Maximize your Corn Yield Potential with N-Sure®
Nitrogen Use Efficiency
Nitrogen (N) is one of the most essential and most challenging nutrients to manage in crop production. Research throughout the past 40+ years has heavily focused on optimizing and refining our nitrogen management programs in crop production utilizing new application and product technologies.
Current world estimates still show that our nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in cereal crops is only 41% in the United States and 35% for the world (Figure 1). Although we have made great strides over the past 20 years, there is still much room for improvement.
By following the 4Rs of nutrient management, advancing technologies, and incorporating new management practices, we can improve nitrogen use efficiency and work towards a more sustainable system.
Nitrogen Management in Corn Production
The nitrogen demand of a corn crop is present all season long with still a significant amount taken up post tassel (Figure 2). Current nitrogen practices often utilize split applications to adequately provide for the crop and minimize against losses.
These practices incorporate different nitrogen sources into the management plan and can include slow-release or protected nitrogen forms. Including slow-release nitrogen forms such as Triazone, can lengthen the crop’s feeding window and protect against nitrogen losses which has both economic and environmental benefits.
Late season nitrogen applications can be beneficial in meeting the crop’s demand when utilizing efficient nitrogen sources.
N-Sure: A Slow-Release Liquid Nitrogen Fertilizer
Our product N-Sure is a 28% N liquid fertilizer that has 72% of its total nitrogen (N) as slow-release nitrogen (SRN).
N-Sure is comprised of Triazone nitrogen, a slow-release form of nitrogen, and a small percentage of urea nitrogen. N-Sure’s Triazone chemistry allows it to be a safe foliar product and is more stable when stored for longer time periods compared to long chain methyl urea fertilizers. Triazone’s structure is also what contributes to the slow release of plant available nitrogen creating an 8-10 week release pattern in the soil.
When compared to other nitrogen forms, Triazone nitrogen results in greater foliar absorption and is more effectively translocated through the leaf tissues once absorbed.
Foliar Applications of N-Sure
Foliar applications of N-Sure have been documented to improve corn yields and increase the effectiveness of foliar applied fungicides. This is largely due to N-Sure’s properties which allow it to stay wet on the leaf surface longer allowing for greater nitrogen absorption and improving fungicide activity.
Adding a foliar nitrogen source with your routine fungicide application is a great way to make the most out of your pass across the field. During the grain filling growth stages of corn, nitrogen is in high demand and the crop is often running on lower soil nitrogen reserves.
Utilizing a foliar nitrogen source during this time can help boost your crop to the finish line. N-Sure is a great foliar nitrogen source to add to a fungicide application on corn at a rate of 2-8 quarts per acre. Research conducted at Southern Illinois University evaluated the effect of pyraclostrobin fungicide and 1.5 GPA of N-Sure foliar applied at the tassel growth stage on grain yield and gray leaf spot severity.
Results indicated that a foliar application of the combined products, pyraclostrobin and N-Sure, was most effective in reducing gray leaf spot severity and increasing grain yield. Adding N-Sure with a fungicide improved yield by 10 bushels per acre compared to applying a fungicide alone (Figure 3).
Written by Elizabeth Lemings, Ph.D, Crop Vitality, Tessenderlo Kerley Agronomist
Figure 3
Grain yield results of foliar applications of N-Sure and pyraclostrobin fungicide applied at tasseling.
References
Abendroth, L.J., R.W. Elmore, M.J. Boyer, and S.K. Marlay. 2011. Corn growth and development. PMR 1009. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Ames, Iowa.
Omara, P., Aula, L., Oyebiyi, F., & Raun, W. R. (2019). World cereal nitrogen use efficiency trends: review and current knowledge. Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment, 2(1), 1-8.