DlS—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 2,1983 NEWARK, DEL. There are many differences among fer tilizers and good reasons why one may be a better choice than another for planter use in a given situation. Take nitrogen sources for example. Some folks still think these are all the same. “A pound of nitrogen is a pound of nitrogen and only the price is important,” is a common assumption among farmers and industry representatives. But it’s no longer very apt. “In a less competitive world this might have been good enough,” says University of Delaware ex tension agronomist William H. Mitchell. “But today’s farmers are on a fast track and they can’t af ford a casual view of an input that’s as critical to the success of their operation as nitrogen.” Nitrogen sources are not all alike HAVIM Hei Be sui The new highi more lime eai soil that tests _L I. LI Blue Ball. Pa. (7: Gap, Pa. (717] I ** >v I v MARTIN’S REFRIGERATION SERVICE 1122 Woodstock Rd., Fayetteville, Pa. 17222 Phone (717) 352-2783 Sales & Service /£\ Look for the i!£j “REAL’ Seal on Milk Choose the planter fertilizer carefully in the way they perform, he says. Some cost less than others. Some are more stable. Some contain other valuable nutrients in ad dition to N. Some have a greater acidifying effect than others or are more likely to cause seedling or crop injury. Different materials vary in nitrogen content as well as form ammonia or nitrate. Also, some sources are wet while others are dry. In other words, each nitrogen source has special characteristics which must be considered when choosing a planter fertilizer. Ammonium nitrate, for instance, contains about 34 percent nitrogen half as ammonium and half as nitrate. This material is stable and effective whether placed in or on the soil. However, because of its unique properties and demand for use outside of agriculture, in the You »e known about me reputot on of Mueller Milk Coolers for years You know n s the Numocr One Cooler selected By da rymen around the world because of is automatic wash nq system <ts ellioen) temperature control and agitai on system *ts cooling elf crency reliability and durability Tht Mueller FRE HEATER u>*l the energy wetted by you« refrigeration unit Jne fm Hmh '<s a treat recovery nlwh i n { artu'es i large port on ol the normally wasted heat energy from «ct> geration and » r conditionrng systems ana uses this captures heat energy to heat water to apuronmateiy MO F with no artflil onai energy requ rements USED TANKS AVAILABLE L-*w| future it’s likely to become in creasingly expensive compared to other dry nitrogen sources. Urea is another option. Con taining 45 percent nitrogen (all as ammonium), this is the most concentrated dry nitrogen source. But on breakdown some free ammonia will be released which can be lost in the atmosphere if this material is not soil incorporated. It is highly soluble and moves readily into the soil under rainfall or irrigation. % UAN is a liquid blend of urea and ammonium nitrate. It contains 30 percent nitrogen and Is a useful carrier for herbicides or micronutrients. It can be broad cast, dribbled, banded or applied with irrigation water. It is often mixed with other liquid nitrogen sources to achieve desired nutrient ratios. Since UAN contains urea, POURED SOLID CONCRETE <n Increase Your Volume By In-Ground Storage 410 Main St. • Akron, PA 17501 • (717) 859-2074 or 733-9196 it, too, produces free ammonia on breakdown. Some of this may be lost unless soil incorporated. Mitchell does not recommend using this material for no-tillage systems. All ammonium sources of nitrogen are acid-forming, but ammonium sulfate is the most acid of all. On the other hand, it con tains 20 percent nitrogen and is an excellent source of sulfur, so it is useful for band application to solve specific problems. MAP, DAP and 10-34-0 all con tain ammonium phosphate, which makes them excellent planter fertilizers. On breakdown, DAP releases ammonia and can be toxic if placed too close to ger minating seeds. For this reason, the agronomist recommends placing it 2 inches from the seed row. Of the three, 10-34-0 is the only liquid. It can be placed closer to the row than most other nitrogen sources and is an excellent carrier for micronutrients. It can also be mixed with UAN and potash to make a range of complete liquid fertilizers. One consideration in choosing a planter fertilizer is whether to go with a liquid or dry form. Being a liquid doesn’t make a fertilizer STORAGE SYSTEMS Any Size CONCRETE WORK, !NC. more available to plants. More important considerations are its local availability, convenience of handling and uniformity. A farmer who is renovating a planter and equipping it with fertilizer at* tarhmenta will also want to know the relative cost of going wet or dry. Mitchell suggests growers also consider ease and speed of loading the planter with fertilizer. Liquids generally do better on this point; however, improvements have been made in dry handling equipment, and with highly concentrated materials on the market, ap plication rates are often low. This tends to minimize the handling advantage of liquids. As carriers for micronutrients, liquids have a definite advantage. Very small amounts of boron, zinc and manganese are often needed in planter fertilizers. These can be mixed and applied more evenly in liquid form. But again, the dif ference is relative. With care, an adequate job can also be done with dry products During bulk blending, dry components in a fertilizer mix often become segregated. 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