Nitrogen boost for crops

However, some croppers were lucky to spread their fertiliser in time to be under small falls, while others resorted to liquid applications as a safeguard.

Graingrowers have been studying weather maps closely for wanted precipitation as rain is needed for crop longevity more so than as an assistant for nitrogen boosts.

If there had been rain in July, there would have been big licks of nitrogen go out according to Landmark Dubbo branch manager and agronomist, Jamie Taylor.

“Most post-emergence weed spraying was complete, so growers’ next practice would have been an application of nitrogen if reasonable rain was predicted,” he said.

But Mr Taylor suggested a good fall was now needed to keep crops growing.

“Falls of 50 millimetres and more now and some follow-up in September would be well received,” he said.

The amount of “up-front” nitrogen applied at sowing varied from locality to locality because of the late break in February/March.

“Before then we were bone dry,” he said.

“Many growers had an exceptional autumn but profiles were not filled to the top.

“They were fuller further south of Dubbo and in patches out here.

“But from Dubbo north there is still not a big moisture profile so growers didn’t put a lot of up-front nitrogen on at sowing which meant it needed addressing with good July rain.”

But that didn’t happen everywhere, so late winter or early spring rain has become essential for crops to continue to their potential.

Wellington district grower and agronomist Michael White said, like many farmers, he didn’t wait for rain and applied liquid nitrogen onto his canola growing at Arthurville west of Wellington, a fortnight ago.

“We applied Easy N liquid with a boom spray,” he said.

“The advantage is the nitrogen is virtually instantaneously absorbed through the foliage.

“But you must spray canola before stem elongation.”

He said for many growers it was too late because a lot of crops had already started flowering.

“I reckon we got ours in a day too late, but better one day than a week late and we are about to do some wheat too.”

Mr White said he sprayed nitrogen now because of so much early rain this year, which resulted in a lot of leaching of nutrients.

“Applying nitrogen now is an added expense, but we are in the game to make some money and in farming you’ve got to spend it first.

“Cereal crops have a bit longer window but you need to get the nitrogen into the plants before seed-set.”

Nitrogen applied, whether liquid or granular, up to seed-set stage will result in an increase in yield, he said.

“However, if you apply it after seed-set you get an increase in protein, but the premiums paid for protein do not compensate for the cost of the product and application,” he said.

Two of Mr Taylor’s graingrower clients who decided to put more “up-front” nitrogen on at sowing this season, due to fuller moisture profiles, were Tony Wright and family, “Bundy Downs”, Peak Hill, and Kevin Kilby and family, “Inglewood”, Gilgandra.

Both were also looking at the weather pattern in July before executing additional nitrogen plans.

Mr Kilby, a participant in the National Variety Trial program for the past 25 years, said crops in paddocks treated in July would really take off in his red soil country.

“You can’t see a lot of difference in the trials until the warm weather from August onwards,” he said.

In past years he had top-dressed at tillering, but thought he wasn’t getting everything out of that nitrogen boost last year.

Talking with their agronomist and others, Mr Kilby decided to increase the nitrogen input at sowing this season.

“People said to put more on up front, so we put in 40 units per hectare, eight of which was mono-ammonium phosophate (MAP) and the balance was granulated urea and the crop looks pretty good but needs rain now.”

“Inglewood” is made up of red clay loam, kurrajong-type, Mr Kilby said.

In his crops there was not much difference from nitrogen input up to about the end of July.

“From that period onwards, though, the crops that have plenty of nutrition just take off in this red country,” he said.

NITROGEN boosting was budgeted early for the Walker family’s crop of Gregory wheat when 100 kilograms a hectare of sulphate of ammonia was applied on March 23, a month before sowing.

But an additional 60kg/ha of granulated urea spread on July 12 was just a day before a 16 millimetre shower of rain.

Ann and Simon Walker hoped they’d get away with that on the 400ha mix of wheat, barley and oats growing this season at “Wilford”, Tullamore, but their agronomist, Chris Baker of Ag ‘n’ Vet Forbes, suggested they apply more as the crops had a good canopy and so good dews could get most of it into the soil.

“By the time the truck came a front popped up and we got a 16mm fall a day after spreading,” Mr Walker said.

The paddocks had two tonne/ha of lime spread on them last year prior to a Gregory crop and were kept clean of weeds with two summer fallow Roundup sprays in January and March, then a knockdown a day prior to sowing on April 26 at a rate of 40kg/ha of seed and 75kg/ha of mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP) on a full moisture profile and spacings of 30 centimetres.

“There’s been no in-crop sprays but we have received 109mm of in-crop rain so far and really need a couple of inches more now with the same as a follow-up in September to make it a really outstanding crop,” he said.