Starter Fertilizer

Amy Timmerman, Extension Educator Author

04/11/2024 Added

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As planting season begins, farmers often question if starter fertilizer is providing yield and economic benefits

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[00:00:00.000]Amy Timmerman with this weeks Extension update.
[00:00:03.318]As planting season begins, farmers often question
[00:00:06.348]if starter fertilizer is providing yield and economic benefits.
[00:00:09.894]Starter fertilizer is defined as fertilizer applied with the specific
[00:00:13.304]purpose of helping the plants acquire more nutrients earlier in the season.
[00:00:17.654]This is in addition to the fertilizer used in the nutrient management
[00:00:21.154]program that is based on deficiency correction/sufficiency approaches.
[00:00:25.578]There are two main reasons to use a starter.
[00:00:28.008]1. The best reason is when soil tests indicate the field is deficient in one or
[00:00:32.628]more nutrients, and these nutrients are relatively easy to apply with the planter.
[00:00:37.947]2. The field to be planted is covered with more than 70% residue and
[00:00:42.585]you expect the soil to be cool and wet.
[00:00:45.695]Additionally, back when most growers cultivated,
[00:00:49.084]starter made the young corn plants taller and greener quicker,
[00:00:52.824]which allowed cultivation to occur earlier in the season,
[00:00:55.504]and resulted in better weed control.
[00:00:58.064]Also, phosphorus applied with the planter helps the plants
[00:01:00.954]mature earlier which can also result in drier corn.
[00:01:04.727]If starter is going to be placed near the seed,
[00:01:07.040]be sure the dose will not hurt germination and stand establishment.
[00:01:11.130]If the soil test levels for the starter nutrients are greater
[00:01:14.080]than the critical value for these nutrients, starter will
[00:01:16.880]probably not help yields, especially on fine-textured soils.
[00:01:21.638]Spending time loading the starter material and making sure all the
[00:01:24.939]equipment is working may take valuable time during planting.
[00:01:29.117]From 1995 to 2019, farmers working with
[00:01:32.877]the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network conducted
[00:01:35.652]35 studies looking at starter fertilizer on corn.
[00:01:39.914]Some were in the same field for a number of years, others moved around.
[00:01:43.914]Various starter materials were evaluated, and not all studies reported soil test P levels.
[00:01:50.964]Eighteen of the studies compared a 10-34-0 starter
[00:01:55.032]fertilizer in the range of 4-6 gal/ac to a no starter check.
[00:02:00.628]Soil P levels were between 4 and 35 ppm;
[00:02:05.126]not all studies reported the specific P extractants used.
[00:02:09.322]Here we report crop yield response across range of soil P levels:
[00:02:13.962]For soils with P soil tests at or below 10 ppm there was an
[00:02:18.792]average yield increase of 14.3 bu/ac due to the starter for four locations.
[00:02:26.220]For soils with P soil tests of 10-20 ppm
[00:02:30.100]there was an average increase of 2.6 bu/ac for five locations.
[00:02:36.485]For soils with P soil tests of 20-35 ppm, there was
[00:02:41.435]an average increase of 0.3 bu/ac for nine locations.
[00:02:46.801]When all the data were combined, regardless
[00:02:49.075]of soil test values, there was an average increase of 4 bu/ac.
[00:02:54.211]This analysis disregards statistical analysis.
[00:02:57.981]Of the 18 studies, only five had statistically significant differences.
[00:03:02.371]Of these five, the average yield increase was 12 bu/acre
[00:03:06.268]and the average soil test P level was 9 ppm.
[00:03:11.280]Curious if starter fertilizer is paying for itself on your farm?
[00:03:15.280]Consider conducting an on-farm research trial.
[00:03:18.140]The Nebraska On-Farm Research Network provides
[00:03:20.560]a simple protocol to allow you to evaluate the yield and economics
[00:03:23.960]of adding starter fertilizer to corn or soybeans.
[00:03:27.640]To get started, reach out to your local extension office and
[00:03:31.710]they will get you connect to a member of the Nebraska On-Farm Research team
[00:03:37.228]This has been Amy Timmerman with Nebraska Extension.

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