Wolftrax Micronutrients
Apr 20, 2020
Micronutrients have had a buzz around them for at least the last decade and we’ve learned a lot more about them. If you’re a corn grower, putting zinc with your dry fertilizer blend or in furrow liquid is nothing new. Soybean growers have been experimenting with micros in dry blends and over the top applications with herbicides. Wheat management is being shifted more to a style that resembles corn management. Micronutrients, although small in amount required, can have a big impact on yields. Allied Agronomy has invested in a new to us system of micronutrients, Wolftrax micronutrients. The biggest difference in Wolftrax micronutrients is the method of delivery. Wolftrax micronutrients are applied to your dry fertilizer blend where it adheres to all the granules in the blend.
A common problem seen with dry micronutrient application, like Zinc Sulfate, is the pounds applied tend to be small. In the case of Zinc Sulfate, a common rate is 5 pounds to the acre. This makes distribution of the nutrient few and far between. If a crop, doesn’t matter what crop, is lacking in a certain nutrient it will send roots out to find that nutrient. The problem with this is the crop must burn energy, that it could be using elsewhere, to send these extra roots out to find that Zinc Sulfate granule. Other companies have had different answers to this problem, the one people are most familiar with is Mosaic’s MESZ. A popular view is that Wolftrax Zinc is a way to turn 11-52-0 and AMS into MESZ, this is only half true. While adding Wolftrax Zinc to a 11-52-0/AMS blend would give you the same nutrient content as MESZ, the availability of the nutrient is different. MESZ has nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and zinc all compressed into a singular granule. The limitation to this is the entire granule must be broken down to get all the nutrients out of it. A 11-52-0/AMS blend coated with Wolftrax Zinc, is more readily available because that zinc coating comes off the granules has soon as it hits water. Its instant zinc, just add water. The availability matters because corn needs zinc early in the season rather than later. As the soil warms, micro-organisms will become more active and release zinc from the soil. If a corn plant was deficient in zinc early, you will usually see the tissue test numbers rebound around tassel timing because of the release from the soil. At that point we have already loss yield.
Wolftrax offers a whole lot more than just zinc, they carry a full line up of individual micronutrients and some stacks. For 2020, Allied Agronomy will be running Wolftrax Zinc and Wolftrax 3-Trax in our Yargus plants. Will also have the capability to run other Wolftrax products out of our smaller blenders. Wolftrax 3-Trax is a stack of zinc, boron, and manganese. Keep in mind the limitations of micronutrients. Micronutrients aren’t going to increase yields if we don’t take care of the macros first. There’s a common analogy about fixing the leaky toilet when the house is on fire and that fits very well with fertility. If you have any questions on Wolftrax products or other fertility needs, give your local Allied Agronomy agronomist a call today.
This article is an opinion and not a base for trade decisions. Allied Agronomy and the author are not responsible for decisions made based on this article.
A common problem seen with dry micronutrient application, like Zinc Sulfate, is the pounds applied tend to be small. In the case of Zinc Sulfate, a common rate is 5 pounds to the acre. This makes distribution of the nutrient few and far between. If a crop, doesn’t matter what crop, is lacking in a certain nutrient it will send roots out to find that nutrient. The problem with this is the crop must burn energy, that it could be using elsewhere, to send these extra roots out to find that Zinc Sulfate granule. Other companies have had different answers to this problem, the one people are most familiar with is Mosaic’s MESZ. A popular view is that Wolftrax Zinc is a way to turn 11-52-0 and AMS into MESZ, this is only half true. While adding Wolftrax Zinc to a 11-52-0/AMS blend would give you the same nutrient content as MESZ, the availability of the nutrient is different. MESZ has nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and zinc all compressed into a singular granule. The limitation to this is the entire granule must be broken down to get all the nutrients out of it. A 11-52-0/AMS blend coated with Wolftrax Zinc, is more readily available because that zinc coating comes off the granules has soon as it hits water. Its instant zinc, just add water. The availability matters because corn needs zinc early in the season rather than later. As the soil warms, micro-organisms will become more active and release zinc from the soil. If a corn plant was deficient in zinc early, you will usually see the tissue test numbers rebound around tassel timing because of the release from the soil. At that point we have already loss yield.
Wolftrax offers a whole lot more than just zinc, they carry a full line up of individual micronutrients and some stacks. For 2020, Allied Agronomy will be running Wolftrax Zinc and Wolftrax 3-Trax in our Yargus plants. Will also have the capability to run other Wolftrax products out of our smaller blenders. Wolftrax 3-Trax is a stack of zinc, boron, and manganese. Keep in mind the limitations of micronutrients. Micronutrients aren’t going to increase yields if we don’t take care of the macros first. There’s a common analogy about fixing the leaky toilet when the house is on fire and that fits very well with fertility. If you have any questions on Wolftrax products or other fertility needs, give your local Allied Agronomy agronomist a call today.
This article is an opinion and not a base for trade decisions. Allied Agronomy and the author are not responsible for decisions made based on this article.