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DuPont Pioneer study confirms P & K deficiency

A DuPont Pioneer study conducted in 12 Corn Belt states shows deficiency in phosphorus and potassium.  Pioneer agronomy research manager Andy Heggenstaller tells Brownfield it’s surprising because Pioneer research plots are on better ground where adequate nutrients would be expected.

“We saw a striking amount of potassium deficiency,” Heggenstaller told Brownfield Ag News.  “In Iowa, 56 percent of the samples we collected were deficient in potassium and 42 percent of the samples in Illinois.”

In the Western Corn Belt different deficiencies were detected.  “In the Dakotas, Kansas and Nebraska, in all four of those states 50 percent of the samples came back deficient in phosphorous,” he said.

Heggenstaller says that in the long term, P and K deficiencies can limit yields in both corn and soybeans.

He says today’s more productive hybrids and varieties require a higher volume of nutrients.

“I suspect that the yield values that we’re using in our calculations for fertilizer application rates may not be consistent with the high yield levels that we’ve been seeing over the last three to five years,” said Heggenstaller, “so I’m sure crop removal rates are high and I wonder if we’re keeping up with that, if all growers are making sure that’s updated in their recommendations.”

Potassium promotes stalk strength and late-season standability. Phosphorus deficiency can cause early growth issues and can reduce tolerance to drought, disease and temperature stress.

AUDIO: Andy Heggenstaller (8 min. MP3)