Sulfur & Nitrogen Enhancement The Natural Chemistry Lab PrimAgro: What, When, Where, and Why? The 3rd Step: Tissue Sampling
Sulfur and Nitrogen Enhancement Where do AgroLiquid Products Fit? John Leif Field Agronomy Manager While it is considered a secondary nutrient, sulfur (S) is essential to all crops for peak production. Plants use sulfur in the sulfate form (SO4-S). Which, like nitrate, is very mobile in the soil and is prone to leaching in wet soil conditions, particularly in sandy soils. Sulfur deficiencies are becoming increasingly common across North America. About 90% of the sulfur absorbed by plants is found in amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. Sulfur is also essential for chlorophyll formation. It has been shown to increase the synthesis of oils, especially in oil crops such as canola, soybeans, or flax. AgroLiquid has three products that are used as primary sulfur sources and nine other products that provide plant available sulfur as part of their nutrient formulation. Among the most versatile sulfur products in the AgroLiquid lineup, eNhance™ can be used as a sulfur source or as a nitrogen performance enhancer. The products access™ and SCalate™ provide sulfur and sulfur + calcium nutrition, respectively, but do not provide the same type of nitrogen performance improvement as does eNhance. How is eNhance used? 1. Improving nitrogen performance in the crop: When eNhance was first introduced, it was used as an additive with Urea Ammonium Nitrate (UAN) products to improve the performance of those nitrogen products. eNhance is a nutritional supplement that combines Flavonol Polymer Technology with micronutrients and enzymes to produce greater nitrogen utilization. By working within the plant, eNhance nutritionally fortifies the crop to use nitrogen more efficiently. eNhance has also been shown to reduce ammonia volatilization in the storage tank and in the field, keeping more nitrogen in place and available to the crop. Unlike traditional nitrogen stabilizers that reduce the activity of various bacteria in the soil, eNhance protects the nitrogen in solution and does not adversely affect the soil biology. eNhance does not make UAN products “slow release” or “controlled release.” It keeps more nitrogen where it is placed and works with the plant to make it utilize nitrogen more efficiently.
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When using eNhance to improve nitrogen performance add 2 gallons of eNhance per ton of 28% UAN or 2.25 gallons per ton of 30% or 32% UAN. 2. Sulfur source: eNhance is a sulfur product with a small amount of nitrogen, manganese, and zinc. Many years of testing and on-farm use has demonstrated that eNhance is a safe and effective source of sulfur nutrition that can be applied in-furrow to most row crops, small grains, and canola. One gallon of eNhance can replace up to 12 lb of sulfur from other sources. Common in-furrow use rates are 0.25 – 0.5 gallons per acre, which can provide 3 – 6 lb sulfur nutrition performance per acre. eNhance can be tank mixed with most AgroLiquid fertilizer products that are safe for in-furrow application. eNhance can also be used in a 2X2 placement at planting for sulfur nutrition. eNhance is a safe and effective source of sulfur when applied as a foliar treatment. Most sulfur fertilizers on the market today will cause damage to foliage and should not be used as a foliar application. The ability of eNhance to be applied in-furrow, 2X2, and as a foliar treatment makes it
one of the most versatile sulfur nutrition sources on the market. Does eNhance provide sulfur nutrition when used as a nitrogen additive? When eNhance is used as a nitrogen additive to improve nitrogen utilization AgroLiquid does NOT give a value for sulfur nutrition to eNhance. As stated earlier, eNhance is intended to provide greater nitrogen utilization by the plant. The sulfur, micronutrients, and enzymes in eNhance nutritionally fortifies the crop to use nitrogen more efficiently, and keeps the nitrogen from escaping as ammonia gas. The sulfur in eNhance is a part of this process and does not provide supplemental sulfur nutrition. What can be used to provide additional sulfur? When additional sulfur is needed, and UAN products are being applied, AgroLiquid recommends using accesS as a tank mix partner with UAN. Research trials and on-farm results have shown accesS to be an excellent sulfur nutrition source. One gallon of accesS can replace up to 5
