Prairie winter wheat producers are attempting to gauge the efficacy of environmentally smart nitrogen on winter wheat.
“I put ESN on winter wheat last fall, and the crop looked OK, but it might have looked OK anyway. Hard to tell,” said Saskatchewan farmer Louis Huys.
“You need good, quality, side-by-side comparisons in more normal growing conditions before you can form an opinion.”
The conditions haven’t been normal for winter wheat production in recent years.
Huys’ skepticism about comparing yield results during abnormal weather cycles is echoed by several farmers who have been conducting their own side-by-side trials.
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Bad weather has iced grower-run trials across the Prairies for two consecutive years.
In spots where conditions have been better, results appear to be indicating there are yield benefits when ESN coated urea is placed at seeding time.
Lorne Hilderman of Canora, Sask., typically seeds 1,800 acres of winter wheat each year on his 7,500 acre farm.
He put ESN on winter wheat for the first time last fall, with 40 pounds going down the seed tube and another 60 lb. mid-row banded anhydrous ammonia.
The first seed was planted in early September and rain delayed the rest until later in the month.
“We’re pretty happy with it in a way, but it was quite a year so it was really hard to assess,” Hilderman said.
“The early stuff was unbelievable. It went 80 bushels. That’s high for our area. Plus we got the select protein premium. The late stuff didn’t look so good. It only went 60. ESN probably helped, but the anhydrous had all leeched down by the time the roots got to the mid row. The roots couldn’t catch up to the N.”
Hilderman said nitrogen is too expensive to waste, and a 20 percent loss of anhydrous justifies the extra cost of ESN.
As a result, this year he plans to abandon the anhydrous and put 40 lb. of ESN down with the seed and another 60 or more lb. of ESN in the mid-row band.
Winter wheat grower Jack Hofer at the Deerboine Colony near Rivers, Man., has used ESN on winter wheat for two years and said it seems to work well on light, sandy soil. This year’s crop yielded 85 bu. to the acre.
“We did some side-by-side trials, but we couldn’t get a weigh wagon so we don’t have hard facts. But we can clearly see the treated crop was better.”
Hofer said he doesn’t see much difference in the fall. He thinks the phosphate has enough nitrogen to give the plants a good start.
“But in the springtime, the winter wheat with ESN really jumps up. I can’t always depend on getting in there to dribble band the 28-0-0. And you need rain to flush it in. This way the plants have all their spring nitrogen right next to the roots.”
For the past three years, Jack Waldner of Ninette, Man., has placed 70 to 80 lb. of ESN in the ground with his crop. It is the only source of nitrogen on his winter wheat.
His yields are typically 70 to 80 bu. per acre, with occasional highs of 90 bu.
“We do the plant tissues testing on everything,” he said.
“On the winter wheat plants, the tests show they have all the nitrogen they need. There’s no need for additional nitrogen, no need to top dress.”
