Rate Efficiency: Broadcast vs. Banding Dry Fertilizer Soybean Study

If we band dry fertilizer, can we reduce the rate due to its efficiency?

The conventional method of applying fertilizer is broadcasting, which covers every square inch of soil. The issue is that the fertilizer may not be getting to the roots or may not be as concentrated where you need it.

We took to the PTI Farm to evaluate the rate efficiency of dry fertilizer on soybeans. A KUHN Krause Gladiator^® pulling a Montag^® Equipment 2208 Gen 2 fertilizer cart was used to implement this testing program for 2023. 

To study rate efficiency, dry fertilizer was applied at 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, and 0% rates in both strip-till bands and broadcast applications. We set out to discover the advantage banded dry fertilizer had over the broadcast method, and if we could in turn reduce the fertilizer rate due to higher efficiency.

In 2023, banding out-performed all broadcast applications at every rate, with 100% and 75% offering the highest advantages at +1.6 to +2.0 Bu/A. As rates fell to 50% and 25%, banding advantages were reduced to only +0.2 to +0.5 Bu/A.

Banding fertilizer also offered additional returns of +$11.34 to +$16.58/A, with the 75% fertilizer rate offering the highest efficiency. Lowering fertilizer to a 50% rate in bands proved losses of -$3.05/A, while 25% reduced banded rates at -$6.98/A. Each of these losses were a result of little yield difference, but higher equipment cost for application.

So what about efficiency? In 2023, banding 75% of the recommended dry fertilizer rate netted an additional $47.47/A compared to traditional broadcast spreading and +$27.99/A over the 0% fertilizer rate. As the dry fertilizer rate was reduced to 50%, it offered a $13.89/A advantage over 100% broadcast rates and 25% nearly broke-even at +$3.81/A.

However, what’s concerning is that applying 0% rate fertilizer offered advantages over the 100% broadcast rate by +$19.48/A. This simply means that there was not enough yield advantage from fertilizer to offset the high price of dry fertilizer.

Our multi-year data from 2021-2023 shows that banding at 75% and 50% rates of dry fertilizer have led to returns of +$30.26 to +$36.56/A over traditional broadcast spreading. However, just as 2023 revealed, 0% rates were very close at a +$25.84/A advantage.

As we continue to monitor this data as a part of our 10-year study, this will be interesting to evaluate over the next 7-year period to analyze yield and economics as dry fertilizer prices hopefully fall back to normal levels.

Study Details 

Study data collected 2021-2023 at the PTI Farm in Pontiac, IL.