Today’s e-mail “Ground Work” message which AgriEnergy Resources of Princeton, IL sent to their clients emphasizes that needed foliar nutrients — applied well into the reproductive phase of crop development — can pay off with more yield and heavier grain test weights.
August 11, 2017 — AgriEnergy emphasized in their e-mailed report (inserted in whole below) that using an effective surfactant is essential for fullest leaf coverage and nutrient absorption. They specify WakeUP Summer in particular.
Since 2009, we’ve run many field trials with applications of foliar nutrients, well into August and September. On soybeans, we’ve found that we can save more pods, enhance filling for larger beans, and improve test weight. A couple of years we’ve applied late nutrients with WakeUP on alternate strips of soybeans, to show visually how beans can respond. In the nearby photo, we had a field with potassium deficiency, “healed” with WakeUP Summer and potassium sulfate solution. The green six-row strips had an average 8 bu. more yield than those where the nutrient deficiency wasn’t addressed with foliars and WakeUP.
On corn, we’ve found that late-applied foliar nutrition helps prevent tipping back, improves kernel depth, and usually keeps corn green longer. Our ideal is corn with a white husk hanging down and the kernels at 22% to 25% moisture — on a stalk with leaves that are mostly green, except for the bottom few leaves. Typically, well-fed corn will test a couple of pounds per bushel heavier than corn which gets hungry for nutrients late in the filling weeks. Sometimes we’ve had corn with very little dent, indicating a full nutrition package season-long.
And in a new development, AgriEnergy also describes an organically approved adjuvant which they’ve begun marketing. It’s called OROBOOST. Since we are a distributor of certain AgriEnergy products which are synergistic with WakeUP, we can get access to OROBOOST for organic growers. We get frequent calls asking if WakeUP is approved for organic use. (Even though WakeUP is made with plant-source ingredients on the FDA list of approve food additives, there are a couple of components which we can’t guarantee as OMRI approved.)
Thus it will be helpful to have an organic surfactant to provide our clients, who often have both organic and non-organic sections of their farming operations under the same management, although kept distinctly separate.
Here’s the complete AgriEnergy Resources report released today:
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We’re still not quite ready to put the sprayer away yet, as there’s still time to include an adjuvant with your foliar sprays. An adjuvant can enhance the efficiency of the product(s) applied. We believe anytime you’re applying a foliar product, whether it be nutrients, biologicals, or plant protectants, an adjuvant should be included.
At AgriEnergy, we carry 3 adjuvant options:
- WakeUP Summer and WakeUP Spring for conventional use
- OROBOOST® for organic use
They both have unique properties that set them apart from other adjuvants on the market.
We wrote about WakeUP Summer and WakeUP Spring here and here. In fact, when used with our SP-1™, WakeUP Spring boosted corn yield by 14 bushels, and when blended with our Accelerator product, WakeUP Summer boosted corn yield by 13 bushels.
While both WakeUP Summer and WakeUP Spring are great options for conventional use, we’re excited to announce another option specifically for organic use, OROBOOST® from Oro Agri Inc.
Here’s what you need to know about OROBOOST:
- While it carries an organic certification, it is a versatile adjuvant that improves not only the performance of organic pesticides, but also the efficacy of non-organic foliar-applied pesticides and nutrients.
- With patented TransPhloem™ technology, OROBOOST gives growers a new tool to improve spray applications. It’s
comprised of a combination of surfactants and other components, collectively known as OROWET® technology, that is patented in countries worldwide. - At lower rates, OROBOOST is a top performing wetter and spreader for use with contact pesticides. It provides uniform droplet size for even distribution of the spray solution over the leaf surface. This uniform droplet size results in more uniform coverage for better pesticide performance and reduces leaf run-off that can occur when droplets are too large.
- The surface tension reducing properties of OROBOOST will carry pesticides into hard-to-reach areas of the plant where insects and diseases often hide.
- Independent university studies have shown the OROWET® technology used in the formulation of OROBOOST penetrates waxy leaf surfaces and starts movement of the spray solution down the petiole in as little as fifteen minutes. From there, the TransPhloem technology contained in OROBOOST translocates the spray materials throughout a plant’s vascular system more rapidly and in higher concentrations than other types of adjuvants like crop oils, non-ionic surfactants and methylated seed oils. This rapid movement improves pesticide control and nutrient response.
- This phosphorescent image of a lambsquarter weed shows how OROBOOST can
translocate a systemic herbicide to the roots for better control. Roundup PowerMax with a radioactive isotope marker was applied with OROBOOST. This image was taken 12 hours after the application. Red areas indicate a high concentration of glyphosate and green areas indicate a medium concentration. Notice how most of the herbicide has moved out of the leaf and has translocated to other areas of the plant, especially the roots. The well-defined image of the roots along with the red and green areas indicate the roots have received a high concentration of the spray solution that will lead to control of the weed.
With OROBOOST, WakeUP Summer, and WakeUP Spring, growers have an effective way to maximize the performance of both organic and conventional pesticides in an easy-to-use manner. Contact your AgriEnergy sales representative to learn which option would be the best fit for your growing operation!