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Mark Goodson
Penn State Crops Agent
York County
Precision agriculture in crop
jduction means adhering to
ict standards when applying
ip inputs. Fanners should al-
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eye on soil fertility and soil test
recommendations for optimum
yield.
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management when applying fer
tilizer nutrients. This article will
point out a few tips to keep in
mind while managing specific
crops for optimum yields. These
recommendations are taken from
the latest Penn State Agronomy
Guide available online and from
your county Cooperative Exten
sion office.
Soil testing is the best method
of determining soil fertility status
and is the basis for developing a
sound soil fertility program. Soil
kits can be purchased from coun
ty Penn State Cooperative Exten
sion offices and also from your
full service fertilizer dealer. Care
fully follow instructions for col
lecting and handling the sample.
The soil test report you receive
from the testing lab will include
specific recommendations
for adding fertilizer to opti
mize crop yields. Pay close
attention to the recommen
dations and don’t over apply.
Often the most accurate
and economical way to apply
plant nutrients is commercial
fertilizers. This is because
commercial fertilizers can be
blended or used as compo
nents to provide the precise
rate of nutrient required to
optimize crop yields without
over applying nutrients.
They are also easy to handle
and can be applied in-season
as topdress or sidedress ap
plications.
Soybeans that are properly
inoculated with nitrogen-fix
ing bacteria rarely respond
to nitrogen fertilization. If
the previous year’s crop was
not soybeans, inoculate with
fresh, viable nitrogen-fixing
bacteria immediately before
planting. Recent research re
sults indicate a 70 percent
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 15,2003-A27
chance for a two bushel per acre
increase when inoculating seed
planted into fields growing soy
beans every other year. With that
said, it is important that P and K
be available in sufficient amounts
to optimize soybean yields. In a
rotation, soybeans can make use
of fertilizer applied to the previ
ous crop. When double cropping,
add the P and K to the barley.
Maintain soil pH between 6.0 and
6.5. If pH is below 6.0 and is not
to be corrected with lime, apply
molybdenum as a seed treatment
at planting. This helps to ensure
proper N fixation.
Com responds well to properly
timed applications of fertilizer.
The term “starter fertilizer” re
fers to a practice, not a material.
Starter fertilizer is placed strate
gically near seed so that it is
readily available. This practice
improves early seedling growth
during cool growing conditions
and can help produce earlier-ma
turing and higher-yielding crops.
A good starter contains a high
percentage of P; for example, N-
P-K ratios of 1-2-1, 1-3-1, 1-4-2,
or 1-5-0 are common.
MAP is preferred over DAP as
a starter fertilizer ingredient.
Both liquid and dry fertilizer ma
terials perform well. Com P re
quirements can be met by band
ing phosphate fertilizers in the
starter. Do not allow the N plus
K in the starter to exceed 60 to 70
total pounds per acre. Your Cer
tified Crop Advisor or local fertil
izer dealer can help you make the
right recommendation for your
soil nutrient status based on your
soil test results.
Com is a heavy N feeder. For a
125-bushel per acre yield goal,
130 pounds of N is recommend
ed. A 21-ton per acre silage yield
requires 150 pounds of N. For
corn follow-
ing a legume
in a rotation,
reduce the N
recommenda
tion accord
ing to the
Agronomy
Guide to
credit residu
al N. For
more efficient
N utilization,
SFFA-75
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Shirk Receives Degree
Jason Shirk of Lebanon has received his American
Fanner Degree from the FFA at its annual convention
recently in Louisville, Ky.
The American Farmer Degree is the highest level of
membership awarded by the FFA. Earning this award
requires a great deal of effort and determination for the
recipient.
Shirk is a member of the Cedar Crest FFA Chapter
and is employed by Wengers of Myerstown as a member
of the farm tractor parts sales team.
apply 50-90 percent of the N
when com is 10-20 inches tall.
This can be done by side-dressing
with commercial fertilizer.
Cool season grasses also re
quire a lot of N. A four-ton per
acre yield of orchardgrass,
bromegrass, timothy, or reed ca
narygrass requires 160 pounds of
N. It’s important that this N is
applied in split applications, as
the grass needs it. Three applica
tions before each cutting; spring,
early summer (with P and K) and
early fall. Commercial N is par
ticularly well suited to spoon
feeding grass hay crops because it
is easy to calibrate and does not
put on excessive P or K that
could be of concern to livestock
producers and the environment.
Base the amount applied at each
application time on the expected
yield for the next cutting.
Alfalfa production also re
quires spoon-feeding throughout
the growing season. As a heavy
feeder of K, it’s important that
farmers carefully and fully fertil
ize for that nutrient. Alfalfa
yields of five tons per acre require
250 pounds of fertilizer K. High
levels of P and K must be main
tained in the soil for high crop
yields. High alfalfa yields can de
plete plant nutrients in the soil
rapidly. For top production, an
nual soil testing is recommended.
When the soil test indicates the
need for fertilizer, topdress after
first and/or last cutting. Split ap
plications, half in the fall and
half after first cutting, may result
in more efficient use of fertilizer,
especially K. Recent research
suggests that, based on nutrient
removal, a 0-1-4 ratio of N-P-K is
best when high yields are antici
pated.
Fine-tuning your soil fertility
program requires timely and pre
cise applications of commercial
fertilizer and manure, if avail
able. It’s important to sharpen
your pencil and do your manage
ment homework with a recent
soil test, the Agronomy Guide
and a competent crop advisor to
obtain optimum yields.
In this article, P is used to
refer to fertilizer P2OS and K
is used to refer to fertilizer
K2O.