Atmospheric Sulfur So2 Gas
Atmospheric Deposition
Volatilization
Crop Harvest
Mineral Fertilizer Plant Residue
Animal Manure and Biosolids
Elemental Sulfur Absorbed or Mineral Sulfur Organic Sulfur
Immobilization
Mineralization
Component
Input
Loss
Plant Uptake
Sulfate Sulfur (SO4)
tio a d i Ox
Runoff and Erosion
n
ation d i x Reduced Sulfur O l a i r e t c Ba uction d e R l ria Bacte Leaching 3
pounds of sulfur from other sources. One gallon of accesS is as effective as 2 gallons of other liquid sulfur products such as ammonium thiosulfate (ATS). accesS can be added to UAN solutions that contain eNhance if desired. eNhance™ is a nutritional supplement that combines Flavonol Polymer Technology with the proper micronutrients and enzymes to produce greater nitrogen utilization. Using eNhance™ as part of a nitrogen-management program may allow conventional nitrogen solutions to be applied at reduced rates while still maintaining optimal yield potential. By working within the plant, eNhance™ nutritionally fortifies the crop to use nitrogen more efficiently. In addition to reducing applied nitrogen rate, eNhance™ is an excellent source of crop-available sulfur.
Do not apply accesS in-furrow to row crops or canola. It can be applied in-furrow at up to three gallons per acre to wheat. accesS should not be applied as a foliar treatment to most row crops. It can be applied as a top dress application to wheat and other small grains, and as a foliar in alfalfa that has up to 6” of growth. Wheat or other small grains that are close to heading should not be treated with accesS. eNhance is a safe and effective sulfur fertilizer for wheat and other small grains at that growth stage.
accesS™ is a proprietary high-sulfate formulation intended for application anywhere five or more pounds of sulfur is recommended. These enhanced efficiencies make accesS™ both environmentally and economically responsible.
What other AgroLiquid products provide sulfur nutrition?
S-Calate™ is formulated to provide both calcium and sulfur, making it a great fit for many crops where there is a need for these nutrients. S-Calate™ was developed to improve the nutrient efficiency of calcium and sulfur in low-pH environments, but it can be used wherever there is a need for these nutrients.
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S-Calate provides both sulfur and calcium nutrition. This product is usually recommended in lower pH and low calcium soils, or other conditions where there is a need for both sulfur and calcium. One gallon of S-Calate can replace up to 4.5 pounds of sulfur and 3 pounds of calcium from other sources. S-Calate can be applied in tank mix with nitrogen products and can be used in the same application timings and placements as accesS.
AgroLiquid has nine other products that can provide sulfur nutrition. The products High NRG-N, N-Response, PrimAgro N, PrimAgro P, C-Tech and ferti-Rain provide the nutritional performance of 0.5 pounds sulfur per gallon. Kalibrate and PrimAgro K provide the nutritional performance of 2 pounds sulfur per gallon. Micro 600 provides the nutritional performance of 3 pounds sulfur per gallon. Those products are intended to provide nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, or micronutrient nutrition. The sulfur in those products should be considered as part of the crop nutrition provided by those products. Summary 1. 2. 3. 4.
eNhance can be used as a UAN additive to improve nitrogen performance in crops. A crop nutrition plan should NOT account for sulfur nutrition provided by eNhance when used as a nitrogen additive. eNhance can be used to provide sulfur when applied in-furrow, 2X2, or as a foliar treatment. accesS or S-Calate provide sulfur nutrition and can be used alone or in combination with UAN or other AgroLiquid products.
