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Foliar Nutrients
Add Extra Soybean Bushels |
| featured in Nutra-Flo News Issue #4, 2004 |
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Plan to add a foliar
nutrient program to your soybean glyphosate spray program this year. |
Foliar nutrients can add extra bushels to the soybean bottom line.
And, when foliar nutrients are piggybacked with herbicide, it cuts
costs. |
| Nutra-Flo offers liquid
PureGrade NPK fertilizers made with a low salt potassium phosphate
that mix and spray easily. And NEW this year − Nutra-Flo chelated
micronutrients, either singly or as a micronutrient package, are
being offered for broad crop applications. |
- According to Certified
Professional Agronomist Robert C. Dixon, in an article published
in the Fluid Journal (Winter 2003 issue), "there is a direct link
between foliar feeding and the activities of the enzymatic systems
of the plant. The timeliness and ready availability of nutrients
provided by foliar feeding stimulate enzymatic cycles to greater
efficiency and quicker response." He continues, "Elements have
been shown to translocate as much as one foot per hour from the
leaves to the roots."
- In studies at the
University of Missouri, a combination of boron and magnesium,
foliar applied together on soybeans, gave the most consistent
yield increases.
- In Wisconsin studies,
foliar applied boron increased the number of pods per branch while
foliar manganese increased yield on high organic matter, high pH
soils. Foliar applied manganese was found to be more effective on
soybeans than row applied applications.
- In Iowa foliar
responses were most likely with dry spring/early summer conditions
and where P & K availability was low.
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Nutra-Flo PureGrade Liquid Fertilizer
Products Safe for Foliar Application |
| Nutra-Flo recommends using one of our PureGrade analyses such as
9-18-9, 10-10-10, 5-15-15, or 3-18-18, at 1-4 gallon/acre with the
addition of a small amount of micronutrients for maximum
effectiveness. Ideally, we should have both soil tests and plant
tissue analysis on which to base foliar recommendations. |
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| Foliar fertilization is
a quick way to address micronutrient deficiencies, and to a lesser
extent, transient macronutrient availability problems due to
environmental conditions. Conditions such as cool, wet soils can
reduce root growth and cause temporary deficiencies. Foliar
fertilizer can help fill this gap. |
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| Any of the Nutra-Flo
PureGrade analyses will work for foliar application, but those that
contain significant amounts of the nitrogen component in the urea
form, such as 9-18-9 or 10-10-10 would be expected to work best.
Nitrogen, as urea, is rapidly absorbed by healthy plant leaves and
is the safest when compared to other forms of N. One-half of the
urea is absorbed in as little as ½ - 2 hours. That’s more rapid than
any other nutrient. This characteristic makes urea the "driver" of
the foliar application. Be sure to add a non-ionic surfactant to the
tank mix to help reduce surface tension on the leaf surface.
Sometimes the glyphosate product will contain surfactant. |
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| We receive many
questions as to whether the phosphorus should be in the ortho or
poly form for best foliar utilization. This question is in relation
to the differences in the amount of ortho/poly P in our Diamond and
GoldStart products. Diamond is 100% ortho P. GoldStart is
predominately ortho, but includes a small amount of poly P. Both
forms have advantages for foliar application. Ortho P enters the
leaf tissue more rapidly, but poly P, while remaining on the leaf
surface longer, provides P feeding over an extended period of time.
This was shown in studies by Barel and Black many years ago. |
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Be assured that both
Diamond and GoldStart fertilizers can be used
for foliar
applications at similar rates of application. |
| Both the PureGrade
micronutrients and Diamond or GoldStart may be used alone or in
combination depending on the field and crop conditions. |
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| Foliar fertilization is
not a substitute for an agronomically sound soil fertility program,
but should be considered as part of the total fertility program. |
