Growers today strive to be as efficient as possible - both for the benefit of their bottom lines, and to be good stewards of the land. It is important to keep in mind the large impact that fertilizer input can have on both.
Koch Agronomic Services (KAS) senior agronomist, Dr. Rigas Karamanos, describes healthy soil as one that is, “functioning at its optimal levels within its natural settings.”
According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, soil health management practices, such as no-till, help maximize both environmental and economic benefits over the long term with numerous benefits including: increased crop yield, reduced labour and equipment costs, and improved soil and water quality.2
AGROTAIN® nitrogen stabilizer, from KAS, was developed with soil health in mind to control nitrogen loss from volatilization, giving even no-till farmers the confidence to surface broadcast urea or UAN.
“By using no-till cropping systems, growers preserve soil moisture and minimize soil loss due to erosion. However, no-till presents a challenge when it comes to nitrogen loss. Urea based fertilizers that are not incorporated can be subject to ammonia volatilization losses up to 40 percent,” said Greg Schwab, director of agronomy for Koch Agronomic Services. “AGROTAIN nitrogen stabilizer slows urea hydrolysis giving the soil more time to absorb the ammonia, thus minimizing volatilization loss. With no-till crop production systems, it is critical farmers select the right nitrogen fertilizer to maximize production and minimize potential environmental impact.”
In a two-year field study conducted at 11 different sites in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba under no-till conditions, AGROTAIN treated urea improved canola yield by an average yield increase of 6.8 percent over fall broadcasted untreated urea under the same conditions.3
Protect your nutrient investment, protect your soil — the foundation of every operation. When it comes time to apply your nitrogen, choose the stabilizer that growers trust.
*International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI), 2018.
2Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2014.
3The underlying data was provided by the University of Alberta, Wheatland Conservation Area, Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation, Northeastern Agricultural Research Foundation, and the University of Manitoba under a Research Trial Financial Support Agreement with Koch Agronomic Services, LLC and neither the research institution, nor the individual researcher, endorse or recommend any product or service.