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Natural Chemistry Lab Galynn Beer Senior Sales Account Manager Fertilizing a crop, any crop, is getting more and more complex; why? To answer this question, we’ll do a quick review of the economic side, and then move into why it is important to look at things that haven’t traditionally been scrutinized. Why does it seem like there is more focus on various aspects of crop production? A major reason crop nutrition seems to be getting more complex is due to the swings in commodity prices, which quickly change revenue, input costs and profit margins. A thinning profit margin requires higher levels of management or we fall victim to the ‘weeding out’ process of a highly competitive market. There was a time when fertilizer management only focused on N-P-K. As yields climb, we know that we are having to increase the productivity of N, P and K through the supporting roles of secondary and micro nutrients, such as sulfur and zinc, all the way through molybdenum. To make matters worse, some of those supporting nutrients get pricey, so human tendency is to
focus on the cheaper ones. Spending on extra nitrogen and potassium feels better than copper for sure. But what if copper holds the yield of your wheat crop back and the result is the 50 pounds of nitrogen you applied isn’t productive because it wasn’t supported by $5 worth of copper? Economics and our biases sometimes interfere with our decisions. Be aware of your tendencies and remember: balance is better than abundance in most instances. Everyone wants a fertile soil, but that alone does nothing. The expectation of a fertile soil is that it will share those nutrients with the crop. The production of a crop is what provides a return and that’s why we want nutrition to be associated with crop production. Fertile soils are generally productive, so there is a correlation but not always. Excesses of some nutrients can interfere with the utilization of good levels of other nutrients. Higher rainfall amounts will cause some nutrients, such as potassium, to move down
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in the soil. With dry climates, high evaporation rates will keep cations at the surface. In addition, arid areas are often receiving irrigation water. Since the irrigation water generally carries other nutrients, the top of the soil starts acting like a coffee filter and the soil can take on the properties of the water. The result can be a potassium level that may have you gloating over how fertile you soil is, but could actually limit production. These factors matter as we manage crop nutrition. We can manipulate levels some, but then we’re back to economics to see if productivity will justify the expense. Let’s get started. I’ll go in the order that I look at a soil test analysis. 1. Cation exchange capacity (or CEC, and pronounced like a short phrase: cat-I-on) The CEC shows us the nutrient and water holding capacity of the soil. This is the first indicator of the productive capability of a soil. The higher the number, the more water and nutrients it can store. I have seen all types of CEC soils be productive. Low numbers can be challenging because they need rain or irrigation more often since these sandy soils don’t store much water. But crops root down well in a sandy soil and with sufficient water, they will reward you with outstanding yields. Higher CEC soils hold more nutrients and water, providing a buffer between rain events. A low CEC number would be 1, requiring superb management, and a high number might go as high as 50 if a lot of organic matter exists. Typical soils range between 10 and 30. 2. Calcium (Ca) Calcium levels heavily influence soil productivity. I like a Ca base saturation range of 60-75%. Higher numbers will tie up, or crowd out, other nutrients. With a number higher than 75, I immediately look to see if it is tying up phosphorus and crowding out the micronutrient cations like zinc, iron and manganese. If it is, I need to make sure to allocate budget for these. This is a case of a low nutrient level, such as phosphorus or one of the micros, and those low levels being related to an excess of something. In this example, it would be because of calcium. Phosphorus is very reactive with calcium and since zinc, iron, manganese and copper are cations, they can be displaced by high levels of calcium. Most commonly, you’d see associated low levels of zinc, iron and manganese. The importance of sulfur is elevated in this situation
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to counter high calcium levels. You aren’t only considering crop needs for sulfur, but also the ‘antidote’ effect it has on the elevated cation level of calcium. Banding near the root zone is important to limit exposure of the nutrients to reactivity of the high calcium levels. On the other end of the spectrum, at lower than desired calcium levels, below 60%, rhizobia bacteria don’t do their job as efficiently, so lime is needed, especially if a legume will be grown. 