New study makes case for variable-rate P
Ponding leads to high phosphorus levels, and a new study shows how variable-rate application and changes to traditional grid soil testing could save money and reduce nutrient loss.
Could variable-rate phosphorus and more specific soil testing reduce nutrient loss?
Researchers at the University of Illinois say yes, thanks to a new study of flat, tile-drained acreage. Luis Andino, lead author on the study and U of I graduate student, says they found natural low spots had higher P levels than anywhere else in the same field — several times higher than the 65 pounds per acre that the Illinois Agronomy Handbook recommends for central Illinois soils. The only areas that had the low spots beat were those where livestock barns used to sit.
Why the dramatic increase in low-lying areas? Andino says it’s because water ponds in low spots and drowns out crops that would take up P, leaving behind soil-bound phosphorus from higher elevations in the field.
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Could variable-rate phosphorus and more specific soil testing reduce nutrient loss?
Researchers at the University of Illinois say yes, thanks to a new study of flat, tile-drained acreage. Luis Andino, lead author on the study and U of I graduate student, says they found natural low spots had higher P levels than anywhere else in the same field — several times higher than the 65 pounds per acre that the Illinois Agronomy Handbook recommends for central Illinois soils. The only areas that had the low spots beat were those where livestock barns used to sit.
Why the dramatic increase in low-lying areas? Andino says it’s because water ponds in low spots and drowns out crops that would take up P, leaving behind soil-bound phosphorus from higher elevations in the field.
Click Here to read more.