Corn School: How to play safe in strip till with fertilizer rates and placement скачать в хорошем качестве

Corn School: How to play safe in strip till with fertilizer rates and placement

Strip till continues to gain traction among corn growers, but one question keeps coming up: how much fertilizer can you safely apply within the strip without risking crop injury? On this RealAgriculture Corn School episode, University of Guelph graduate student Jonathan Sawicki joins host Bernard Tobin to share a preliminary look at what his research is revealing about safe fertilizer rates and placement strategies in strip till systems. He'll present full recommendations later this year. Current guidance for strip till fertilizer rates is sparse, leaving many farmers to experiment on their own. As Sawicki explains, too much fertilizer—particularly nitrogen and potassium—can lead to ammonia toxicity and salt injury, conditions that can stunt or kill seedlings. With this in mind, he and his team of research advisors set out to develop baseline guidelines farmers can trust as they adopt or refine strip till fertility programs. The multi-year trial, conducted in-field from 2022 to 2025 at several Ontario locations with varying soil types, evaluated four common strip-till fertilizer placements. These included a shallow shank releasing fertilizer 4–6 inches deep, a deep shank placing nutrients 6–8 inches below the surface, a double band applicator placing fertilizer on either side of the strip, and a mixing coulter that distributes fertilizer throughout the strip. Across these placements, Sawicki tested multiple fertilizers and blends—including N, PK, NPK, and fall-applied K—at six nutrient rates for each fertilizer. Early trends from the research indicate that placement matters. Shallow shank and mixing coulter units showed yield declines and reduced plant emergence when urea-based N rates exceeded about 100 pounds per acre. In contrast, double band and deep shank placements maintained consistent yields across higher rates, suggesting they may pose less risk of fertilizer injury. For PK blends and fall-applied K, yields generally rose with increasing rates before plateauing, with little evidence of injury within the tested range. Sawicki also shared soil profile work showing fertilizer “hot spots” under different placements, reinforcing why deeper placement can be safer. In his preliminary assessment of the research, Sawicki says the data indicate that placing fertilizer at the 6–8 inch depth with a deep shank would be the safest strategy. Website: https://www.realagriculture.com/ #agriculture #farming #corn Find us on our other social media platforms: X/Twitter:   / realagriculture   Instagram:   / realagriculture   Facebook:   / realagmedia