3. Magnesium (Mg) I like Mg between 10 and 20%. Over 20, and compaction is more of an issue. An anaerobic condition can develop under heavy rain or even with severe drought. Under 10% and deficiencies begin to occur and applications should be made. Magnesium is central to chlorophyll development, so it is important to have enough of this nutrient available to your crop. 4. Potassium (K) It should be between 3 and 8%. A low CEC soil should be in the high side of this range to supply ample amounts. If not, then it needs addressed. Rare instances of levels over 8% can exist and can restrict water infiltration. These high levels would most likely be found in low rainfall areas with high applications of manure or with potassium being brought to the soil through irrigation. 5. Hydrogen (H) Any amount of hydrogen present means we are on the acidic side of the pH scale, meaning under 7. The higher the hydrogen number, the more acidic the soil. You’d like to keep your soil near the neutral level of 7. As soils become acidic, some nutrients are more readily released, such as iron and manganese. Often, you see crops, such as blueberries, that like high levels of iron and manganese grown in acidic soils. But many beneficial microbes can’t survive in an acidic environment, so generally lime is needed to raise the pH. This is done by adding lime with calcium and/or magnesium, which displaces the hydrogen and brings the pH up. Rain and snow (H2O) bring H to the environment, so acidity slowly creeps back in. Also, various forms of nitrogen can contribute more than others. NH3 and the conversion of urea to NH4, then to NO3 through the nitrogen cycle, contribute to acidity. Don’t panic; these forms of nitrogen don’t cause a radical shift in pH, but overapplications do contribute additional hydrogen and creates some acidity.
6. Sodium (Na) Sodium mostly comes into play in arid areas where irrigation water is being applied, but can be a factor in low areas of fields where water stands and in areas with a shallow water table. Sodium base saturation over 2% can limit production when temperatures rise and water is demanded by the plant to cool itself. Sodium holds on to water and can limit its movement into a plant. Generally, elemental sulfur would be used to counter this situation. Also, winter annuals typically do better if sodium issues are persistent. They are grown when transpiration rates aren’t as high, so the competition of sodium for water isn’t as critical. The source of sodium should be identified and treated if possible so that production options remain flexible. The management of cations greatly influences the productive capacity of your soil. Proper balance is important for other nutrient inputs to provide maximum return. Calcium in a range of 60-75%, magnesium between 10-20%, potassium between 3 and 8%, hydrogen less than 10% and sodium less than 2% will provide the most consistent yields through a variety of environmental conditions. Exceptions for specific crop reasons and economic limitations of amending soils can create a need to manage around problems in this area. A perfect soil doesn’t always make sense. Where possible, it lowers risk of other stresses limiting production, but good production can come from less than ideal soils if they are properly managed. In the next edition of the AgroLiquid Newsletter, we’ll tackle the other nutrients and then look at how all cations and nutrients work together and interact with each other.
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What, When, Where, and Why? Dan Peterson Field Agronomy Manager Just a couple of years ago, AgroLiquid launched a unique and exciting new line of products combining our proven plant nutrition with customized blends of beneficial microbes. Unique on the market, the PrimAgro® line-up has generated a lot of interest – and questions. FAQs What are these products? There are four products in the PrimAgro line-up. C-Tech, PrimAgro N, PrimAgro P, and PrimAgro K. The names are the easy part, and I know that’s not what is really meant by this question, so let’s look more closely at the PrimAgro line:
coarser, low CEC soils, fields with low organic matter, eroded soils, and fields with low fertility. It follows, then, that we would expect less response on better soils – fields with good soil health, higher organic matter, and higher fertility. But, as we discussed in Galynn’s article, soils are a very dynamic environment! We may see response where we least expect it, and no response where we had every reason to believe we would. And just like all other crop inputs, performance is influenced by the weather. Will using the PrimAgro products Tim Duckert improve soil health? Yes, maybe yes, and maybe no. Think of Field Agronomy soils as a system – a very dynamic and Research Manager complex system. When we use PrimAgro products properly we’re also paying attention to the management practices that lead to improving soil health, not further degrading it. For example, if a field averages a pH of 5.4, everything else we do will be less effective than spreading good quality ag lime to raise the pH. Soils have the healthiest balance between beneficial bacteria, fungi, and soil macro organisms (like earthworms), and the best nutrient availability when pH is closer to neutral. But maybe liming that field is not possible and we have to live with the acidic pH. On that field using PrimAgro will be a benefit for this crop this year – in other words in this situation PrimAgro is an annual benefit because it will be difficult to improve the soil health longterm until the pH is corrected. Now, a grower who is working to improve his soil health may minimize tillage, plant cover crops, correct soil pH, and minimize soil compaction. Here, PrimAgro may help him reach his goals faster. As he improves the soil environment, the beneficial microbes in the PrimAgro products will go to work
