Getting the Best Crop Establishment Possible
Getting the Best Crop Establishment Possible
Spring is here!! Well by the calendar at least. Some areas may still have a significant amount of snow left to melt, while others could be looking out into the fields wondering when the spring work will get started. In any event, everybody is eagerly waiting for the next step in the transition to spring so they can get started putting their crops in the ground.
Let’s take a bit of time and talk about just that. Putting the crops in the ground. Well, more specifically, what it takes to get good crop establishment. When you think about it, your crop never has more potential than when you put it in the ground. Once you plant it, just about everything imaginable will do its best to steal some of that yield potential. Disease, insects, too much rain, not enough rain, too much heat, not enough heat, and on and on and on. I think it’s a given that you want to make sure you have a good seedbed for the seed to be planted into. Making sure it’s got a good seed treatment, including fungicide and insecticides when needed. There’s a lot to consider when sending that little seed out on its own to work hard growing all summer to produce a profitable yield.
How much have you considered early season nutrition? We can take a look at the agronomic absolutes and determine how many lbs or grams of each nutrient is needed to grow a bushel of crop, but this is throughout the whole growing season. What’s important early on? One could argue that all nutrients are, which is true, but I’m going to point out some specific ones; nutrients that should be paid attention to so that crops will be able to access very early on in their life.
First up is phosphorous (P). P is essential for growing strong roots and is involved with all energy-dependent growth processes in the plant. Therefore, P is needed right away. More roots will provide more access to other nutrients and water in the early stages. A plentiful supply of available phosphorus promotes rapid growth. Cold soils reduce P availability, so it is important to maintain a multi-year P plan and to provide early, easy access to this nutrient.
Now let’s talk about zinc (Zn). Zinc is involved in auxin formation, which means it is key to plant growth. Just like with P, the need for zinc starts early on in a plant’s growth cycle. Without a plentiful supply of Zn, the growth will suffer. A low level of Zn will also make the plant more prone to disease.
Lastly, I want to talk about boron (B). Boron is needed throughout the growing season in a continuous supply, although most only begin to think about it near flowering. Granted it is very important at that time, there is also a strong need early in the crop establishment phase. Boron is essential for maintaining the structural integrity of plant membranes, which means you can’t have proper growth without it.
In the end, you want to protect as much of that yield potential as possible. You know the crop may lose a few battles here and there throughout the season because there is a lot that isn’t in your control. That’s why making sure what is in your control is well looked after will give you the best opportunity at a highly profitable yield.
Contact your local Yara representative to discuss options for supplying critical nutrients for crop establishment.
