Boost yields with late application foliar fertiliser
Ed Cooper
Crop Health Consultant, North
How to boost yields with foliar fertiliser
With this growing season coming to an end and the need to maximize your grain yield after a tough 2024 growing season, and improved forward prices for cereals and excellent milling premiums out there, now is the time to reap the benefits of foliar fertilisers for the fast efficacy and efficiency to boost yields and proteins. A correctly formulated foliar fertiliser with low POD (i.e. that does not dry out on the surface of the crop) will be taken up by the plant within a few hours and therefore starts to work almost immediately. If a crop is low on nutrients - building blocks for yield - near the grain-filling stage at the end of the growth period, this can cost you a lot of yield. So being able to help the crop reach its maximum potential in this way can sometimes boost yields tremendously.
Thus, we typically see great benefit of applying foliar nutrients, an example being….
Launching Soon - AIVA PRO-K (NK+Mg+Ca+B+Mn) from flowering (GS61).
A complex formulated and backed by FLEX Fertiliser Systems technology and manufactured and distributed by AIVA Fertiliser in the UK. This way you are applying a good balance of all the most essential nutrients in a biologically
favorable ratio to aid the crop filling the grains to their max. The benefit of nitrogen and magnesium for maintaining chlorophyll levels (GAI). The N being in Amide form so little to no scorch risk. Potassium for osmotic pressure cascade regulation, moving nutrients around the plant and aid against disease. Calcium and boron for synergy with other for nutrient uptake and improves fertilizer of flowers and fertile tillers. Manganese for photosynthetic efficiency and enzyme synthesis, aiding biotic stress resistance and abiotic stress tolerance. All in all, resulting in increased grain yield.
For cereals, typically we are talking about a 10-25 kg N/ha (50-115L/ha) applied 1-2 weeks after flowering. During the milk/seed/grain development (GS71-77).
Where a late granulate fertiliser application will typically have a very low nutrient-use-effect, a late AIVA Fertiliser Foliar application typically has a very high nutrient-use-effect, making it an obvious choice for such tasks.
Trials in barley and wheat have shown 0,6-2 ton yield boost.
In a variety-test-trial in winter barley a 0.6ton increase with a 19 kg late application 10 days after flowering, and a massive 2ton yield increase in a similar winter wheat trial with a 23 kg N application also 10 days after flowering.
2ton/ha yield increase at today’s Nov’24 wheat values represent a 3:1 ROI from AIVA PRO K or 0.7t/ha increase to cover cost of application alone.
By doing such a late application, the effect will typically be a few days later maturation of the crop - thus keeping it growing for a few but valuable days longer; during maximum day length and thermal time form sowing, giving it more time to accumulate starch and protein. The heavier seed also makes cleaning results better, with less seed being discarded.
Is my crop running low on nutrients?
The catch is that as with any other fertiliser application, they only show a positive effect if the applied nutrients are actually holding back the crop - so one must evaluate beforehand if the crop is likely to end up in this situation.
Typical scenarios for this are:
- low fertiliser application to begin with, and a harvest that ear-wise potentially is high.
- a lot of rain after early nitrate-fertilization, meaning a bigger risk of nitrogen loss (remembering soil N is typically only 50% efficient).
- a dry period around grain-filling, making it hard for the crop to take up nutrients from the soil due to dry soil conditions.
low nutrient content in e.g. leaf analysis and/or sap analysis.
If you have any of these indicators, chances are that a late AIVA Fertiliser Foliar application will be able to boost your yields. To gain insight into the effect of such an application, we recommend leaving a area of untreated crop, to compare with, so that you can measure yields here and in the treated parts of the fields. It is even better to repeat this untreated area in several fields, to see differences from crop/field to field, to learn how they react and gain this insight for the following years.
Most often: stable protein, more tonnage
In most cereal crops, the experience is that we typically see a tonnage-increase after such a late application, keeping protein levels stable or only slightly elevated; beneficial for achieving milling premiums. But result may vary depending on variety and fertiliser application
Added carbon and aminos to build protein
To boost true protein, include 3-5L/ha of AIVA Citadel, natural multi-use, carbon fertiliser, to supply the plant with carbohydrates, aminos acids (esp. glutamic acid) trace nutrients and humic extracts that neutralize reactive oxygen species from high UV - like copper and zinc.
In case of high sun, include micros
In case of high sun at the application time, it can be beneficial to include 1-2 L/ha of AIVA Pulsar or Multiextra, to supply the plant with some needed nutrients that neutralize reactive oxygen species from high UV - like copper and zinc.
Remember Adjuvant!
And always remember to include an adjuvant, to enhance the sticking-effect of the fertiliser for even better uptake. The most cost-effective type is SPRAYFIX - requiring only 100 mL per 100L/ha sprayer mix, with 5 features (Retainer, Fixative, Wetting Agent, Anit-Drift and Penetration Capacity) making it typically 10 x more effective than common adjuvants, and thus the cheapest choice per hectare @ £1.52/ha.
