Application<\/strong><\/h5>\nGetting application right this Spring is crucial, not only financially, but to ensure your crop is able to get off to the best start. Choosing an N+S grade will be a wise choice. Sulphur is a key component when growing high yielding, healthy crops. Whilst Nitrogen is a growth promoter, sulphur works as a growth regulator, effectively balancing the manufacture of sugars and proteins in leaf tissue with the demand from these materials throughout the plant. Consequently, sulphur plays a crucial role in maintaining green leaf area, growth rates and delaying senescence. Low sulphur levels reduce Nitrogen metabolism, leaf expansion and plant development.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0The nutrient is very mobile in the soil meaning wet winters and early springs leave low reserves in the soil. Crops need a steady supply throughout rapid growing seasons, so it\u2019s key to apply S each time N is applied. Consult your local FACTS qualified advisor for the most efficient rate of sulphur to be applying with your chosen N rate.<\/p>\nYou should also be considering the use of a nitrification inhibitor, such as DIDIN. Nitrogen Use Efficiency, has arguably never been so important, so ensuring your nitrogen stays in the ground and isn’t lost into the atmosphere will pay dividends. DIDIN not only reduces emissions, it helps improve yield. Trials have shown using DIDIN is responsible for:<\/p>\n
\n- 7.7% yield increase<\/li>\n
- 66% reduction in nitrous oxide emissions<\/li>\n
- 49.5% reduction in nitrate leaching<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Roots, roots, roots<\/strong><\/h5>\nAs my colleague, Richard Cameron, highlighted in his podcast it’s all about the “roots, roots, roots.” Plant stress is likely to be high this year, due to lower N rates throughout the field, so building a strong root structure and getting the crop off to the best possible start is one of the most important things to be considering. By giving your crop a Kickstart<\/a> with a dose of foliar nutrition, the plant will be provided with a boost to improve crop establishment and root growth. The rooting stimulator in Kickstart is based on phosphite, a key nutrient shown to promote early root growth in young plants, and formulated with nitrogen and potassium.<\/p>\nMonitor your crops<\/strong><\/h5>\nIt probably goes without saying, that the importance of monitoring crops throughout spring with SAP testing is likely to be much greater than normal years, where crops are much closer to the tipping point, checking crops through the spring with a SAP<\/a> test will prove to be a wise, low-cost investment, giving you the flexibility to react with foliar nitrogen top-ups if needed. The below 5 step guide highlights how to conduct a SAP test.<\/p>\nStep 1: Take the sample<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.omex.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/02\/sampling.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
SAP sampling procedures are crop specific. Full details and sampling instruction are supplied in your dedicated \u2018SAP Pack\u2019. You can sample when problems are seen, when the crop is under stress, or prior to a growth surge.<\/p>\n
You should take your sample in a representative manner, either in a pre-marked \u201cW\u201d or in a straight line and select the oldest actively growing leaf from at least 20 plants.<\/p>\n
You should also be considering the use of a nitrification inhibitor, such as DIDIN. Nitrogen Use Efficiency, has arguably never been so important, so ensuring your nitrogen stays in the ground and isn’t lost into the atmosphere will pay dividends. DIDIN not only reduces emissions, it helps improve yield. Trials have shown using DIDIN is responsible for:<\/p>\n
- \n
- 7.7% yield increase<\/li>\n
- 66% reduction in nitrous oxide emissions<\/li>\n
- 49.5% reduction in nitrate leaching<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Roots, roots, roots<\/strong><\/h5>\n
As my colleague, Richard Cameron, highlighted in his podcast it’s all about the “roots, roots, roots.” Plant stress is likely to be high this year, due to lower N rates throughout the field, so building a strong root structure and getting the crop off to the best possible start is one of the most important things to be considering. By giving your crop a Kickstart<\/a> with a dose of foliar nutrition, the plant will be provided with a boost to improve crop establishment and root growth. The rooting stimulator in Kickstart is based on phosphite, a key nutrient shown to promote early root growth in young plants, and formulated with nitrogen and potassium.<\/p>\n
Monitor your crops<\/strong><\/h5>\n
It probably goes without saying, that the importance of monitoring crops throughout spring with SAP testing is likely to be much greater than normal years, where crops are much closer to the tipping point, checking crops through the spring with a SAP<\/a> test will prove to be a wise, low-cost investment, giving you the flexibility to react with foliar nitrogen top-ups if needed. The below 5 step guide highlights how to conduct a SAP test.<\/p>\n
Step 1: Take the sample<\/h5>\n
<\/p>\nSAP sampling procedures are crop specific. Full details and sampling instruction are supplied in your dedicated \u2018SAP Pack\u2019. You can sample when problems are seen, when the crop is under stress, or prior to a growth surge.<\/p>\n
You should take your sample in a representative manner, either in a pre-marked \u201cW\u201d or in a straight line and select the oldest actively growing leaf from at least 20 plants.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.omex.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/02\/prep-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.omex.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/02\/analysis-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.omex.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/02\/results-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.omex.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/02\/application-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n