By now we all understand the 4 Rs of nutrient stewardship, but growers often times overlook critical aspects of this 4 pronged approach to maximize nutrient use efficiency when they are applying P fertilizers. Most phosphorus fertilizer applied is as broadcast dry fertilizer. In much of the US, those applications are made in the fall. This is primarily for convenience to ensure earlier planting opportunities in the corn belt. 

These fall broadcast applications take out two of the 4 legs of the 4R “stool” – right timing and right placement. Phosphorus is highly reactive in soil environments and can quickly become unavailable to a quickly developing crop. While convenient, fall applications are inefficient, since the applied fertilizer is in contact with soil long before the crop is planted. This allows for phosphorus and other nutrition to become fixed. Broadcast application on the soil surface is also inefficient, since phosphorus is not exceptionally soluble or mobile in soils. Additionally, earlier planting dates mean that phosphorus cannot be mineralized quickly enough to supply adequate phosphorus to the limited root systems of young plants. There is a better way to impact phosphorus use efficiency.

Nutrient Use Efficiency through The Power of Placement

At-Planting Nutrition through banding or making in-furrow applications of phosphorus fertilizer can improve phosphorus fertilizer efficiency and availability. The practices concentrates phosphorus in the row where it is more accessible to growing plants. At-Planting applications, in-furrow or on a 2×2, improves phosphorus use efficiency by ensuring an adequate amount of plant available phosphorus is accessible to seedlings. Available phosphorus is important because planting early into cool or wet soils limits availability. Furthermore, phosphorus mineralization in those cool wet soils is usually insufficient to support a young crop. 

Technology Connects Technique to Results

Timing and placement are a major step in the right direction to improve overall nutrient use efficiency. It is worth mentioning, there are still many challenges growers face each spring that timing and placement cannot overcome. Loveland Products portfolio builds on a platform of tried and true plant nutrition technologies. Technologies committed to delivering on our promise of performance by utilizing more of the nutrition that’s already in your fertility program without reaching into your pocket for more of an inferior commodity fertilizer solution.

Countless hours go into making sure we lead the charge in unique, effective and proven solutions to optimize growers’ fertility programs. Simply put, our technologies grow more roots, release more bound-up nutrition, and mitigate saline or sodic conditions. Loveland Products has a solutions for that and so much more!

• For growers looking to extract more bound phosphate from their soils by taking advantage of our tried and true Acetate Technology. You can find it in many of our At-Planting Nutrition Solutions like Riser and Levitate.
• Whether it is saline and sodic soils conditions impacting water infiltration or high levels of calcium or magnesium typing up critical phosphorus many growers will turn to Nutrient Use Efficiency tools like Accomplish LM and Blackmax 22
• Sometimes the solution to many early season issue is just an influx of more roots into the equation. Radiate has almost two decades of performance when it comes to increasing root surface area. This allows your crop to cast a wider net – capturing more vital nutrients and water.

Your Nutrien Ag Solutions Crop Consultant can help you determine the best answer for adding At-Planting Nutrition Use Efficiency to optimize your current fertility program. Contact them today!