The Right Place: Fertilizer Options In The Northeast US
As much as the weather and markets change, the 4R approach to nutrient management remains the gold standard for the sustainable use of agricultural fertilizers. These science-based best management practices guide the use of the right fertilizer source, at the right rate, the right time, and with the right placement.
Let’s zero in on placement. No matter where you farm or what the weather looks like in your area, there are many factors to consider when it comes to fertilizer placement. From the type of crop and fertilizer you are using, to the properties of your soil, and the weather conditions in your area, proper considerations need to be made.
Why placement matters
Fertilizer placement and timing can affect crop yield and quality and how efficiently the crop is able to use the nutrients. The goal when thinking about placement is how to optimize the contact between the fertilizer nutrients and the crop (seed or plant roots depending on placement and timing). Optimizing nutrient access promotes the strong uptake of fertilizer and helps reduce the risk of loss to the environment. This is particularly important at the early stages of crop development to encourage strong root growth. Proper fertilizer placement and timing in consideration of crop, soil, and weather variables can also reduce potential for nutrient losses.
If you are farming in the Mid-Atlantic, the Delmarva Peninsula or the Northeast United States– Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland, or New England–fertilizer for row crops is most commonly applied by broadcasting or banding. Fertigation is less common but may be used for specialty, fruit, and vegetable crops.
Broadcasting delivers a uniform application across the entire soil surface. Some growers then incorporate the fertilizer with tractor implements. Banding, or row placement, involves a continuous band of fertilizer applied beside the seeds or plants (either in furrow or 2×2). Fertigation applies water-soluble fertilizer through an irrigation system and can be found on occasion in this growing region, though it is much less common than the western or southern U.S. Proper timing must be ensured to introduce fertilizers in an irrigation set as the applied water can leach away nutrients if fertilizers are introduced too early in the process.
It’s important to remember that the expected response in crop yield and quality for any application method depends on the specific nutrient and its properties, how well the nutrients can move through soil, soil moisture, crop rooting patterns, tillage and planting systems, and the availability of water. Aim for fertilizer application that coincides as closely as possible with the period of maximum crop uptake and reasonably avoids conditions where risk of environmental losses is high (e.g., fertilizing right before expected rain).
A closer look at the options
Broadcasting
- Can be used for dry or liquid fertilizers.
- Can be applied on the surface or incorporated.
- Efficient and rapid application method to cover large areas in the least time.
- Phosphorus uptake from surface-applied fertilizer is only 25-33% as effective as uptake from band applications.
- Typically requires higher application rates of immobile nutrients (e.g., phosphorus and potassium) than banding because of nutrient dilution in greater soil volume and the elevated risk of tie up with other ions in the soil (e.g., calcium and phosphate precipitates).
- Broadcasting provides broader nutrient distribution in a greater soil volume and may improve nutrient contact with a greater portion of the plant roots.
- Preferred method for higher application rates when needing to build low soil-test levels.
- Surface broadcasting is fast and economical but can result in higher nutrient losses than incorporation.
- Incorporating fertilizer increases root contact, plant growth, and minimizes surface nutrient loss. Many cropping systems of this region include specialty crops that require tillage for seedbed preparation. Seedbed preparation may facilitate incorporation and placement of applied fertilizer.
- Broadcast equipment is generally less specialized and less expensive than for banding.
- Generally preferred for plants that are actively growing over the soil surface (alfalfa, pastures, winter wheat, turfgrasses, etc.).
Banding
- Any application where fertilizer is applied in strips on or below the soil surface. Row placement specifically applies continuous bands on one or both sides of the seed row.
- Application can be done at seeding, with or near the seed row (starter), or after seeding.
- Efficient method for most fertilizers as the band is usually placed below or near the seed row for greater root interception and to help jump start early growth.
- Provides a zone of high nutrient concentration to improve root interception, stimulate growth, and reduce nutrient fixation (e.g., calcium and phosphate precipitates).
- Especially desirable for specialty or vegetable crops of the region with small or shallow root systems.
- For some nutrients, such as immobile micronutrients and phosphorus, banding may produce better crop response and nutrient efficiency at lower rates than for broadcasting because of higher nutrient concentration in the immediate crop root zone. Banding nutrients can also help tie up any locally present antagonistic soil ions (e.g., calcium, iron, phosphate) and allow the remaining fertilizer to be taken up by the plant.
- Banding phosphorus is important in soils with low phosphorus levels and in cool soil conditions because of slow root growth and slow phosphorus diffusion in cool soils. Excessive antagonistic ions, such as calcium, may also be present in high quantities in low soil-phosphorus conditions.
- More expensive equipment than broadcasting comes with the risk of salt burn or seedling damage but may allow for lower fertilizer rates, as mentioned above.
- Most efficient placement method for applying micronutrient fertilizers to row crops in this region.
- Commonly preferred and most efficient method for applying phosphorus to row crops on phosphorus-deficient soils in this region.
Fertigation
- In this region, irrigated crops are watered less frequently than in other areas depending on soil conditions. As a result, nutrient applications should consider the possibility that rainfall events may replace the need for irrigation and lead to less desirable nutrient timing.
- Delivers relatively high nutrient-use efficiency for crops, especially nitrogen, when applied at time of maximum crop uptake and facilitates application at precise times to match crop demand. However, nutrient application timing may not always be optimal if rainfall events occur, and irrigation is not needed. If irrigation is not needed, it may be difficult to apply the fertilizers as planned.
- Suitable only for soluble nutrient sources, some of which may bear higher costs per unit of nutrient relative to dry formulations.
- Especially common method of nitrogen application (specifically for crops that require large amounts of nitrogen, including corn).
- Can reduce nutrient loss potential by releasing small amounts of nitrogen to growing crops.
- Can reduce or eliminate mechanical applications that consume fuel, may cause compaction, or may not be properly synchronized with crop demand.
- Reduces time required for irrigation and fertilizer application by combining two activities, but windy conditions or poorly maintained irrigation equipment can cause uneven application.
- Irrigation equipment or system must be properly designed and managed to deliver uniform and timely water application to avoid the under or over application of water. Nutrient application is only as uniform or as timely as water application and the overall performance of the emitter system.
For more information or specific recommendations for your area, contact your local agronomist or crop advisor, or refer to the additional resources below.
Advantages and Limitations of Fertilizer Application Methods, Cornell University, Northeast Region Certified Crop Advisor Study Resources
Commercial Vegetable Fertilization Principles, University of Florida IFAS Extension
New England Vegetable Management Guide, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Climate Warming Brings Earlier Spring, USDA Northeast Climate Hub, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Spring Burndown: Consider Spraying Early, But With What?, Pennsylvania State University Extension, College of Agricultural Sciences
Proper Fertilizer Placement Through Better Soil Sampling With Precision Agriculture, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Nutrient Management Planning: An Overview, Pennsylvania State University Extension, College of Agricultural Sciences
The Penn State Agronomy Guide, Pennsylvania State University Extension, College of Agricultural Sciences
Planting Soybeans, Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
The Mid-Atlantic Nutrient Management Handbook, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Nitrogen Management for Soybeans, University of Delaware, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Nitrogen Management for Corn In Delaware: The Pre-Sidedress Nitrate Test, University of Delaware, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
