DIDSBURY, Alta. – Foliar fertilizer applied at the right growth stage can turn an average crop into an excellent one.
“From an agronomic standpoint, the theory of spoon feeding the crop in season has a lot of merit,” said Daren Bryant, whose Red Deer business, Taurus Technology, markets a variety of products from four crop production companies.
In cereals, adding foliar fertilizer with a high clearance sprayer from early emergence to flag leaf stage can top up the crop by entering the plant through the open stomata or micro pores.
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Fertility trials that included foliars were part of the agronomic showcase at this year’s Seed and Soil Expo held at Didsbury July 27-28 where crop production companies displayed their goods side by side on 155 acres.
The brainchild of Crop Production Services, formerly Parkland Agri- Services, the expo is the largest of its kind in Alberta where large plots of crops and treatments were on display. The plots will be monitored over the years for chemical residues and changes in fertility.
Around the world, research shows crops use only about half the nitrogen applied to the soil. The rest disappears into the atmosphere or leeches away. Western Canada is able to use up to 60-70 percent of nitrogen but there remains room for improvement, said Bryant.
Growers can also add some extra phosphorus early in the season because granular fertilizer gets tied up in the soil. Plants use about 30 percent of phosphorus depending on the soil type.
Potassium, boron or copper could also be added to clear up some deficiencies, said company spokesperson Brandon Green.
Before trying a foliar application, farmers should check the nutrient status of the crop by taking tissue samples to a laboratory to learn what nutrients should be available and what the field actually provides.
Farmers also need to understand some chemistry.
Green said farmers need to use an orthophosphorus, an inorganic form versus a polyphosphorus.
“It actually has to go in through the soil and has to be converted before it is taken up by the root. If you want to spray a foliar, make sure it is an orthophosphorous,” Green said.
He said micronutrients like copper and boron may also be a benefit when applied in small amounts.
Copper deficiencies in wheat and barley are an issue across the central prairies. The crops only need 0.4 parts per million. As long as the soil has some copper in it already, a foliar application can improve the deficiency.
Boron is not needed every year, but it can improve a canola crop. Cool, cloudy weather during canola flowering is best for boron applications. Boron only moves through the soil in water. If the plant is transpiring less, boron does not get in where it is needed most.
Blasting of canola is sometimes thought to be a boron deficiency but that may not be the case.
However, if pods are empty or short, boron may be the problem, said Green.
Also, water compatibility should be checked when applying any of these products.
In hard water areas with high levels of calcium and magnesium that are positively charged ions, nutrients may get tied up so they work less effectively.
