Gary Rader, Cando, North Dakota

At present, my fertilizing application consists of two separate operations. The majority of Nitrogen is applied as NH3 with "Lange" knives mounted on a 22' IH chisel plow.

For seeding and deep banding of dry fertilizer I have 16' of Haybuster 8000 series hoe drills. The standard shank is equipped with dual outlet seed tubes. There is 10" spacing between each shank. The dual outlets create a paired seed row in which the width between the seeds is 3". The pairs of rows are 7" apart.

Packer wheels run directly behind the shank, centered in the furrow. This enables the V shaped packer wheel to firm seeds in moist soil against the side wall of the furrow. Should soil crust in the packer wheel track seedlings are allowed to emerge through softer soil on either side of the furrow.

The deep band of dry fertilizer is deposited approximately 2" below each paired seed row, in which the soil above the fertilizer band is firmed by a sealer plate.

By banding the fertilizer, the plants are able to proliferate their roots when they contact a concentrated source of P. This allows the plant to effectively utilize the P from the band, which increases the efficiency of the P.

When fertilizer is banded below the seed, soil dryout is less likely to occur early in the growing season. Since it is in moist soil, P uptake is enhanced much better than if the plant roots have to search out fertilizer as in a broadcast method.

By placing the fertilizer in a band below the seed, you can reduce by about 1/3 your dry fertilizer recommendation versus broadcasting and using a higher rate.

As I mentioned earlier my fertilization program consists of two separate operations. By this spring I would like to upgrade my current drills with a larger set capable of putting down seed, Nitrogen and Phosphate in a one pass system.

POST APPLIED NH3 IN NO-TILL SUNFLOWERS

By Jon Goplen, Hannaford, ND

Improved economics and overall efficiencies have been realized in my farm operation for the past 10 years because, of no-till small grains. However, with oil crops consisting of 25% or more of my acres, I have had a tendency to break the no-till cycle. Therefore, losing out on longer term benefits of improved soil tilth, organic matter, etc. This has pushed me to make no-till sunflowers a part of my rotation.

Key areas in production management of no-till flowers are:

1) Good soil to seed contact in a warm seed zone.

2) Fertilizer placement.

3) Weed Control.

I felt I was best able to perform in the first key area by planting in 3O~' rows with residue managers attached to the planter. A total fertilizer program at planting was not attractive to me and the need to control weed escapes lead me to purchasing a high residue cultivator with the capability of side banding NH3.

The 8 row implement has gangs that consist of a disk cutting opener saddled between gauge wheels, followed by a V blade that is set to undercut, which is then followed by a narrow profile NH3 knife. The knife follows the same track of the disk which alleviates any residue problems. The NH3 is placed at 4" to 6" which keeps evaporation minimal.

The ability of nitrogen to move within the soil and the aggressive root structure of sunflowers makes sidebanding an effective placement. Also, placing the nitrogen when it is needed most by the plant minimizes leaching losses. This leads to higher fertilizer efficiency.

Other areas that I benefit in with this approach include time management, the ability to band pesticides during this operation, and freeing up the fertilizer attachment on the planter for a small doze of starter.

No-till flowers present some unique challenges. Fertilizer placement, in my operation, is no longer one of them.