When building an effective foliar program, there are different objectives you are trying to achieve throughout the season: 1) encourage plant health, 2) defeat nutrient deficiencies, and 3) feed the plant to harvest. Encouraging plant health focuses on providing nutrients during early vegetative growth and building the factory that will produce the grain during critical growth stages. Defeating deficiencies target the mid-season growth spurt that occurs after V6 by delivering essential nutrients. Finally, feeding the plant focuses on overcoming late-season stress to avoid kernel abortion occurring through R4.
Plant Health
The corn plant goes through numerous stressful periods during the first six weeks after emergence. Once a corn plant emerges from the soil, it will grow one leaf stage per week. Sometimes the internodes will expand faster or slower than normal, depending on the growing conditions, so never gauge how mature a corn plant is by the height. Instead, always count the collars or V stages of the corn, Figure 1. By V6 the corn plant will have determined the maximum rows of kernels that will be around the cob.
In order to reduce stress during this critical growth stage, The Andersons suggest applying a combination of macro and micronutrients with growth and plant enhancers. The Andersons Phosfix® has a 7-4-9 analysis with micronutrients and plant hormones. Phosfix contains cytokinins, gibberellic acid, and auxins. These plant hormones help with cell division, cell elongation, and cell differentiation, respectively. The micronutrient-based product contains phosphite to reduce stress, prevent disease, and increase crop yield. Apply Phosfix at a rate of 1pt/ac at the V4 to V6 growth stage to encourage plant health.
Figure 1: This picture shows the different collars or V stages of the corn.
Defeat Deficiencies
Growers cannot let up on the gas pedal during the mid-season for corn as this is when stress can reduce the length of the ear and hinder pollination. During the late ear/grain development stage, boron and molybdenum are in great demand. The Andersons offer two products with a healthy dose of boron, Over Pass® 22-0-2 and Eezy® Moly-B .
Over Pass 22-0-2 has 25% slow-release nitrogen which helps prevent tissue damage while applying nitrogen during grain development. In addition to boron, Eezy-Moly B contains molybdenum which is essential for nitrogen use efficiency within the plant. Over Pass 22-0-2 and Eezy Moly-B can both be applied via plane at VT, paired with a fungicide application.
Feed the Plant
Late-season application of a foliar fertilizer is when a grower can directly influence the size and weight of the harvestable seed. The best time for increasing soybean yields is the R3 stage when the newly developed seed pod is 1/4 inch long on the 4th node from the top.
The Andersons suggest applying Over Pass 10-2-10 at 1 gal/ac at the R3 stage of soybeans. The nitrogen in Over Pass 10-2-10 is 25% slow release which allows it to be applied on flowering plants without burning the tissue or hurting the blooms. The micronutrients boron and manganese are heavily used during the reproductive stage. Keep in mind glyphosate can inhibit the plant’s uptake of manganese during this critical time.
There are three decisive periods during a crop’s life where an application of a foliar fertilizer can make the difference between a marginal and an exceptional crop. Contact your local sales representative at The Andersons for more information about the right product at the right stage for your operation.
RESEARCH
A fall-applied fertilizer program, followed by the application of a high-quality, low-salt starter at planting, will reach 90% of the crop’s maximum potential. In order to reach 100% of the crop’s potential, a season-long approach to fertilization is essential.
In our 2022 research trials, an application of Over Pass 22-0-2, coupled with Fulvic LQ™, increased yield by an average of 7.66 bu/a with a foliar treatment at the VT corn growth stage.
At the Troy, Ohio test plot, Phosfix was applied at a rate of 1pt/acre at the V5 growth stage in corn. Included was also Sweet 'N Eezy™ at a rate of 2qt/a. This foliar application combination resulted in a yield increase of over 7% compared to the untreated check.
To view additional research results featuring The Andersons’ products, download the 2022 Research Trials guide. For additional information on foliar fertilizer products from The Andersons, check out these resources:
- White Paper: Top Considerations for Foliar Nutrition
- Blog: Foliar Fertilizer Do’s and Don’ts
- Blog: Avoid stress with foliar fertilizers from The Andersons
- The Andersons Approved Tank Mix Partners
Contact a trusted Ag Advisor at The Andersons for pricing or questions.
© 2020 The Andersons logo is a registered trademark of The Andersons, Inc. Phosfix and Over Pass are registered trademarks of The Andersons, Inc. Eezy is a trademark of The Andersons, Inc.
