IARN — Ames-based Calcium Products continues to help educate producers about the benefits of a soil pH maintenance program.
According to Andrew Hoiberg, vice president of research and development at Calcium Products, soil pH maintenance programs can be achieved by applying enough 98G to neutralize acidification resulting from nitrogen application.
“When we look at traditional liming practices, typically liming applications were kind of an afterthought and done sort of around the four or five-year soil cycling sample,” Hoiberg said. “We would maybe see the pH was low and we would go out with a couple tons or more to correct problems out in the field. We consider that more of a reactive type liming practice. When we think about it more proactively, that’s when we switch gears and talk about the maintenance rate schedule.”
In order to offset acidity from nitrogen fertilizer, Hoiberg recommends growers and agronomists consider applying about 1 pound of 98G per 1 unit of nitrogen. This commonly results in a 98G application rate of 200-300 pounds per acre every other year in a corn-soybean rotation.
“We know that every year we put any ammoniated source of nitrogen out into the field that ammonium as it converts to nitrate is going to create acidity in the field,” Hoiberg said. “We can get ahead of those reactive type application rates by doing what we call maintenance rates. That’s really targeted to offset that acidification that we’re putting into the field every time we use nitrogen fertilizer. A maintenance rate is going to be a lot lower, but it’s also going to be applied a lot more frequently – every year or every other year – depending if you are in a continuous corn or corn and soybean rotation. The idea of those is to offset that acidification so we can promote that maximized yield environment year after year.”
Application timing of 98G is flexible. It can be applied fall or spring ahead of either corn or soybeans and can be blended with other dry fertilizers. Learn more about the benefits of 98G maintenance rates by visiting calciumproducts.com.
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network
Photo courtesy of Calcium Products
