Overcoming Nitrogen Inefficiencies with Foliar Applications
When it comes to nitrogen (N), the standard method of application has always been soil applied. The most significant advantage of soilapplied N is that this method supplies the nutrient where the plants are designed to take it in: at the roots. The roots take in nutrients and water from the soil and distribute them throughout the plant through the plant’s conductive tissues. Conversely, the plant’s leaves are more adapted to keeping materials out of the plant due to their structure and composition. Because of this, plant roots can assimilate more nutrients like N into the plant than can the leaves of a plant. However, foliar-applied nitrogen also has several distinct advantages over soil-applied N. One of the most significant of these is the rapid intake of N. Because the material is applied directly to the plant rather than the soil, the intake is not dependent on N moving through the soil and into the root. To speed this process even further, it is important to use a neutrally charged foliar fertilizer that is formulated with minerals and natural chelates to ensure quick penetration into the plant leaves. Recently, California county water boards have been making moves towards reducing growers’ annual nitrogen budgets, making it even more difficult to get the necessary soil-applied units of N on their crops. The Central Coast Water Board, covering Monterey to Ventura Counties, recently passed Ag Order 4.0 which addresses waste discharge requirements for irrigated lands. The order’s requirements are designed to minimize nutrient, pesticide, and sediment discharges to surface water from runoff or leaching from a grower’s land. This order has a significant impact on how crops are grown and will force producers to find new ways to achieve the same crop output with less allowed inputs.
One way to address such enforcements would be by utilizing products like our FBSciences’ premium slow-release nitrogen product SloN Plus™. This advanced formulation slows the evaporation of the spray which allows time for the nutrients to be absorbed by the plant over an extended period of time. SloN Plus is built with a proprietary blend of FBS Transit®, our patented biostimulant technology that promotes the rapid uptake, absorption, and translocation of nutrients within the plant. This powerful combination creates a balance between the quick uptake and absorption of nutrients and the slow release of nitrogen.
SloN Plus can be an excellent addition to an existing nitrogen program by means of foliar and/or soil applied if necessary. In times when growers are reducing their N due to the cost and supply of commodity nitrogen fertilizers being volatile, and/or when restrictions are being made on the total amount of N that can be applied, SloN Plus can be the necessary tool needed to lighten the blows.
