Avoiding Nitrogen Deficiency as Fertilizer Costs Remain Volatile
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As you get into your customers’ cornfields this growing season, you’ll no doubt be scouting for signs of nitrogen deficiency. And if you find these signs, your farmers will likely ask what they can do now to positively influence their yield potential. Luckily, there are steps you can take to help them turn the tide and maximize nitrogen management in crop before it’s too late.
Nitrogen Deficiency in Corn
Nitrogen deficiency is something farmers think about every season. However, Justin Dikeman, product marketing leader for Nutrient Maximizers at Corteva Agriscience, says the issue seems to be especially close to the forefront this year.
“There are two main reasons nitrogen deficiency is especially concerning for Midwest farmers and retailers this season,” Dikeman says. “The first is that, with the high costs of nitrogen fertilizer, some farmers tried to get by with lower application rates, even if that wasn’t necessarily advisable. The second is that it’s been a wetter-than-average spring for several states, leading to excess nitrogen loss.”
Nitrogen fertilizer prices hit record highs in 2022 and, though they’ve eased somewhat, have remained volatile. So, it’s not surprising that some farmers did try to save on the expense this season.
And even if your customers applied their normal nitrogen rates, the chances are good that they may have experienced wet spring weather. Dikeman says excess rain increases the chance of nitrogen loss via leaching, and nitrogen loss can, in turn, lead to nitrogen deficiency.
“Now is a great time to remind customers to look for — or help them look for — the telltale signs of nitrogen deficiency in their corn this season,” Dikeman says. “The signs include spindly stalks and leaf firing, which starts as pale, greenish-yellow leaves and spreads in a ‘V’ pattern with dry, brown tips and edges.”
Dikeman says these more obvious signs don’t typically appear until corn reaches the later vegetative or early reproductive growth stages. For younger corn, nitrogen deficiency is harder to spot and may manifest as a slight reduction in green color and slight variation in height uniformity.
Dealing With Nitrogen Deficiency
If your customers find these signs of nitrogen deficiency, Dikeman says there are still steps you can take in-crop to make up at least some of that lost ground.
Depending on what growth stage a farmers’ corn has reached, a sidedress nitrogen application may still be a good option, for example. However, timing and costs might not be on your customers’ side at the moment.
“Another good option for corn farmers dealing with nitrogen deficiency this season is an application of a new biological called Utrisha N nutrient efficiency optimizer,” Dikeman says. “It’s an alternative sustainable nitrogen fixation solution, which works with a variety of crops.”
The active ingredient in Utrisha™ N nutrient efficiency optimizer is a bacterium that captures nitrogen from the air, supplying it to plants throughout the growing season to enhance growth and, ultimately, optimize yield potential.
Field trials of Utrisha N have shown the product helps increase corn yield potential under the right conditions:
Utrisha N comes in a wettable powder formula and can be easily applied with a standard sprayer. For best results, Dikeman says Utrisha N should be foliar-applied on corn sometime between the V4 and V8 stages: “These are the ideal application stages, but we do still see some benefits from applications as late as tassel timing.”
In addition, Dikeman says Utrisha N also should be applied in the early morning when possible.
“The bacteria in the product enter the plants through the stomata [pores], which are more open in the morning,” Dikeman says. “Applying during this time will help the bacteria colonize the corn plants more quickly.”
Once Utrisha N is applied, it’s rainfast within an hour, and the bacteria take about a week to colonize and start supplying nitrogen to the crops.
“What’s particularly nice about this solution is that the bacteria cannot be removed or washed away. They stay and grow within the plants throughout the growing season, continually supplying nitrogen,” Dikeman says. “So even if your customers are struggling with overly wet-weather soil drainage issues, Utrisha N can keep working under those conditions.”
Dikeman says Utrisha N can be a great addition to a holistic nitrogen management program that includes conventional fertilizers and nitrogen stabilizing products such as N-Serve® nitrogen stabilizer, Instinct NXTGEN® nitrogen stabilizer and PinnitMax® TG nitrogen stabilizer.
“Even with using Utrisha N, I wouldn’t advise cutting back on fertilizer rates or omitting a nitrogen stabilizer,” Dikeman says. “The biological is an added protection to enhance the nutrition for a farmer’s crop.”
Looking to the Future
While avoiding nitrogen deficiency this season is probably your larger focus for customers right now, it’s also not a bad idea to take some time to think of how you can help them make sure they have the tools they need to avoid this problem in future seasons.
Dikeman says the Nutrient Maximizers portfolio from Corteva Agriscience offers nitrogen management solutions, and Granular Agronomy offers precision tools, expert advice and custom prescriptions for farmers to pinpoint the correct inputs for their fields. These are both places to find resources to help avoid nitrogen deficiency.
Nitrogen prices are volatile, and they’ll likely remain this way for some time. One of the best ways you can help customers is to plan ahead with them so they can get every last penny out of that investment.
Instinct NXTGEN®, PinnitMax® TG and Utrisha™ N nutrient efficiency optimizer are not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Do not fall-apply anhydrous ammonia south of Highway 16 in the state of Illinois. Always read and follow label directions.