Fertility for Barley and Spring Wheat
Good day to all!
We received a small amount of snow this past week. The high temperature for the past week ranged from 2 to 31 degrees Fahrenheit with an average of 23 degrees Fahrenheit. That average is 12 degrees lower than the 35 degrees Fahrenheit average we should be having. The forecast for the coming week looks to be above average mostly. Spring may be coming.
For those of you interested in horticulture, an in person virtual meeting series will take place at the County Courthouse on March 21, 28, and April 4 and 11, 2021 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Please preregister by calling the extension office at 701-797-3312 or e-mailing jeff.stachler@ndsu.edu. This is will be an excellent horticulture series!
Now that we are less than a week from Spring, it is time to start preparing to plant hard red spring wheat and barley.
With the price of fertilizer this spring be sure to be using the correct amount to maximize yields. For feed and malting barley you need a total of 150 pounds of nitrogen per acre. The exact amount needed will be based upon how much residual soil nitrate-nitrogen is present to a two-foot depth of soil and credits for the previous crop grown. If the Olson soil test phosphorus level is between zero and three parts per million then you need 78 pounds of P2O5 per acre, if the soil has four to seven parts per million then you need 60 pounds of P2O5 per acre. If the soil has 8 to 11 parts per million then you need 52 pounds of P2O5 per acre, if the soil has 12 to 15 parts per million then you need 26 pounds of P2O5 per acre, and if the soil has greater than 16 parts per million then you need to apply 0 P2O5 per acre. For potassium if the soil test value is 0 to 40 parts per million then you need 90 pounds of K2O per acre, if the soil test value is 41 to 80 then you need 60 pounds of K2O per acre, if the soil test value is between 81 and 120 parts per million then you need 45 pound of K2O per acre, if the soil test value is between 121 and 150 then you need 30 pounds of K2O per acre and if the soil test value is greater than 151 parts per million then you do not need to apply K2O.
To consider the correct amount of nitrogen applied per acre for hard red spring wheat use the amounts recommended for eastern North Dakota, subtract the soil test nitrate-nitrogen from the zero to two foot depth, subtract any previous crop nitrogen credits, consider whether the field has been in a no-till or one-pass tillage system, and make an organic matter adjustment for soils with greater than 5.9 percent organic matter. The rate of nitrogen is based upon the price of nitrogen and the price of wheat. To get to the charts visit the following website: https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/publications/crops/north-dakota-fertilizer-recommendation-tables-and-equations. To get to the rates faster use the Nitrogen Calculator which can be gotten at www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/soils/wheat/ or download it as an app.
Broadcast phosphate recommendations for spring wheat based upon the Olson test method should be 90 pounds of P2O5 per acre at a soil test level of zero to three parts per million, 60 pounds of P2O5 per acre at a soil test level of four the seven parts per million, 35 pounds of P2O5 per acre at a soil test level of 8 to 11 parts per million, 20 pounds of P2O5 per acre at a soil test value of 12 to 15 parts per million, or 15 pounds of P2O5 per acre at a soil test value of greater than 16 parts per million. Wheat seeding always should include a small amount of start fertilizer in a band regardless of soil test. If starter fertilizer banding is not used, rates in the greater than 12 parts per million range should be zero.
If soils with smectite to illite is greater than 3.5 then no potassium is necessary if soil potassium level is greater than 150 parts per million.
