Key Points
- Objective: To evaluate yield and economics of traditional broadcast applications of dry fertilizer compared to 8” deep high concentrated strip-till banding of dry fertilizer.
- Cost Considerations: A key recognition in this study is that a higher upfront cost doesn’t inherently mean lower efficiency if there is a significant yield impact.
- Banded Advantage: We have seen economic advantages of $10/A-$13/A by implementing a banded dry fertilizer application.
If we put fertilizer as close to the root as possible, how much more efficient can we be?
Based upon soil test results and yield goals of 70 Bu/A soybeans in a corn/soybean non-irrigated rotation, 18-46-0 and 0-0-60 was applied in a traditional broadcast surface application made with a traditional spinner truck. Using the same fertilizer rates, a strip-till bar was used to place fertilizer in high concentrated strips 8” deep on 30” corn rows. A KUHN Krause Gladiator® pulling a Montag® Gen II 2208 fertilizer cart was used to implement this testing program.
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 evaluated the benefits and costs of traditional broadcast in comparison to banding dry fertilizer right at the roots. We utilized the same fertilizer rates on each application to ensure we were collecting accurate data to compare yield results.
Across four years, banding dry fertilizer has produced an average yield advantage of 1.65 Bu/A over traditional broadcast applications. Even when we factored in the upfront cost of the banded dry fertilizer application, there was still an economic gain over the broadcast application.
Using University of Illinois Machinery Cost Estimates (shown below), strip-till resulted in additional costs of $9.60/A in comparison to a conventional tillage program. Using this cost scenario, strip-till, with its tillage and fertility system, still provided positive economic gains in 2023 of +$11.34/A over a conventional tillage system. 2021 and 2022 saw similar net returns of +$13.16/A and +$9.94/A.
When we compare average banded fertilizer outcomes from 2021-2024 to broadcasted fertilizer, we see an economic increase between $23.86/A and $29.68/A.
When it comes to applying fertilizer to your soybean crop, we’re seeing that banding dry fertilizer at the roots has a clear advantage over the traditional broadcast method of applying fertilizer.
Study Details
Study data collected 2021-2024 at the PTI Farm in Pontiac, IL.
| Planting Date | 2023-2024 - April 20th 2021-2022 - April 27th | Rotation | BAC |
| Row Width | 30" | Population | 130K |
| Soybean Prices | 2024 - $11.46 2023 - $13.09 2022 - $13.96 2021 - $11.98 | Hybrid | 2024 - Asgrow 27XF3 2023 - Asgrow 27FX3 2022 - Asgrow 27FX1 2021 - AG 35XF1 |
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