All farms will benefit from applying the right fertilizer source at the right rate, right time and right place. These are the 4Rs of 4R nutrient management, as outlined by Fertilizer Canada. Following the principles of 4R can improve the return on investment for fertilizer, improve overall farm sustainability, and reduce nutrient runoff into waterways and emissions into the air.
At Canola Council of Canada’s Canola Watch, we like quizzes as a way to share agronomy knowledge. Here are four quiz questions to test your knowledge of 4R nutrient management. Answers are provided at the end of the article.
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1. Ideally, the “right rate” would require a specific blend for each field, but this may not be logistically feasible. A compromise would be to use one blend for all canola acres, and then do what with that blend?
A. Apply it at the same rate for all canola acres.
B. Apply it at 125 per cent of recommended rates to get a boost in yield.
C. Turn off application on hilltops.
D. Vary the application rate to match the needs of each field.
2. 4R provides some flexibility to look at ideals then work back based on logistics and economics. From that premise, the ideal “right time” to apply fertilizer is ______________________.
A. In the spring at the time of seeding.
C. In the fall when fertilizer is often (but not always) cheaper.
D. Given the importance of fertilizer, “right time” is whenever you can get it on.
3. Banding into the soil is generally considered the “right place” for fertilizer. Which of the following does the Canola Encyclopedia chapter on 4R nutrient stewardship say is one exception?
A. Broadcast dry urea because the speed of operation is too good to pass up.
B. Elemental sulphur can be placed on the soil surface because it needs to oxidize.
D. Liquid fertilizer is best applied on the surface because the liquid will move it into the soil.
4. Any of the nitrogen fertilizer sources available can be a “right source,” but University of Saskatchewan professor and crop nutrition specialist Jeff Schoenau says anhydrous ammonia has potential for significant volatilization losses with ______________________.
A. Shallow application in dry, sandy or lumpy soils.
B. Shallow application in moist soils.
C. Deep application in cool soils.
Take 4R to another level
Many growers follow 4R practices because they improve the return on investment for fertilizer through higher nutrient use efficiency, fewer nutrient losses to the air and water, and timing and placement that feeds the crop instead of the weeds. The Nutrient Management section at canolaencyclopedia.ca has a chapter called “4R Nutrient Stewardship Practices,” for more information.
To take 4R to another level, consider working with a 4R-designated agronomist. They can help to develop and execute a 4R plan that works best based on a farm’s system and equipment. A designated agronomist can also have the farm officially recognized as 4R. (Note that acres are aggregated and reported anonymously.) To find a 4R-designated agronomist, visit the “What’s in it 4R Me?” page at Fertilizer Canada’s website. You’ll find contacts at the bottom of that page.
Finally, please sign up to receive Canola Watch, the timely and free Canola Council of Canada agronomy emails. The short, sign-up form is at canolawatch.org.
Quiz answers: 1 (D), 2 (B), 3 (B), 4 (A) GN
