Tilley, Alberta | leer - 1/1/2021 02:33
Pretty good setup! Is this more economical than 32-0-0 and water? Does it have an advantage over UAN?
Yes it is far more economical if it is done correctly. I will try to explain a bit how we do things on our farm.
Conventional agronomic practices state that we need 2.1 lb of N to produce a bushel of wheat. That translates to 221 lb for 100 bu. We have successfully been doing this for 9 years getting the same yield average using 44lb actual N year over year. When you melt urea you are moving it to a state that is very easy for the plant to absorb as a foliar. Research up here with a 3 year study showed foliar applied melted urea has an efficiency of 4.2 to 1 over granular applied 46-0-0. University of California, Davis did a 9 year study and found that foliar phosphate has an efficiency gain of 17:1 over 11-52-0.
We have been doing this for the past 9 years and have no intention of going back to the older methods, as the high salt content seems to be affecting the soil biological health. . I have a son who is attending Wageningen University in The Netherlands right now studying for his Masters in Organic Agro-Ecology. This is something they have been doing over there for decades, so it isn't anything new we discovered on our own, and we are learning how to fine tune this concept.
Back to your question. We save substantially on N&P. We SAP test so there are small costs there. We foliar apply top-up nutrients, full panel macros and micros, adjuncts and hormones and vitamins so there are costs there. We use an in-furrow and foliar compost tea biological product, so there is cost there. What we have done by severely reducing our up-front N & P is eliminate lodging, so there is a substantial cost saving by not having to apply a PGR. Our Brix levels are elevated throughout the growing season, so we eliminated the need for insecticide applications; huge savings there. And because the plant fertility is balanced, we have not needed to use a fungicide on our crops in the past 5 years- another huge savings, and if you noticed the crops are getting significantly less chemistry/pesticide applications as compared to the normal agronomic recommendations. We have people that tell us, "Well you are just mining your soil and breaking down your organic matter levels". In actual fact, we have 11 years of comprehensive soil test data, both macro and full micro panel, 0-6" and 12-24" that would refute that assertion.
To summarize, our total fertility cost to raise that 100 bu is approximately $70.00- $80.00/acre CAD for the year. Hope that helps.
PF
Edited by pfabian 1/1/2021 10:04
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Looking for filtration solution for melted urea
