Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought. -Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
The above quote came from a man who circa 1930, discovered "hexuronic acid" which was actually the thus far unidentified antiscorbutic factor, known as vitamin c. Thinking what no one has thought is not usually the result of being born a genius, but a method of clearing the air of too many false signals. Typically, true data is obscure because of too much noise in the room, rather than not available to our mind. Beck's Hybrids has put together some pre plant Practical Farm Research which will be shared here. The thoughts in between screen shots are my own, yet, gleaned from the professionals I work with.
Amplify D has shown a 3.7 bpa advantage over control trials when using 2 oz/unit over 4 years of testing. We have personally used this on our farm. My thoughts involve the challenge of applying it evenly across the entire box of seed. At one point we stirred it in with a drill with a mixing paddle for drywall mud. This is not perfect and results in heavier and lighter veins of powder in the seed. We went to a talc applicator to apply it while loading the planter and that has solved that issue. The caveat emptor on talc applicators on the market is that they are tested on lubrication & flow powders and not fertilizer powers like Amplify D. Translation: fertilizer is much heavier and can bind up the applicator auger if loaded too heavily. My takeaway on this product is it is very beneficial to your young corn with a blend of nutrients on the seed to promote faster and more uniform emergence.
Here is a quote from PFR: "Amplify-D® is a low analysis fertilizer with a blend of nutrients that aids in early seedling development and growth. Amplify-D can be purchased in a dry® formulation (Amplify-D) or a liquid (Amplify-L ). Key Benefits: Encourages faster and more uniform emergence."
Interestingly, if we go a step further and add liquid starter fertilizer, with its own additive of Pmax LFS, with a 2x2 32% application and StartRight additive with the above mentioned Amplify D this results in an even better ROI. Not just better yield, but better net profit. Bear in mind the spring of 2017 in which the test was taken was extremely contrary with heavy rains. Note the white paper below:
Closing wheels are the last chance your seed has for vigorous emergence. Almost any wheel tested in Beck's PFR studies is better than the solid rubber. Many products have been tested over time with the the Yetter Poly twister, Schaffert Zipper, and the Copperhead Furrowcruiser being the most consistent. See below for the different options.
We will send out another update soon on Power of the P's: PFR Proven Preplant Practices Part 2. Take care and good luck!
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