3/24/2022

How You Can Capture Nitrogen From the Air for Your Crops

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The last year has been extremely volatile for fertilizer prices. Nitrogen is already one of the most expensive inputs for farmers each season and, as you know, is critical for maximum yield potential. You need every tool available to help you get the best return on your nitrogen investment each season.  

With that in mind, we at Corteva Agriscience would like to introduce our new solution: Utrisha™ N nutrient efficiency optimizer. Utrisha N is a biological product, specifically a biostimulant, that provides crops with an alternative, sustainable nitrogen source.

Utrisha N Nutrient Efficiency Optimizer

Utrisha N is a microbial, nitrogen fixation product that can supply growing plants additional nitrogen to facilitate growth and, ultimately, optimize yield potential. This nitrogen source supplements traditional nitrogen programs for a wide variety of crops, including corn, soybeans and wheat.

The bacteria within Utrisha N enter the plant through the leaves and colonize, making above-ground plant tissue their habitat. Once the bacteria colonize, they convert nitrogen gas (N) into ammonium (NH4+), which the plant can use immediately to enhance growth for optimum yield potential.  

In addition, the bacteria in Utrisha N do not overproduce nitrogen. So, it’s an environmentally friendly option for your farm.  

Maximizing Nitrogen on Your Farm

Utrisha N nutrient efficiency optimizer provides a natural, sustainable nitrogen source for crops and can easily fit into your current nitrogen programs. We recommend using Utrisha N on corn, for example, alongside conventional nitrogen fertilizers and nitrogen-stabilizing products, such as N-Serve® nitrogen stabilizer and Instinct NXTGEN® nitrogen stabilizer.  

To truly maximize nitrogen use on a corn-growing operation, you can use a traditional nitrogen fertilizer in the fall and/or spring, stabilizing those applications with N-Serve or Instinct NXTGEN, which are both powered by Optinyte® technology, and then applying Utrisha N at the V5 stage. This method will help ensure the nitrogen your corn needs is readily available when it’s needed.

The bacteria in this product stay within the plants; cannot be removed or washed away; and continue to grow as new plant tissue develops. So, Utrisha N helps ease worries about nitrogen loss by ensuring a steady source of nitrogen during critical growth stages. It’s a game-changing product if you combat common nitrogen deficiency concerns with issues like light or sandy soils, poor drainage and heavy rains. Utrisha N is just another tool in the toolbox to help get crops the nutrients needed to optimize yield potential.

Utrisha N is also a convenient product to handle and store. For example, it can be foliar-applied between the V4 and V8 corn stages by using a standard sprayer. No special equipment is required for these applications.  

How Has Utrisha N Nutrient Efficiency Optimizer Been Tested?

We have a rigorous testing strategy for all biological products. Symborg, the biostimulant company we’ve partnered with in bringing Utrisha N to market, performed years of testing on this product. We’ve conducted our own research trials, and last season, we tested the product on roughly 150,000 acres of farms with a wide variety of crops, including corn, soybeans, cotton, sorghum and wheat. Similar trials will be performed this year, as well.

Following these field trials, we’re going to analyze several data points. Those will include preplant soil samples, photographs, root morphology observations, late-season intactness, harvest yield, harvest moisture and harvest test weight. Our plan is to be able to use this data to give you a better idea of how Utrisha N nutrient efficiency optimizer can help keep your crops healthy and productive and how you can use the product to get the best results.

This is just one of several biologicals we have in the pipeline. Those solutions include more biostimulants, as well as pheromones and biocontrol products. Talk with your local ag retailer and trusted advisers to see how these solutions can fit into your farm management programs. 

 

Instinct NXTGEN® and Utrisha N nutrient efficiency optimizer are not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Do not fall-apply anhydrous ammonia south of Highway 16 in the state of Illinois. Always read and follow label directions.