Manage Nitrogen for Efficiency When and where should I use these products? First and foremost they will work best when placed in close proximity to the seed. For example, our PrimAgro N works great when banded in a 2x2 placement, banded behind the press wheels, or early Y-dropped at V4 or V5. PrimAgro P and PrimAgro K can be placed in-furrow just like ProGerminator, Sure K, and Kalibrate or banded in a 2x2 placement. C-Tech can be placed in-furrow on most crops, banded, or even applied foliar. Being in close proximity to the seed allows the plants to obtain the most benefit from the beneficial microbes in these products. Placed below the soil surface is generally going to work better than surface banding. The reason is that when the surface dries out in the sun, the beneficial microbes will go dormant again. Are there certain soil types or conditions they work best in? Or, are there soils where they won’t have a benefit? Broadly speaking, I would expect to see the most response on soils with poor health. These would be
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both for this season and also for subsequent crops. It could improve his soil health faster than what he might otherwise achieve. Remember, though, it’s our nutrients first. PrimAgro does not replace our core nutrient benefits - it supplements them and can help growers make long-term improvements to their soil. How do these products work? From a logistics standpoint the micro-organisms remain in a dormant, stable state until they are placed into the soil. It is only when they are applied to the soil and exposed to oxygen that the bacteria and fungi germinate and begin to form colonies. Each product, PrimAgro N, P, and K, has a unique blend of beneficial microbes designed to help the crop better utilize that specific nutrient. They provide other functions as well. For example, one of the bacteria species in PrimAgro P may help with salt tolerance in soils with elevated sodium levels, another one helps release some of the bound phosphorus in soil. The microbes in PrimAgro K may help slow down the leaching of potassium in sandy, low CEC soils. By targeting specific nutrients we take advantage of the nutrient cycles in the soil and allow plants to make essential associations with soil organisms. This helps the soil perform to its full potential. C-Tech combines essentially all of the above microbes, plus some others, into a single product that also includes carbon (food source for the microbes) and
organic fulvic acid. Fulvic acid is basically purified humic acid making it much easier to blend and use in tank–mixes. We know that fulvic acid does good things in plants, so there is interest in using C-Tech in foliar applications as well as in soil. AgroLiquid is actively researching the foliar opportunities of C-Tech, and fine-tuning rate, timing, and application recommendations. Those are the answers to the most frequent questions I am asked about the PrimAgro line. However, we know that our customers have found unique ways to use this product line, such as for manure odor management. AgroLiquid has not researched or documented these uses, but we are very interested in your experiences. If you have used the PrimAgro line of products, please let our Research and Agronomy teams know your observations. That information is valuable to help us develop our product recommendations, as well as know where to focus future research.
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The 3
rd
Tissue Sampling The 2nd
Carlos Palavicini Sales Account Manager After soil testing, the nutritional plant analysis is the most important tool to understand what is happening in the plant regarding the nutritional effects on its physiology. Therefore, it is critical to improving crop nutrition and yield. Only the plant analysis can identify the actual nutrient status of a plant. The best way to take advantage of a tissue analysis is to use it to decide the next steps of a nutritional program. It’s also a great tool to help us identify hidden deficiencies in the crop. Sometimes, the plant analysis is also the best way to get an accurate diagnosis of what we are seeing in the plant, since it isn’t always easy to identify the real cause of a problem we have found in our crop. This is especially true when we need to be sure we are identifying a disease or a nutritional deficiency - or both. It is important to keep in mind that the plant analysis is just a snapshot, a certain point in time, of the nutritional status of the plant. Then, depending of the crop that we are evaluating, we need to set our goal by doing the tissue test. Because plant physiology is dynamic, it is necessary to compare your plant analysis results with what you expect to see on a plant at the same growth stage. Of course, how dynamic the physiology of the crop correlates with the type of crop, so what the plant analysis can tell us differs from one crop to another. A plant analysis is almost like a midyear report card. How does your crop nutrition plan look, graded against the best in the class?
