Mosaic: 6 Tips For Better Crop Nutrition In Corn

Tissue testing

When an area of concern in a field is identified, tissue testing can be used as a diagnostic tool to compare the nutrient level of problem areas as compared to healthy areas.

Late in the crop season is a good time to assess visual nutrient deficiencies and ensure early- and mid-season deficiencies were accurately documented. Make sure these locations are properly recorded and compare them to past growing seasons. This practice will ensure the best possible nutrition management for long-term corn yield. Mosaic senior agronomist Curt Woolfolk recommends utilizing soil samples, visual scouting, tissue sampling, record keeping and photos as tools to help improve growers’ crop nutrition programs.

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“Knowing what to look for when spotting nutrient deficiencies and how to prevent them can positively influence the next growing season and help growers increase return on their investments,” notes Woolfolk. “It’s never too late in the season to watch for nutrient deficiencies when it comes to the long-term productivity of your soil.”

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Here are the top six tips from Woolfolk on how to monitor for nutrient deficiencies and plan for future soil nutrition:

1. Utilize Best Management Practices for Soil Testing

The best way to measure the nutrient makeup of a field is through soil testing. One of the most important values on a soil test report is pH. Soils range from acid to neutral to alkaline, and this measurement greatly affects the availability of nutrients for crop uptake. In order to get accurate results, make sure that soil cores are pulled at a consistent depth and sent to a soil test lab in a timely manner.

“When a sound soil-testing plan and accompanying fertilizer recommendations still reveal some visual trouble spots within the field, it is important to mark the location with GPS and follow up the next year with area-specific soil sampling,” Woolfolk advises. “This is where visual nutrient deficiency information becomes part of the grower’s long-term record keeping for balanced crop nutrition. Scouting can help fine-tune fertilizer rates for trouble spots for a well-balanced crop nutrition plan.”

2. Incorporate Tissue Testing into Your Routine

When scouting a corn field, many nutrient deficiencies can be confused with one another. When an area of concern in a field is identified, tissue testing can be used as a diagnostic tool to compare the nutrient level of problem areas as compared to healthy areas. The combination of tissue and soil test results can provide growers with significant clarity as to what may have caused a problem area in a field. The best way to prevent these problem areas in the future is to apply the recommended rate of preplant fertilizer, adjust fertilizer rates in problematic areas based on your records of these areas, and closely monitor that area for signs of improved production.

3. Look Closely for White Bands

White bands or stripes (chlorotic) that are parallel to the midrib (center of the leaf lengthwise) can indicate a zinc deficiency. Although Zn deficiency is growing in the Midwest, visual deficiencies in the field are few and often overlooked. Typically, they are found early in the season and in cool, moist soils. Plants often grow out of the deficiency unless it is severe enough to last through the end of the growing season. This visual deficiency includes broad bands of white tissue that are visible on both sides of the younger leaves. They start at the base of the leaf, but do not extend to the tip. Eventually, the white tissues may turn into a brown or bronze color.

Sulfur deficiency - corn

Without a steady supply of sulfur, late-season deficiencies can significantly impact yield.

4. Identify Yellow Upper Leaves or Interveinal Chlorosis

Discoloration in a cornfield; typically before V8, is often the first sign of trouble and can be related to a number of factors. Pale upper leaves or a yellowing between leaf veins (known as interveinal chlorosis) can be one of the initial signs that there is a problem. To help prevent interveinal chlorosis, sulfur (S), a secondary macronutrient, should be available to the plant throughout the growing season.

“Sulfur is immobile in the plant, and therefore, the plant is unable to move sulfur from older to newer growth to compensate for low levels that may occur late in the season,” continues Woolfolk. “Without a steady supply of sulfur, late-season deficiencies can significantly impact yield. MicroEssentials SZ supplies the soil with two forms of sulfur: sulfate sulfur and elemental sulfur. Sulfate sulfur provides plants with the sulfur they need at the beginning of the season whereas elemental sulfur oxidizes throughout the growing season to provide a season-long supply of sulfate sulfur. This provides a constant supply of sulfur from planting to maturity.”

More states are reporting S deficiencies in corn compared to previous years. This is largely due to the decreased amount of S released into the atmosphere and returned to the soil through rainfall. Increased removal rates of S due to higher yield systems have also contributed to this increase.

5. Look for Purple Leaf Edges, then for Stunted Plant Growth

Another visual nutrient deficiency symptom is purpling of leaf margins and occasionally the stems. Purpling is generally associated with a phosphorus (P) deficiency and is typically noted early in the growing season. The discoloration often fades as the crop matures, but plants can be stunted in growth and yield potential. It is important to note that certain hybrids may exhibit greater discoloration than others. Late in the growing season, the percentage of total P needed by corn is higher than that of the other important plant macronutrients, nitrogen (N) and potassium (K). Finally, purple leaves do not guarantee a P deficiency; the condition can also develop from cool soils and dry weather during early plant growth stages.

6. Know How Weather Affects Crop Nutrition

It is important to have a basic understanding of how weather affects crop nutrition. Nutrients that are mobile in the soil (nitrate, sulfate, chloride and boron) may be prone to leaching, and may move deep beyond the rooting zone. Following a heavy rain, a corn crop may display one or several of these mobile nutrient deficiencies, especially if planted in coarse-textured soil. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a drought may limit movement of these mobile nutrients into the plant, since the mechanism for uptake (mass flow) has been greatly decreased.

MicroEssentials SZ (12-40-0-10S-1Zn) can help provide balanced crop nutrition for the entire growing season. MicroEssentials SZ is a dry granular fertilizer manufactured by The Mosaic Company that provides uniform nutrient distribution, increased nutrient uptake and a season-long supply of sulfur to drive maximum yield.

For more information about MicroEssentials, talk to your local retailer or visit MicroEssentials.com.

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