Starter Fertilizer

Starter Fertilizer - April 11, 2024 - Amy Timmerman, Extension Educator

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• [0:00] Amy Timmerman with this weeks Extension update.
• [0:03] As planting season begins, farmers often question
• [0:06] if starter fertilizer is providing yield and economic benefits.
• [0:09] Starter fertilizer is defined as fertilizer applied with the specific
• [0:13] purpose of helping the plants acquire more nutrients earlier in the season.
• [0:17] This is in addition to the fertilizer used in the nutrient management
• [0:21] program that is based on deficiency correction/sufficiency approaches.
• [0:25] There are two main reasons to use a starter.
• [0:28] 1. The best reason is when soil tests indicate the field is deficient in one or
• [0:32] more nutrients, and these nutrients are relatively easy to apply with the planter.
• [0:37] 2. The field to be planted is covered with more than 70% residue and
• [0:42] you expect the soil to be cool and wet.
• [0:45] Additionally, back when most growers cultivated,
• [0:49] starter made the young corn plants taller and greener quicker,
• [0:52] which allowed cultivation to occur earlier in the season,
• [0:55] and resulted in better weed control.
• [0:58] Also, phosphorus applied with the planter helps the plants
• [1:00] mature earlier which can also result in drier corn.
• [1:04] If starter is going to be placed near the seed,
• [1:07] be sure the dose will not hurt germination and stand establishment.
• [1:11] If the soil test levels for the starter nutrients are greater
• [1:14] than the critical value for these nutrients, starter will
• [1:16] probably not help yields, especially on fine-textured soils.
• [1:21] Spending time loading the starter material and making sure all the
• [1:24] equipment is working may take valuable time during planting.
• [1:29] From 1995 to 2019, farmers working with
• [1:32] the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network conducted
• [1:35] 35 studies looking at starter fertilizer on corn.
• [1:39] Some were in the same field for a number of years, others moved around.
• [1:43] Various starter materials were evaluated, and not all studies reported soil test P levels.
• [1:50] Eighteen of the studies compared a 10-34-0 starter
• [1:55] fertilizer in the range of 4-6 gal/ac to a no starter check.
• [2:00] Soil P levels were between 4 and 35 ppm;
• [2:05] not all studies reported the specific P extractants used.
• [2:09] Here we report crop yield response across range of soil P levels:
• [2:13] For soils with P soil tests at or below 10 ppm there was an
• [2:18] average yield increase of 14.3 bu/ac due to the starter for four locations.
• [2:26] For soils with P soil tests of 10-20 ppm
• [2:30] there was an average increase of 2.6 bu/ac for five locations.
• [2:36] For soils with P soil tests of 20-35 ppm, there was
• [2:41] an average increase of 0.3 bu/ac for nine locations.
• [2:46] When all the data were combined, regardless
• [2:49] of soil test values, there was an average increase of 4 bu/ac.
• [2:54] This analysis disregards statistical analysis.
• [2:57] Of the 18 studies, only five had statistically significant differences.
• [3:02] Of these five, the average yield increase was 12 bu/acre
• [3:06] and the average soil test P level was 9 ppm.
• [3:11] Curious if starter fertilizer is paying for itself on your farm?
• [3:15] Consider conducting an on-farm research trial.
• [3:18] The Nebraska On-Farm Research Network provides
• [3:20] a simple protocol to allow you to evaluate the yield and economics
• [3:23] of adding starter fertilizer to corn or soybeans.
• [3:27] To get started, reach out to your local extension office and
• [3:31] they will get you connect to a member of the Nebraska On-Farm Research team
• [3:37] This has been Amy Timmerman with Nebraska Extension.