A lot of time and effort can go into the nitrogen application decision - it also happens to be one of the largest outlays of cash for a farming operation. Once you’ve determined how the climatic, environmental, and logistical constraints on your farm affect your N use, chosen your N form, and determined your Economic Optimum N Rate, you have assembled most of the pieces of your N strategy puzzle. You may also want to consider the nitrogen efficiency of the specific seeds you plant, which range significantly from variety to variety. Many recent advances in hybrid technology have enhanced nitrogen use efficiency. A big reason that you may be paying an arm and a leg for your cutting-edge seeds is that they should be able to reach peak yield with less N every season.Choosing an exact rate within the range that you determined from the Economic Optimum Method should be based on your experience, the recommendation of your independent crop consultant, and any information you can collect on the yields achieved by other farmers. With nitrogen analytics in FBN℠ Seed Finder, you can see yield results on thousands of varieties from millions of real world acres.
This DEKALB® variety is a good example of N efficiency in seed. FBN members in South Dakota, have anonymously contributed 77,427 acres of yield and nitrogen application data. The chart above shows that as a group, they achieved their highest yields from applying between 145.8 and 161.6 lbs of N per acre for DKC 48-12.
Or consider this AGRIPRO® wheat variety. FBN members, reporting on more than 30,000 acres across several states have achieved their highest yields applying between 126.4 and 150.2 lbs of N per acre for SY SOREN. This is national information, and a good place to start when considering your N rate. From here, you can drill down on your specific soil type, conditions, and rotations right in your FBN account. What you learn can be taken into account when considering your EONR. If, for example, your calculated EONR is 170-190 lbs/A and you’ve planted SY SOREN, you may feel more confident applying at the low end of your EONR range, saving money on N that may have otherwise been wasted without risking your yield potential.
Combining Nitrogen and Seed analysis enables a never-before available analysis of hybrid-nutrient response. Using FBN Seed Finder, you can specify your region, soil texture, crop rotation, drainage, irrigation and other factors to personalize the N analytics you see and determine optimal fertility practices on each field. Combined with FBN Analytics on seed and input prices, N analytics help you get to a true “price-to-performance” assessment of your input plans.
AgriPro is a registered trademark of the Syngenta Group Company. Westbred is a registered trademark of the Monsanto Company. Husker Genetics is a trademark of the Instituste of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dekalb is a registered trademark of the Monsanto Company. Pioneer is a registered trademark of DuPont, Pioneer.