 2010 at 2 quarts/acre with 1 gallon of 28% UAN and 10 gallons of water per acre**.

residue-blog-3

Figure 2. Soybeans, Wimbledon, ND (2011). Improved nutrient uptake and root growth during the growing season with a fall residue application of Accomplish LM (right) compared to check (left). Accomplish LM was applied in the fall of 2010 at 2 quarts/acre with 1 gallon of 28% UAN and 10 gallons of water per acre**.

residue-blog-4

Figure 3. Soybeans, Wimbledon, ND (2011).Improved nutrient uptake with a fall residue application of Accomplish LM (right) compared to check (left). Accomplish LM was applied in the fall of 2010 at 2 quarts/acre with 1 gallon of 28% UAN and 10 gallons of water per acre**.

Figure 4. Soybean yield results, Wall Lake, Iowa (2008). Accomplish LM was associated with the highest yield compared to check (average yield from two check strips adjacent to the Accomplish LM-treated strip) in this trial of soybean grown on corn residue.

Residue applications can be made in the fall, winter, or spring. By using Accomplish technology in their nutrient mineralization programs, growers can speed residue breakdown and release valuable nutrients for a top soybean yield next season.

**Extract PBA, which combines Accomplish LM and ammonium thiosulfate, has been launched since the writing of this blog article. It is now the recommended residue treatment from Agricen.**

Treating MicroEssentials SZ Fertilizer with Titan Improves Crop Growth

November 2, 2011 — Posted By Agricen

This summer, Agricen conducted a rhizobox study near our Texas headquarters to evaluate the effects of treating MicroEssentials® SZ, the Mosaic Company’s 12-40-0-10(S)-1(Zn) fertilizer, with Titan Powered by Accomplish (Titan PBA), a fertilizer catalyst from Loveland Products.

Corn, wheat and soybean seeds were planted in rhizoboxes in field soil with either MicroEssentials SZ fertilizer treated with Titan PBA (treated) or a standard monoammonium phosphate (MAP) 11-52-0 fertilizer (control). Root and shoot growth were observed over a four-week period. This was during a particularly hot time in the Texas summer, with temperatures regularly exceeding 100 degrees.

As you can see from the comparisons at Day 24, treated crops had noticeably better lateral root development and shoot growth compared to controls:

Corn

Improved lateral root development at Day 24 for
treated vs. untreated.

Improved shoot growth at Day 24 for treated vs.
untreated.

Wheat

Improved lateral root development at Day 24 for
treated vs. untreated.

Improved shoot growth at Day 24 for treated vs.
untreated.

Soybean

Improved lateral root development at Day 24 for
treated vs. untreated.

Improved shoot growth at Day 24 for treated vs.
untreated.

Plants in the treated boxes also had earlier lateral root development compared to controls throughout the four-week growing period. Watch the root growth day-by-day in our video, below: