Spring feeding of winter wheat

How to properly perform early spring fertilizing of winter crops

Wheat is the main agricultural crop of Russia. In any economic situation in the country, this cultivated plant occupies a leading position in the list of export goods. Wheat is the basis of Russian food security. Some modern varieties can produce more than 100 kg/ha of high-quality grain. Wheat, like any agricultural crop, needs proper fertilizing. Abnormally warm winters have been observed in Russia recently. In most cases, they are followed by a long and cold spring. After a cool spring period, winter crops become large-celled and tall. They are prone to lodging and are characterized by low resistance to phytopathogens. In such situations, farmers carry out nitrogen fertilization to obtain the planned yield.

Winter wheat top dressing in spring: basics

In early spring, winter crops need fertilizing. After the end of the winter period, plants begin to grow intensively and create a ground mass. For this, the culture needs a certain amount of nitrate nitrogen. Deficiency of the substance is the reason for slowing down the restoration of vegetation.

Even chernozem, which belongs to the most nitrogen-rich type of soil, needs to be fertilized. The content of the element in the soil can be very high. But nitrogen in its natural ("natural") form can be absorbed by crops only at a certain temperature. Various microorganisms in the soil, which are able to convert nitrogen into an element in nitrate form, begin active activity only at 10 ° C of the environment.

And wheat needs to rise, overtake weeds in growth immediately after overwintering. The culture can get the necessary nitrogen nutrition only from nitrate top dressing.

The main food for winter cereals in spring is nitrogen in an easily digestible form. These include carbamide, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, BIOSTRATE 5-4-4 and other types of BIOSTRATE. The formulations are introduced at the first stage of the development of reproductive organs (30% of the total norm).

The second feeding is performed at the exit stage into the tube. During this period, about 50% of the nitrogen norm is introduced. And the third is at the stage of earing winter crops and before filling the grains. At this stage, the remainder is added – 20% of the norm of the element.

In order for cultivated plants to actively absorb nitrogen in the spring and autumn period during the main soil treatment, it is necessary to introduce phosphorus-potassium compounds. If there is a lack of potassium and phosphorus in the soil, the yield decreases by 20%. Wheat needs not only nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Culture also needs other micro- and macroelements: iron, sulfur, zinc, copper, magnesium, and calcium.

Types and timing of winter wheat top dressing

During the early growing season, the development of crops occurs in cool weather. During this period, there is a short daylight, the sun is in a low position above the horizon. Under such conditions, the required volume of useful compounds is not formed during photosynthesis. For this reason, wheat needs to be provided with nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and others.

In winter, most of the beneficial micro- and macroelements are washed out into the deep layers of the soil. Therefore, fertilizing the soil is done in several steps during the growing season:

1. The first operation is performed in early spring. Regenerative feeding is carried out using different forms of nitrogen fertilizers. In most cases, ammonium nitrate is used. The composition belongs to the type that is most safe for grain crops. The consumption rate is determined taking into account the condition of the crops and the date of the beginning of the growing season. About 30% of the nitrogen norm in the active compound is applied to the land with normally developed shoots at the second or third stage of organogenesis. This ensures the formation of strong stems, growth, increases loosening, increases the density of standing to six to seven hundred cultivated plants per 1 m2. If after the winter period some areas with winter wheat have frozen, then the rate of application of the elements is determined taking into account the degree of liquefaction.
2. The second feeding is carried out at the fourth stage of organogenesis. During this period, the culture is in the phase of entering the tube. The norm is determined by the first application, leaf diagnostics. The dose should be at least 50% of the total nitrogen content.
3. The third application of fertilizers implies the use of the rest of the nitrogen norm (20%). Top dressing is carried out before the beginning of the earing stage and until the grains are fully filled. At this stage, the activity of the upper leaves increases and the effectiveness of photosynthesis increases.

In the early stages of winter wheat vegetation, attention is paid to areas where winter crops are in a weak liquefied state.

