Arden Hills, Minnesota, USA
June 23, 2022
WinField® United has launched the 2022 Nutrient Trend Report (NTR) and tissue sampling program. This year’s Nutrient Trend Reports will provide farmers with valuable data and critical insights for making in-season management decisions.
“Nutrient Trend Reports from WinField United can provide agronomic advice relating to nutrients that are commonly deficient or responsive to fertilizer applications,” said Kyle Gustafson, crop protection product manager, WinField United. “Tissue sampling is a great way for farmers to work with their local ag retailers to collect and test samples to determine micronutrient levels in their crops.”
Tissue Tests Provide High-Level Insights
While tissue testing allows farmers to dial in plant nutrition at a sub-field level, compiled national data from tissue tests can also provide insights into higher level trends. Regularly monitoring these trends can help inform nutrient strategies and alert farmers when deficiencies are being reported in their area.
“You need to sample ahead of critical growth stages for each nutrient you are testing,” said Gustafson. “Crops that have received excessive rainfall or were planted in marginal soils could be more vulnerable to nutrient deficiencies due to poor root health and reduced nutrient availability. It’s critical to assess fertility levels in stressed fields and plan for in-season amendments, if needed.”
For example, in 2021, Nutrient Trend Reports flagged boron deficiencies in moisture-limited crops early in the growing season. Pointing out this potential challenge enabled growers to supplement boron to meet plant nutrition requirements for successfully pollination and proper root growth.
“Tissue sampling and crop scouting can help dial in the performance of each acre, helping to optimize ROI potential, said Braunshausen. “All 17 macronutrients and micronutrients are essential to crop growth and production, but the right nutrient needs to be used on the right crop at the right time.”
Identifying the Gaps in a Fertility Program
Reviewing Nutrient Trend Reports with your local ag retailer is a good starting point to understand where there may be gaps in a fertility program. WinField United releases them on a regular basis throughout the growing season with data from more than 650,000 tissue samples from Answer Plot® locations across the U.S.
“By taking samples, analyzing Nutrient Trend Reports and working with local ag retailers, farmers can use the data like a report card and compare it to historic trends to get a better idea of what products to utilize at each growth stage,” said Braunshausen. “The first few tissue tests can make the biggest difference in crop performance.”
A surprising trend reported last year was late-season sulfur deficiencies in corn. Under the dry conditions that were common in some fields in 2021, plant uptake of elemental sulfur sources was limited, resulting in sulfur deficiencies.
All these insights can help growers fine-tune a field’s nutrient profile, resulting in healthy crops that can withstand in-season stresses to live up to their genetic potential. Farmers will also be able to protect their bottom lines by purchasing only the necessary amounts of fertilizer.
“Micronutrients are a critical part of an effective fertility plan,” said Braunshausen. “Even though they’re used in a more nuanced way than macronutrients, they still play a significant role in plant growth and development, which can help farmers achieve greater ROI and yield potential in their corn and soybeans.”
Acres with suboptimal yield potential require even more input planning, but farmers shouldn’t skimp on micronutrients. Proactively developing a plan for each field for the growing season can help prevent nutrient deficiencies and improve a crop’s ability to develop to its full potential.
Fine-Tuning Each Field
If a farmer finds they need potassium (K), WinField United has solutions to help plants achieve maximum yield. MAX-IN® K is a foliar-applied micronutrient that can support plant health and growth in corn, soybeans, cotton and other crops. The dual-purpose liquid can also meet dicamba volatility reduction agent (VRA) requirements for some products.
In addition, farmers can get MAX-IN Ultra ZMB® from WinField United, a foliar-applied source of zinc, manganese and boron also for corn, soybeans, cotton and other crops. MAX-IN Ultra ZMB can be mixed with other crop nutrients and crop protection products and contains CornSorb® technology to help increase nutrient availability and uptake by plants. Farmers should contact their local ag retailer for more details.
To stay ahead of yield-robbing nutrient deficiencies this year, sign up to receive weekly Nutrient Trend Reports from WinField United. To put these insights into action, talk to your local retailer about fine tuning your in-season nutrient plan.
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