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SE Nebraska | Millhouse,
I believe your thinking is in the right direction. Fall applied NH3 has been working wonderfully over the last few years, but this year was just to wet. I've seen one instance in particular of two fields, right beside each other, same hybrid, very similar soil type, same producer, etc. Only difference, one field was fall applied NH3, the other spring applied NH3. Spring applied yielded 20 bushel more this year, while the fall applied flat out run out of N.
I personally don't see how you could pass up on fall application with NH3 this year, regardless of possibly seeing a little more response with liquid. With a 20 cent per pound of N spread, I believe you got to have a large percentage of your total Nitrogen being fall applied, done correctly to minimize loss. I have many guys I've talked to that are going to put on a base rate of NH3 (140-160 lb), then after proper soil and tissue sampling decide how much liquid to put on next year, and plan on somewhere between 20-50 lb N via liquid with chemigation or sidedress. We'll see though if weather allows much fall application this year.
With proper N managment, I'm a firm believer that a lb of N is a lb of N. The plant really doesn't care where it comes from. I do agree with much of the feed the soil mentality, but if cash rent is as vicious in South-central NE as it is in SE NE, you really can't afford to feed the soil; you have to feed the plant. | |
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Agronomists, is nitrogen all the same?
