Meeting 4R Goals Without Sacrificing Yield? Envita™ Can Help
Systemic Nitrogen Fixation
In the Right Place at the Right Time.
Meeting 4R Goals Without Sacrificing Yield? Envita™ Can Help
With increasing regulation around crop inputs, specifically nitrogen and phosphorous, growers are increasingly facing ‘nutrient management planning’ and ‘best management practice’ guidelines to crop-input planning. The role of biologicals, particularly Envita, continues to attract interest as a viable contributor to balancing input cost and yield objectives with sustainable best practices.
Given the growing awareness and understanding of the long-term environmental impacts of applied N fertilizers on environmentally sensitive watersheds, many states are demanding adoption of the ’4R’ nutrient management principles, as a means to limit the impact of agricultural runoff. This is particularly true in both the Mississippi River Basin, and Chesapeake Bay Watershed, where there has already been severe degradation of water quality and aquatic life.
Envita within the ‘4R Framework’
The principals of the 4R Nutrient Management approach are predicated on creating a balance between:
- A grower’s need for consistent and reliable crop nutrients (specifically N)
- Cost effective yield outcomes, and
- Sustainable best practices, and environmental stewardship
Given these objectives, a comprehensive case can be made for incorporating Envita into nitrogen management plans, in order to reduce reliance on applied synthetic nitrogen.
In terms of alignment with the specific principles of 4R nutrient management as part of an overall nutrient reduction strategy, these particular functional aspects of Envita are worth noting:
Right Source
Finding the ‘Right Source’ is predicated on growers understanding their crop fertility needs; what nutrients are already present in the soil, and what specific fertilizer types and sources are needed in order to optimize plant growth and yield.
Envita, a new source of N to consider, does not conflict with existing soil properties, soil-borne bacteria and microbes, or other nutrient sources. Rather, it enters the roots at germination and moves quickly up into the plant where it colonizes within every plant cell, consistently and continuously fixing N all season long.
Right Rate
Finding the ‘Right Rate’ encompasses assessments of soil nutrient levels as well as predicted plant nutrient demands, generally validated by soil test data.
Envita complements rate planning and compensates for rate variances in providing continuous in-plant N fixation throughout the entire growing season. Applied N-fertilizer rates can be reduced by up to 27% in corn without sacrificing yield.
Right Place
Getting nutrients in the ‘Right Place’ refers to root-soil dynamics and nutrient movement, as well as managing in-field variability to address site-specific crop needs while limiting potential nutrient losses from the field. The objective being to keep nutrients where crops can use them.
Envita is not subject to the leeching and volatizing commonly experienced with applied synthetic N fertilizer. Nor does it need to translocate from the soil, through the roots and throughout the plant in order to provide nutrients. Since Envita literally ‘resides’ inside every cell of the plant, it is always in the right place, fixing N from the air, right where it is needed.
Right Time
Ensuring nutrient access at the ‘Right Time’ speaks to making timely decisions based on the dynamic components of crop uptake, soil conditions, nutrient loss factors and operation logistics. Providing nutrients when crops most need them to ensure maximum yield can typically involve both fall and pre-plant applications as well as side dressing.
Envita continuously fixes N from every plant cell all season long, providing the plant with an additional source of nitrogen during critical growth periods, including well past the point where side-dressing might be reasonably possible. Continuous in-plant N-fixation throughout the entire growing season helps to meet time-critical nutrient requirements and maximize crop growth potential and yield.
Learn more about Envita, and how it could work for you!