Atlanta, Georgia, USA
March 16, 2009
• In University of Nebraska
studies, Nitamin Nfusion® shows increased yields
• In split application, 29 bu/A yield increase over standard N
was recorded
• Irrigated corn studies also demonstrate higher N efficiency
than standard UAN
Nitamin Nfusion® Steady Delivery®, which combines the continuous
release properties of Nitamin® with conventional quick-release
nitrogen programs, produced significant yield increases when
compared to standard urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) in single- and
split-application trials conducted by the University of
Nebraska. Also, stalk tests confirmed that Nitamin Nfusion was
absorbed more by the corn plant when compared to the same N
content in UAN-only applications.
“If you have conditions where you might get nitrogen loss
through leaching, whether it’s sandy soils or heavy rainfall,
then a slow-release product such as Nitamin will give you a
nitrogen efficiency benefit,” says Dr. Charles Shapiro,
University of Nebraska soil fertility researcher. “In both years
of the studies, we found that the Nitamin stayed where it was
applied, so it was readily available for the corn plant.”
Manufactured by
Georgia-Pacific Plant Nutrition and distributed by
Wilbur-Ellis Co. and
others, Nitamin Nfusion Steady-Release is a liquid nitrogen
fertilizer that combines the continuous release benefits of
Nitamin with conventional quick-release N sources such as UAN
32%. The product is completely water soluble and contains 22
percent nitrogen, of which 94% is slowly available N in the form
of polymer urea. Nitamin Nfusion can be blended with UAN, urea
solution and liquid ammonium nitrate solutions at different
ratios to provide flexible N release rates, providing growers
with the ability to match N delivery with crop-specific N uptake
patterns over the growing season. Custom blends can be made with
certain formulations of phosphorus, potassium and
micronutrients.
“The inherent flexibility of Nitamin Nfusion allows growers to
factor in soil temperatures, application timing and the crop’s
growth cycle before determining how much slowly available N to
incorporate,” says John Kruse, senior research agronomist,
Georgia-Pacific Plant Nutrition. “The end result is a
custom-tailored crop nutrition program that optimizes
nitrogen-use efficiency. Nitamin Nfusion minimizes excess N when
not needed by the crop and maximizes plant-available N when most
needed by the crop.”
 University
of Nebraska Studies
In both years of the Nebraska studies (2007 and 2008), which
were conducted on farms near Norfolk, NE, Nitamin Nfusion was
mixed in a 30:70 ratio (percentage N basis) with UAN 32 and
compared to straight UAN 32. In the first year, some plots
received all of the N (a total of 225 pounds) at planting while
others received split applications at the pre-plant and planting
stages. In a split application of 150 pounds pre-plant and 75
pounds side-dressed in-season, the Nitamin Nfusion field yielded
29 bu/A higher at 201 bu/A compared to the field treated with
similar applications and the same rate of standard UAN.
Dr. Shapiro says the split application mirrors a typical
production practice in irrigated corn grown in a sandier type of
soil. “The sandy soils don’t hold a lot of water, and the
general practice is to split the N for production reasons and
it’s also more ecologically sound in reducing leaching
problems,” he says. “Nitamin would give a grower confidence in
knowing that he can put on more N at planting or early in the
season and not lose it after a rainfall.”
In 2008, the trial was modified to compare the effects of
knifing-in the N treatment versus a broadcast application nine
days after planting. An additional postemergence N application
was made through the irrigation pivot. The highest yield, at 259
bu/A, came from the Nitamin Nfusion application, 11 bu/A higher
than the UAN at the same rate.
Dr. Shapiro noted that in addition to an increase in yield, the
2008 trials demonstrated increased N efficiencies with improved
placement and technologies, even at lower rates of total N. For
example, at 167 pounds total N, the average yield (combining
broadcast and knifed-in trials) of Nitamin Nfusion was 243 bu/A,
compared to 234 for UAN.
When researchers performed stalk nitrate testing -- where they
measure the nitrate content in the lower part of the stalk --
Nitamin Nfusion had higher stalk nitrate part-per-million (ppm)
ratings than its UAN counterpart. At the 217-pound total N rate,
Nitamin Nfusion had a 4,534 ppm compared to 3,569 ppm for UAN.
At 267 pounds total N, the results were more dramatic: 6,580 ppm
and 4,940, respectively.
“This is a good indication that the Nitamin Nfusion did what it
was supposed to do. That is, the N in the Nitamin stuck around
in the soil and was more available for the corn plant to
utilize,” Dr. Shapiro says.
Adds Kruse: “With two years of successful yield trials in
Nebraska, blends of Nitamin Nfusion appear poised to increase
grower yields in corn for this part of the country. Nfusion
demonstrated it can be a key player in the overall nitrogen
fertility program of growers seeking consistently higher yields
and efficiency.”
About Nitamin fertilizers
Manufactured by Georgia-Pacific and primarily distributed by
Wilbur-Ellis Co., Nitamin 30L and Nitamin Nfusion
Steady-Delivery liquid slow-release plant nutrition products
provide a steady supply of nitrogen to the plant, minimizing N
fluctuations that have a negative impact on plant growth and
quality. Nitamin 30L, a blend of slowly available and readily
available N components, was developed for use as a
foliar-applied fertilizer for use on crops and turfgrass.
Nitamin Nfusion was designed to be blended with quick-release
liquid N fertilizers to provide an economical high-efficiency
nitrogen source based on seasonal crop N demand and regional
growing conditions.
About Georgia-Pacific Plant Nutrition
Georgia-Pacific Plant Nutrition is a business group of
Georgia-Pacific Chemicals LLC - a market leader in chemical
products for the paper, pulp and building products industries,
as well as other industrial manufacturing processes.
Georgia-Pacific Chemicals has been a major raw material supplier
to leading fertilizer producers for over 20 years and has over
40 years of experience with urea-based polymer technology. The
company's headquarters office is located at 133 Peachtree
Street, 19th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30303. For additional
information, please visit the company’s Web sites
http://www.gp.com/chemical/ and http://www.nitamin.com/ or call
the Nitamin hotline at 866-2nitamin.
NITAMIN, NITAMIN NFUSION, STEADY-DELIVERY and the
Georgia-Pacific logo are trademarks owned by or licensed to
Georgia-Pacific Chemicals LLC.
University of Nebraska does not endorse Georgia-Pacific or
Nitamin. |
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