OVERVIEW
In a typical Midwestern two-year cornsoybean rotation, fertilizer is applied in a single application prior to planting corn, with the goal of supplying nutrients for both corn and soybean crops.
However, the seasonal plant nutrient uptake and removal necessitate the need for individual nutrient applications tailored to each crop.
MOP is commonly used as a potassium (K) source in soybean production.
In addition to K, micronutrients such as boron (B) are essential for plant growth and are often overlooked in balanced crop nutrition.
Aspire® is the first-of-its-kind micronutrientenhanced potash fertilizer. Manufactured using Nutriform® technology, Aspire® premium potash with Boron combines K and B in each granule to help achieve uniform nutrient distribution.
TRIAL DETAILS
Locations and Crop Management:
Crop: Soybean (Glycine max)
Year: 2014-2015
Locations: 14 locations across the U.S. United States – AR, IL, KS, MI, MN, ND, NE, OH, TN, VA
Data Source: Field studies conducted by third-party, independent researchers.
Experimental Design: Small-plot RCBD with 4 replications
Cropping Conditions:
Roration: Corn-soybean
Farmer Practice: All recommended fertilizer for both a corn and soybean crop was applied before corn planting in 2013 and 2014, and no fertilizer was applied before soybean planting in 2014 and 2015
Additional Fertilizer: Additional K was applied before soybean planting in the form of MOP or Aspire®.
P Rate: 30 lbs K₂O/ac
Application Timing: Preplant
Application Method: Broadcast incorporated
Results
SUMMARY
Fertilizing soybeans with MOP yielded 1.9 bu/ac over the Farmer Practice.
Aspire® demonstrated a 2.9 bu/ac (5.5%) yield increase over the Farmer Practice and 1.0 bu/ac over MOP.
The results demonstrate the advantage of applying nutrients annually to each crop.
Higher yields using Aspire® show the benefit of uniform nutrient distribution with a micronutrient-enhanced potash fertilizer.
