Starter Fertilizer: Research Shows Corn Gets a 5% Yield Boost
If you’re thinking about cutting starter fertilizer this year because of surging costs, Ken Ferrie has three words of advice: Don’t do it.
Corn emergence and early growth benefit from starter because of the horsepower it provides the plants, according to Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.
“Five gallons of 10-34-0 will give your corn a bigger kick than 300 lb. of broadcast DAP, due to placement and timing,” he says.
A University of Kentucky study quantifies corn-yield response to sub-surface banded starter fertilizer. It shows the use increases corn’s yield by an average of 5%. Other findings from the research show:
- Positive starter responses were consistent across various management and environmental scenarios.
- Yield benefits from starter fertilizer applications decreased as corn plant density increased and as corn yield level decreased.
For your best ROI, Ferrie says to think about situations where starter can provide the biggest response, such as on low fertility fields, fields with phosphate tie-up, reduced tillage fields and cover crop fields.
BEWARE SALT BURN
When you go in-furrow, the top rate used needs to be based on the salt index of your starter and the seed quality, so you avoid salt burn.
“For seed samples with a higher than 6% severe pericarp damage, we recommend being careful with in-furrow applications, especially if you are planting in dry soil conditions,” Ferrie says.
Severe pericarp damage means the seed has a tear in the pericarp at the embryo axis. This seed succumbs to salt burn. “If you lose more than 6% of the stand, your starter response won’t offset the loss,” he says.
In treatments off the seed, you could take the money you would have invested in the additive and spend it on more fertilizer. Once you reach that point where the response is flattening, an additive doesn’t help, Ferrie says.
