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Too early to apply fall nitrogen?

Cooler temperatures are set to move into Indiana this week.  That combined with an uptick in harvest pace may have farmers anxious put down fall applied nitrogen.

Purdue agronomist Jim Camberato says that it is too early and nitrogen application needs to wait.  “We recommend fall anhydrous only be applied north of I-70, so north of Indianapolis,” he says.  “And only when soil temperatures have fallen below 50 degrees at a 4” depth.”

In some instances, Camberato says fall applied nitrogen isn’t better.  “We had a wet spring and a wet growing season this year,” he says.  “Some of the folks that put on nitrogen in the fall ended up being short during the growing season because they had losses early on in the growing season.”

Fall and winter moisture will saturate soils earlier increasing the chance of nitrogen loss via tile drainage and denitrification in the air.

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