Why Type of Fertilizer is Best for Corn Farming?

Why Type of Fertilizer is Best for Corn Farming?

Corn is a versatile plant that feeds the world, supplying the food that consumers across the globe know and need.

However, people aren’t the only ones who need nourishment to be healthy. Corn needs it too.

Just like a lawn in a front yard, corn needs essential nutrients and minerals to grow — nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium chief among them. While some of the elements a corn plant needs to grow may already be found in the soil, additional fertilizer is sometimes necessary to help the plants grow faster or make up for nutritional deficiencies in the ground.

Homeowners have plenty of products to choose from to make their lawn grow lush and thick, and farmers also can choose from numerous types of fertilizers to increase growth rates and bump up yields in their fields of corn. Two of the main kinds of products available are granular fertilizers and liquid fertilizers.

Is granular or liquid fertilizer better for corn? In short, the science says neither one is chemically superior. However, while each type of fertilizer is available in products that provide the necessary elements corn needs, the advantages and disadvantages of granular fertilizer versus liquid fertilizer exist in how they deliver nutrients to corn, according to an analysis by Michigan State University.

What Is Liquid Fertilizer for Corn?

Liquid fertilizer, as its name gives away, is product that comes in liquid form. It is often applied by spraying over the ground or, depending on the substance being used, may be injected directly into the ground using special equipment attached to a plow towed behind a tractor. Some liquid fertilizers, called foliar fertilizers, also can be sprayed directly onto the leaves of the corn plants, which is designed to provide a quick uptake of nutrients by the plants.

The goal for farmers is not only to use the right product for the plants, but also use as little as possible in order to promote sustainability and protect the environment.

Advantages of Liquid Fertilizer

1. Precision. Modern farming techniques enable liquid fertilizer to be precisely applied — in some cases injected, or “knifed,” directly into the ground right where plants will use it.

2. Availability. Nutrients from liquid fertilizers penetrate directly into the ground or onto the leaves of the plant, where it can readily be absorbed by the plant.

What Is Granular Fertilizer for Corn?

Granular fertilizer, also sometimes referred to as “dry fertilizer,” is product that is in solid form – typically broken down into very small grains or granules. It is applied by scattering it over the ground.

Advantages of Granular Fertilizer

1. Slower Release Option. Granular fertilizer allows for a slower release of nutrients over a longer period of time than their liquid counterparts.

2. Price. In some areas, granular fertilizer may be less expensive to buy than liquid fertilizer.

3. Storage. Granular fertilizer can be easier to store than its liquid counterpart.

Which Is Better: Granular Fertilizer or Liquid Fertilizer?

The bottom line is that both types of fertilizer can provide the nutrients that corn needs to grow. The question of whether granular fertilizer or liquid fertilizer works best for growing corn depends on a variety of factors such as the growth stage of the plants and what equipment an individual producer already has at hand.

Because of the different strengths of liquid and granular fertilizers, some farmers may choose to use one or both – but apply each one at a different time of the year. For example, a producer may apply a type of liquid fertilizer on the corn at planting or during the growing season to provide necessary nutrition to the growing plants, and then after harvest apply a different kind of granular fertilizer to the field to replenish nutrients in the soil and improve soil health.

Fertilizing corn in Minnesota

The pre-plant soil nitrate test (PPNT) can be a useful tool for assessing situations where residual soil nitrate can be credited to the corn crop. The PPNT should not be used when commercial fertilizer or manure was applied in the previous fall or in the spring prior to the sample being taken.

Western Minnesota

Fig. 1. The fall pre-plant nitrate test is appropriate for the maroon-shaded counties.

The use of the fall or spring PPNT is a key management tool for corn producers in western Minnesota. The suggestion that residual N in the fall can impact the need for nitrogen is contingent on the fact that the evapotranspiration of water historically has exceeded precipitation in this area of the state.

Use of the fall PPNT is appropriate in the maroon counties shown in Figure 1. The PPNT is particularly useful for conditions where elevated residual nitrate-N is suspected. Figure 2 is a decision tree that indicates situations where the nitrate-N soil test would be especially useful.

For the PPNT, soil should be collected from a depth of 6 to 24 inches in addition to the 0 to 6-inch sample that is used to test for pH, phosphorus and potassium.

Corn growers in western Minnesota also have the option of collecting soil from 0 to 24 inches and analyzing the sample for nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N). This 0 to 24-inch sample should not be analyzed for pH, phosphorus and potassium because the results cannot be used to predict lime needs or rates of phosphate and potash fertilizer needed.

When using the spring or fall PPNT, the amount of fertilizer N required is determined from the following equation:

NG = (Table 1 value for corn/corn) - (0.60 x STN(0-24in.))

NG = Amount of fertilizer N needed (lbs N/acre)

Table 1 value = the amount of fertilizer needed to be adjusted for soil potential, value ratio and risk

STN(0-24 inch) = Amount of nitrate-N measured by using the fall PPNT (lbs N/acre)

Figure 2: Flow chart decision-aid for determining probability of having significant residual nitrate-nitrogen in the soil following specific crop and situations where manure has been applied in a field within two to three cropping years prior to soil sample collection.

South-central, southeastern, east-central Minnesota

Research has led to the inclusion of a spring PPNT to adjust fertilizer N guidelines in south-central, southeastern and east-central Minnesota (gray counties in Figure 1). Soil nitrate-N, measured in the spring before planting from a two-foot sampling depth, is an option that can be used to estimate residual N.

In implementing this test, the user should first evaluate whether conditions exist for residual N to accumulate. Factors such as previous crop, soil texture, manure history and preceding rainfall can have a significant effect on the accumulation of residual N.

A crop rotation that has corn following corn generally provides the greatest potential for significant residual N accumulation. In contrast, when soybean is the previous crop, much less residual N has been measured. The PPNT should not be used following alfalfa.

The spring PPNT works best on medium and fine-textured soils derived from loess or glacial till. The use of the soil N test on coarse-textured soils derived from glacial outwash is generally not worthwhile because these soils consistently have low amounts of residual nitrate-nitrogen.

The amount of residual nitrate-nitrogen in the soil is also dependent on the rainfall received the previous year. In a year following a widespread drought (2012 for example) a majority of fields will have significant residual nitrate. However, following relatively wet years, little residual nitrate can be expected.

Nitrogen fertilizer guidelines for corn can be made with or without the soil N test. The University of Minnesota’s N guidelines (Table 1) are still the starting point. A five-step process is suggested when the soil nitrate-nitrogen test is considered.

Determine N rate guideline using Table 1 using soil productivity, price/value ratio, and previous crop for the specific field. The prescribed (rate assumes that best management practices (BMPs) will be followed for the specific conditions).

Determine whether conditions are such that residual nitrate-nitrogen may be appreciable. Figure 2, which includes factors such as previous crop, manure history and previous fall rainfall can provide insight as to the applicability of testing for nitrate-nitrogen. If conditions are such that the probability of residual nitrate is small and soil testing for nitrate is not recommended, use the N guideline derived in Step 1.

If conditions suggest that a soil nitrate test is warranted, collect a pre-plant, 0-2 ft. soil sample taking enough soil cores from a field so that the sample is representative of the entire field. The sample should be sent to a laboratory and analyzed for nitrate-nitrogen.

Determine residual N credit based on the measured soil nitrate-nitrogen concentrations. Use Table 8 to determine this credit.

Calculate the final N rate by subtracting the residual N credit (Step 4) from the previously determined N guideline (Step 1). The resulting fertilizer N rate can then be applied either pre-plant and/or as a side-dress application.

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