If you’re already braving the summer heat and buzzing mosquitoes during field scouting, you might as well make the most of your trip.
Get five tips to maximize your scouting experience and findings for this season and the next.
Understand the Law of Minimum
The Law of Minimum was coined by German scientist Justus von Liebig in the 1800s. It states that crop growth is limited by the essential nutrient that is in the shortest supply, even if all other nutrients are readily available.
For example, if nitrogen is applied to boost yield potential but the crop is deficient in boron, the return on that nitrogen investment will be limited. This won’t truly maximize the overall Return on Fertilizer Investment (ROFI) because the crop can’t perform at its full potential without addressing the most limiting nutrient.
Know your deficiencies
When there’s a problem in the field this time of year, bushels are already lost. But, in areas where crops aren’t getting proper nutrition, for one reason or another, a rescue application of nutrients can still help limit the loss — if the correct nutrients are applied.
Discoloration is often the first sign of nutrient deficiency to catch the eye, but look more closely and each nutrient shows its own symptoms of deficiency.
A nitrogen deficiency is indicated by yellowing starting on those lower leaves, from the midrib in corn, and working its way outward on the leaf. Potassium deficiency can look a lot like nitrogen deficiency, except that it starts on the outer leaf margins and works its way in. Phosphorus can show multiple symptoms, such as stunted growth and purpling of the leaf.
But all deficiencies have one thing in common — the ability to affect yield potential and bottom line.
Get our guide to properly identifying macro and micronutrient deficiencies.
Use soil and tissue tests to confirm
With today’s high-yielding hybrids and varieties, more nutrients are being removed from the soil, used by the crop during reproductive development and hauled away at harvest. It’s important to continually monitor soil nutrient levels and replenish as needed to account for the nutrient removal of each crop.
Collecting soil samples from various depths and locations across a field and analyzing them adds context to be able to make informed decisions about nutrient management and can significantly impact crop yield and health.
Tissue testing is a complementary analysis to soil testing, providing crucial information on the nutrient status of crop plants. By sampling plant tissues at critical growth stages, nutrient deficiencies or toxicities can be detected at an early stage. This provides an opportunity to adjust fertilization strategies more precisely, promoting optimal plant growth and maximizing crop yield.
Results from this season, combined with historical data, can help fine-tune nutrient management plans, ensuring that crops receive the necessary nutrients at the right time and avoid yield-robbing deficiencies.
Scout systematically
While it can be tempting to simplify field scouting, scouting systematically can help provide a big picture assessment of field conditions.
When possible, start with satellite, aerial or drone imagery to identify areas of concern. If those tools are not readily available, consider walking a zigzag pattern in the field to identify areas with color or height differences.
Scouting in a zigzag pattern ensures a good representation of the whole field, rather than just one part — reducing the risk of missing problem spots and getting a more accurate picture of overall field health. It can also help identify localized issues that might be tied to specific zones.
Create a Balanced Crop Nutrition plan
Now that deficiencies are identified and soil and tissue samples are taken, put together a Balanced Crop Nutrition plan.
With so much on the line, it’s important to find dependable and innovative fertilizer products to provide your crop with the nutrition it needs. Today’s fertilizer technology allows macronutrients to be applied with the added benefit of micronutrients to give crops the most balanced nutrition available.
At The Mosaic Company, we offer a range of performance products designed to provide superior nutrition for optimal growth and greater ROI. Powered by Advanced Crop Nutrition technologies, these performance fertilizers ensure not just the right balance of nutrients, but the right material consistency to give growers an efficient application experience and optimum nutrient distribution for increased yields.
When paired with Bio Crop Nutrition products like BioPath® or PowerCoat®, nutrient availability, uptake and utilization are further improved, creating a complete Advanced Crop Nutrition powering stronger ROFI.
Call your local retailer or find your area Mosaic representative to put your scouting to work for your success in 2026.