A collaborative project between UF Extension and Florida corn growers shows the benefits of the use of the 4Rs and cover crops.
A UF/IFAS blog shared the takeaways of a 5-year collaborative project between Florida corn growers in the Suwannee Valley region and UF Extension teams when it comes to reducing nitrogen runoff using the 4Rs and cover crops; the results are enheartening. See the details below.
The 4Rs Explained
The research was aimed at “investigating the impacts of Best Management Practices (BMPs)” concerning production for Florida corn growers, including the 4Rs and the use of cover crops. The 4Rs are principle of nutrient management, and they are the Right time, Right rate, Right source, and Right placement of nutrients to reduce runoff and wasted nutrients. For this research, the project was examining how much nitrogen loss could be mitigated by corn growers utilizing the 4Rs in the field.
According to the article, they also utilized “cover crops at the end of the season to capture leftover nitrogen in the soil.”
Florida Corn Growers and Nitrogen
The blog article maintained that “Most fertilizer in the Suwannee Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) region is applied either by spreading dry fertilizer (broadcast) or using liquid fertilizer via pivot irrigation systems (fertigation),” and that spring rain events can cause a lot of leaching of nitrogen. The research looked at the benefits of banding, which is when “fertilizer [is placed] in a band near the crop row, making it easier for plant roots to access the nutrients and reducing the risk of leaching, especially when the plants are small, and roots are not fully developed.”
Takeaways of the research include:
- “Banding nitrogen using a highboy applicator were more effective than other methods, such as fertigation and broadcasting.”
- “Lighter soils with less organic content, which are more prone to nitrogen leaching, had lower yields, highlighting the importance of soil type in determining the effectiveness of nitrogen applications.”
- “If banding applications of nitrate were used on the 50,000+ acres of corn grown annually in the region, and a reasonable 50-pound nitrogen reduction per acre was achieved, it could lead to a reduction of up to 2.5 million pounds of nitrogen.”
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions -or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.