At-Plant Nitrogen Placement Study

Key Points

Objective: To evaluate and compare yield and economic impact of at-plant applications of 20 Gal/A of liquid 32% UAN nitrogen placed in four different systems.
Top Performer: Dual-band Conceal^® treatments offered the highest yield in the study at 269.1 Bu/A.
Yield Difference: In 2022, when we compared yield data from utilizing a "weed and feed" solution to banding nitrogen near the furrow at-plant, we saw a 10.2 Bu/A increase by placing nitrogen on the planter.
Nitrogen Where It’s Needed: Conceal is a planter fertility attachment that is cleanly tucked into the row unit and places nutrition in the soil 3 inches away from the seed.

What nitrogen application system during planting produces the highest yield and economic impact?

To answer that question, we took to the PTI Farm with four different application systems, including Dribble Tubes, John Deere 2x2, 360 BANDIT, and Conceal^®.

Each system distributes nitrogen in the following ways:

Dribble Tubes: Surface applies nitrogen behind gauge wheels and 3” to the side of the center of furrow.
John Deere^® 2x2: Uses coulter/knife ahead of row unit to inject fertilizer 2” below and 2” over from seed.
360 BANDIT™: Streams fertilizer 3” off the side of row and 3⁄4” in depth.
Conceal: Injects fertilizer 3” off the side of the row, 1.5” in depth with a knife placed in the center of the gauge wheels.

The results show us that dual-band Conceal treatments offered the highest yields at 269.1 Bu/A. Whereas the other methods of application showed losses up to 6.3 Bu/A. These numbers are important because once we know the performance of each method, we can calculate the true cost of each system.

As growers consider purchasing and implementing a system, it’s important to understand the original costs of the system against the potential yield and economic increases. When we take our 2022 results and assume the use of a system for at least three years, we can calculate the anticipated realized cost for a 16-row planter build:

Nitrogen placement study results overview — *Prices are subject to change. Contact *your dealer* *for an accurate cost estimate for your planter specifications.*

This is a prime example of why it’s important to not only consider the initial cost of an item, but to consider the total cost after increases in performance to determine the total return on investment you could expect.