Winning with Nitrogen fertilizer

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

Many factors can affect the profitability of your crop – including fertilizer prices. The question each year is: will the money you spend on fertilizer pay off in the bin?

The Canola Council of Canada is weighing in on the issue with some advice about nitrogen rates.

With the cost of urea fertilizer rising – including some recent price reports of over $600 per tonne – canola growers who didn’t purchase fertilizer in the fall or winter when prices were lower, might be tempted to cut back on nitrogen this season. But John Mayko, the council’s senior agronomist, says growers who cut nitrogen application rates too greatly may end up cutting profits come harvest time.

Mayko points out that favourable soil moisture prospects for spring, plus higher than average canola prices, mean growers will need to use generous rates of nitrogen to achieve optimum net returns.

And he argues that, with today’s higher yielding hybrids, growers must be sure to provide enough nitrogen to maximize the yield potential of hybrid genetics.

Research conducted by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Westco Fertilizer indicates improved nitrogen response curves for hybrid varieties compared to open pollinated varieties.

This research shows that, for a given rate of nitrogen, hybrids typically yield better than open pollinated varieties. And at moderate nitrogen rates, the yield response curves for hybrids are steeper than open pollinated varieties. Findings also indicate that yield declines can be more pronounced on hybrids than open pollinated types if nitrogen rates are cut back.

Mayko advises growers to get a soil test this year to find out how much nitrogen and other macronutrients will be available to canola over the growing season.

“Only then can you make the right decision on how much to apply,” said Mayko.

“Even if you pay 60 cents a pound for nitrogen, when canola is eight dollars a bushel, for every 10 pound-per-acre reduction in nitrogen rates, you can afford to lose only three-quarters of a bushel before it starts costing you money,” he explained.

Other than water, nitrogen is the nutrient that most commonly affects canola production. Canola responds well to applied nitrogen fertilizer on most soils, so maximizing the economic efficiency of your fertilizer dollars is important.

There are resources on the Internet to help canola growers take the guesswork out of determining nitrogen rates. For more information on recommended nitrogen rates for canola, producers can visit the following websites:

www.directfocus.com/canolamanual/chapter9.html#ch9_sec6d;

www.canola-council.org/PDF/apr28_CanolaFactsheet.pdf#zoom=100; and

www.canola-council.org/PDF/Canola_Fact_Sheet_Oct27.pdf.

For more information, contact:
John Mayko, Senior Agronomist
Canola Council of Canada
Phone: (780) 764-2593