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An article in the the importanc Winter 2017 New sletter discu ssed sample. That’ e of obtaining a good what? Once s the critical first step. quality soil the But then be done with sample is analyzed, what the report? soil test is The informatio should essential to n on that the understan ding the cond Retail Partner or grower determine ition of the nutrient recom soil and how mendation to s.
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An example soil test report can see, the report is comp from Midwest Labs. pH, Cation As you lete, showi Exchange ng organic Capacity, nutrient levels matter, Base Satura – including tion, and micronutrie nts.
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John Leif, Field Agro nomy Man ager The first sectio CEC, and percen of the soil test to review is the nt base satur a general pH, ation sectio indication n. We get of the A soil with a CEC below soil texture by the CEC. whereas a 8 is considered soil sandy, medium textu with a CEC between 8 a CEC highe red, or loamy soil. Whe and 14 is a r than 14 there n a soil has content. Thos is a fairly high clay but generally e values are not hardand-fast rules organic matt the higher the CEC the , er the soil more clay contains. and
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For intensive crops with a long season, such as greenhouse tomatoes or peppers, or open field chilies, eggplants or papayas, some growers prefer to do a plant analysis every month to ensure the plants are in shape to keep up the production. In tree crops, we can take one to three plant analyses per year. A tissue analysis made before starting the season, in conjunction with a soil test, is the best way to determine the fertilizer program for the oncoming season. Sometimes a plant analysis before blossom can help us decide if we should do foliar application to assure the best yield, and a final analysis that will tell us how well prepared the tree is for the dormant period and the sprout time. Row crops may only need one tissue analysis before the reproduction stage, in order to determine if our fertilizer program is in need of a correction. In this case it is very important to do it on time before our next opportunity to apply fertilizer. If you are interested in making a full review of your crop’s nutrient trends throughout the season, you may want to pull a tissue sample weekly. If you intend to establish this type of sampling, pull tissue samples from the same places in the
field, at the same time each week. Nutrient levels will vary dependent on growth stage of the crop, weather patterns, and other variables. Regardless of crop type or analysis schedule, it is very important to make a plan of how many tests will be done during the season – with both plant and soil analysis. For the results of the tissue analysis to be useful, it is necessary to use a sampling standard methodology. The sampling procedure includes the following aspects: 1. Selection of the tissue to sample 2. Sampling and 3. Preparation of samples for shipment to the laboratory An important note: when there is an abnormal area in the field, it is necessary to take plant tissue samples and have an analysis from this area separate from the remainder of the field. It is also highly recommended to do a soil test of the same abnormal spot, in order to have as much information as possible. Having analysis of the normal and abnormal areas will help determine the origin of what is happening, and concentrate efforts to solve the problem. Plant analysis is the best way for the crop or plant to tell us what nutrients it needs. When sampling a field, it is critical that the correct plant part and stage of growth be sampled, and of course that the lab be clearly informed of this. The lab will calibrate their testing to those conditions, thus the correct identification of which nutrients are low or high depends on accurate information provided to the lab. It only takes about five minutes to properly pull plant tissues to send for analysis. A plant nutrient analysis typically costs about $20. The time and overall investment involved in acquiring this important midseason snapshot of your crop is small, compared to the potential opportunity gained. Tweaking applications, finding unseen deficiencies, or pinpointing nutrient uptake trends can help dial in your crop nutrient management strategy for a better return on your fertilizer dollar.
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2018
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