Missing Opportunity

According to USDA, research of growers in the top soybean states, almost 80 percent apply neither phosphorus nor potassium to support the nutritional needs of their soybean crop. And it’s easy to understand why. Since the 1970s, very little research has been done regarding the importance of crop nutrition for soybeans — especially the importance of micronutrients.

It’s clear. Improved soybean productivity requires a greater demand for plant-essential nutrients, but solving this puzzle is tricky. Gone is the “wait and hope” era of soybean fertility strategies. Today’s premium seed technologies require a forward-thinking approach, matched with premium fertilizer products.

At Superior Ag, we believe plant tissue sampling is the most accurate way to assess nutrient availability. This provides the best opportunity to determine existing nutrient levels and the proper amounts needed for plant development and optimum yield potential.

Just think about what a soybean acre needs every day during peak growth:

• 1 pounds of N
• 7 pound of P₂O₅ (1.52 pounds of DAP)
• 4 pounds of K₂O (5.66 pounds of Potash)
• 3 pound of S

This doesn’t even consider the additional micronutrients required! This year we are seeing our NutriSolutions tissue test coming back low in micronutrients such as:

• Manganese
• Sulfur
• Copper

Nutrient uptake of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Zn, Mn, B, and Cu, are required throughout the entire growing season. As a result, agronomic practices that also ensure nutrient availability during late-season reproductive growth would be expected to meet soybean fertility needs for these nutrients.

Contact your local Superior Ag agronomist to see what your plants might be missing. In an already challenging year, don’t let something as small as a micronutrient deficiency minimize your yield. Feed your plants what their hungry for – FEED THE BEAST!