Nitrogen forms in fertilizers

Nitrogen fertilizers are available in three forms:

1. Amide. After application to the soil, it turns into ammonium, and then into nitrate. This form is well absorbed by roots and leaves during foliar feeding.
2. Ammonium. This form is gradually absorbed by wheat at low temperatures and slowly turns into nitrate. Ammonium compounds ensure the strengthening and growth of the root system, promotes the loosening of young shoots, and the rapid assimilation of useful compounds.
3. Nitric acid. The form is quickly absorbed by the root system at high temperatures and when used in acidic soil types. In some cases, it can be washed into the deep layers of the earth.

When is the early spring top dressing of winter wheat carried out

It is recommended to feed crops in early spring, when the temperature exceeds 6°C, and the daily average is 3°C-4°C. During this period, the effectiveness of the introduced drugs is maximum. The work is carried out within 10-15 days. If nitrogen is introduced earlier or later, the effectiveness of fertilizer use decreases:

• with early application of nitrogen compounds, the element is washed out with a current of water during snowfall and precipitation;
• with late application of nitrogen, the number of productive stems decreases, a shortened ear appears on the shoots, which in most cases does not give full-fledged grain.

Features of winter wheat fertilization on frozen ground

Early spring fertilizing of grain crops on frozen soil is necessary to increase the volume of harvest. The need for fertilizers arises due to the non-dispersibility of wheat. Often in winter, crops freeze out and after snowfall, various damages are observed. In early spring, the average daytime temperature ranges from 0°C to -2°C for a long period. This is an additional reason for the need for fertilizing immediately after winter.

Features of the introduction of nitrogen compounds:

The rate of fertilizers containing nitrogen and other elements that must be introduced into the soil is calculated taking into account the planned yield. It is adjusted depending on the condition of wheat;
• work is performed using a tractor with a spring harrow or a spreading device immediately after snowfall in a short time;
• with a rapid increase in ambient temperature, soil, the use of technology becomes ineffective. The culture does not have time to expand, to form side shoots;
The optimal period for cultivating fields by farmers is at a temperature of 0°C–5°C, during the beginning of spring vegetation. At this time, the top layer of the soil is characterized by waterlogging. For this reason, nitrogen compounds dissolve quickly, are absorbed by wheat roots;
• during heavy precipitation, part of the nitrogen compounds is washed out of the upper soil layer, therefore, the effectiveness of their use deteriorates significantly.

The amount of nitrogen that is applied to permafrost soil is about 30% of the total norm of fertilizers used during the growing season. As a top dressing, the following are used:

• ammonium nitrate is characterized by an active, mobile form of nitrogen;
• ammonium sulfate refers to sulfur-nitrogen types of fertilizers. The composition includes nitrogen in ammonium form;
• urea (urea) is a composition with an amide form that is slowly converted to ammonium, and then to nitrate;
Carbamide-ammonia mixture (CAS) is a composition that includes three nitrogen forms: ammonia, amide, and nitrate. This feature ensures the supply of nutrients to plants for an extended period.

Taking into account the nuances of early spring fertilizing technology, it is recommended to use nitrogen compounds only for crops that have not reached the peeling phase. In other situations, it is better to use the root method.

Second top dressing of winter crops

The volume of nitrogen composition introduced in the second stage is from 50% of the total norm. In most cases, ammonium nitrate is scattered over the surface of the soil. For root dressing, carbamide is often used with sealing of the topsoil.

Advantages of the second fertilizer treatment:

• efficiency and simplicity of work on spreading compounds;
• increased air permeability due to the destruction of the soil crust when applying top dressing using lowercase seeders;
• improvement of cultural development due to a decrease in the temperature of the surface layer of the earth.

At the stage of entering the tube, winter wheat needs additional treatment with fertilizers containing not only nitrogen, but also other elements. These include environmentally friendly organic and organic mineral fertilizers of TM "ECOR-K". The compositions were developed by a group of specialists under the leadership of Gennady Nikolaevich Kosyanenko.

The third stage is foliar top dressing

With respect,
Kocherga Valentin Andreevich

Project manager