IARN — Many growers in Iowa are already thinking about fall field work. Ames-based Calcium Products is promoting the benefits of maintaining soil pH at a consistent level to maximize yield potential every year.
Growers are encouraged to consider a soil pH maintenance program. The intent of such a program is to create a pH stable environment. Andrew Hoiberg, vice president of research and development at Calcium Products, says a good portion of nutrient uptake occurs in the top three to four inches of the soil. As those nutrients transform, acidification happens.
“Every year that we put out nitrogen on our fields, most commonly associated with corn crops, we’re going to create some sort of acidification from that process,” said Hoiberg. “As that nitrogen converts from ammonium to nitrate, it leaves behind acidity. Our goal is to tackle or target that acidity every single season rather than waiting for it to build up into a bigger problem down the road. That’s what we’re looking to target and offset that acidification that’s happened all the way throughout this growing season here starting in the fall.”
Hoiberg says the goal is to create a proactively managed nutrient uptake zone by using more frequent, lower rate applications of their product 98G. This allows producers to concentrate applications to consistently maximize yield.
“Typically, the optimum usage for 98G in a maintenance type scenario is going to be anywhere between 200-300 pounds per acre and it sort of depends on how heavily you use the nitrogen,” said Hoiberg. “If you are little bit on the more conservative side, you can probably get away with 200, but on the heavier side you probably want to go with more of a 300-pound application. What we’ve seen on average for our trials is over an 11 bushel per acre increase using those types of application rates in the following season.”
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
Image source: Calcium Products
