Author: John Grove
Planning Unit: Plant and Soil Sciences
Major Program: Grains
Outcome: Initial Outcome
Received a phone call from a field corn producer, Jerry Peery, in Hickman County. He and his grandson, Jonathan, have a corn crop that has not received rain in several weeks, but is at a growth stage where nitrogen (N) fertilizer must be applied soon. No rain is in the forecast. They apply the N to the soil surface, avoiding soil disturbance in their rolling topography, and are worried about volatilization losses when using the urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) liquid fertilizer they normally dribble-band between the corn rows. We discussed alternatives: 1) dry ammmonium nitrate broadcast applied over the crop; 2) dry urea impregnated with a volatilization inhibitor broadcast applied over the crop, or 3) dribble-banding UAN mixed with a volatilization inhibitor), considering the availability of each material/option, the cost of each material, and the equipment/time required for each application option. Jerry and Jonathan decided to go with the third option on as many acres as possible, and using option 2 for any remaining acres. They were able to dribble-band UAN with a volatilization inhibitor on all their corn prior to the crop becoming too late for optimal N fertilizer timing.
In 2022 I gave a presentation where I showed that sensor Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDV... Read More
In early July 2023 Chelsea Sapp asked me to visit several corn fields in southern Marion County. I m... Read More
Kentucky hay contests encompass 584 samples in 2023Specialists Involved: Jimmy Henning, Chris Teutsc... Read More
Fescue eradication and improved management increases profits for Central Kentucky Thoroughbred FarmS... Read More