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Soil temperature is key to fertilizer application
Oct. 16, 2012
With the record early harvest this year, officials with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach said that waiting can help reduce nitrogen loss and better protects the environment.
“With farmers finishing harvest earlier than normal, it is important that they still wait for cooler soil temps to apply anhydrous so that there is a better chance the fertilizer stays put and will be available to the crop next spring,” said Bill Northey, Iowa secretary of agriculture. “Soil temperatures, like air temperatures, can change quickly so it is important that we wait with applications until soils are likely to remain below 50 degrees.”
“Historically, soil temperatures at a 4-inch depth cool below 50 degrees in the northern third of the state during the first week of November,” said Elwynn Taylor, ISU Extension and Outreach climatologist. “In central and southern Iowa, soil temperatures cool below 50 degrees during the second week and third weeks of November.”
Farmers also should be mindful when applying anhydrous ammonia to very dry soil. Dry soil can hold ammonia, but if it is cloddy and does not seal properly, the ammonia can be lost at injection or seep through the large pores between clods after application.
So farmers and applicators should assure proper depth of injection and good soil coverage when applying into dry soils. If, following a round of application in the field, the ammonia still can be smelled, the applicator should make adjustments or wait for better conditions.
Source: Tri-State Neighbor
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