Sorghum

A guide to applying nutrients with liquid fertilisers in sorghum

• EASY Liquids fertilisers guide
• Soil applications
• Surface sprays
• Fertigation
• Sidedress into the soil
• Replacing nutrients removed

EASY Liquids fertilisers guide

Fertiliser	Product rate (L/ha)	Application method	Nutrients applied (kg/ha)*
			N	P	K	S	Zn
EASY Liquids for application pre planting
EASY N	Up to 260 L/ha	Soil injected or band sprayed and incorporated		110
EASY ATS®	Up to 40 L/ha	Soil injected or band sprayed and incorporated	6			14
EASY Liquids for application at planting
EASY NP™	Up to 190 L/ha	Soil injected away from the seed	21	30
EASY NP	Up to 50 L/ha	Applied with the seed	5	8
EASY NP + Zn™	Up to 190 L/ha	Soil injected away from the seed	19	29			1.3
EASY NP + Zn	Up to 50 L/ha	Applied with the seed	5	7			0.3
EASY NPK 27™	Up to 190 L/ha	Soil injected away from the seed	15	27	10		1.3
EASY NPK 27	Up to 50 L/ha	Applied with the seed	4	7	2		0.3
EASY Liquids for application at 3 leaf to booting stage
EASY N	Up to 130 L/ha	Soil injected, by stream or dribble bars or fertigated (overhead sprinkler or water run)	55
EASY U Sol®	Up to 210 L/ha	Soil injected, by stream or dribble bars or fertigated (overhead sprinkler or water run)	55
Zincsol®	Up to 2 L/ha with 50 L of water	Foliar sprayed					0.3

 

Note: These suggestions are based on the nutrient removal in grain of a 6 t/ha sorghum crop. They do not reflect the total nutrient requirement of the crop. This guide is not intended to be a complete program and each application suggestion should be considered individually. All fertiliser programs should utilise soil and tissue testing to more accurately identify the specific nutrients to apply and the required rates. *At full product rate.

Soil applications

Using EASY Liquids® fertilisers at planting allows for a more uniform distribution of nutrients and significant logistical advantages, with savings in machinery and set-up costs.

Spray EASY Liquids onto the soil surface, at the required rate for the crop, preferably incorporating afterwards. Alternatively, inject behind tines into the soil.

If applied into prepared beds in row crops close to planting time, apply at or below the furrow line and a minimum of 5 cm to the side of the plant line.

If nitrogen fertilisers are surface applied, incorporation by cultivation or irrigation shortly after application will reduce the risk of volatilisation losses of ammonia.

Rain or irrigation (10 – 15 mm or more, depending on the amount of plant material on the soil surface and soil texture) will also carry the fertiliser into the soil.

EASY NP, EASY NP + Zn and EASY NPK 27 can be injected into the soil at planting at rates of up to 190 L/ha.

It is recommended that at rates higher than 50 L/ha, the liquid is placed at least 5 cm away from the seed.

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Surface sprays

EASY N and EASY U Sol fertilisers can be applied to the soil by streaming nozzles or dribble bars.

Follow-up rain is needed to carry the fertiliser into the soil.

While most of the fertiliser will run off the leaves onto the soil, leaf wetting is unavoidable and leaf burn may occur.

Photo caption: EASY Liquids can be injected into irrigation systems in sorghum to supply up to 55 kg/ha of nitrogen to the crop.

If leaf burn is a concern, growers can minimise the risk by:

• Applying the fertiliser under cool conditions.
• Diluting the fertiliser with water. Higher volumes of water can help where conditions favour high evaporation rates.
• Applying the fertiliser during the cooler parts of the day, such as late afternoon or night time.
• Applying the fertiliser when rainfall is imminent.

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Fertigation

EASY Liquids can be applied by injection into fixed line irrigation sprinklers or water run along open furrows where sorghum is irrigated.

Where fixed line irrigation sprinklers are used, inject the fertiliser into the lines over a reasonable period of time, e.g. the mid third of the shift, leaving the last third to flush the lines and wash any fertiliser solution from the leaves.

Injection into irrigation water will need to be continuous where centre pivots or travelling booms are used.

Growers can apply higher rates of EASY Liquids by overhead irrigation than they could with sprays, because the high dilution rates eliminate the risk of leaf burn.

EASY N and EASY U Sol may also be water run to top up the crop’s nutrient supply.

The fertilisers can be injected directly into the main irrigation channel.

Water running EASY Liquids requires a strategically placed storage tank and a constant head tank with flow valve to meter product into the field’s irrigation channel.

Refer to the EASY Liquids application section for specific information on applying EASY Liquids with irrigation.

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Sidedress into the soil

EASY N and EASY U Sol can be injected into the soil at the 3 leaf to booting stage, supplying up to 55 kg/ha of nitrogen.

Apply far enough to the side of the rows to avoid root pruning, but avoid the inter-row area where utilisation of the fertiliser tends to be poor.

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Replacing nutrients removed

At a minimum, fertiliser programs should replace the nutrients removed by the harvested crop. Removal of nutrients will vary with yield, soil type and management techniques such as pest and disease control.

This approach to fertiliser programs is best suited to soils that have adequate nutrition available for plant growth. On low fertility soils, applying fertiliser rates based on grain removal alone will not satisfy crop requirements and full yield potential will not be achieved.

Nutrient removed (kg) with 1 t of sorghum

N	P	K	S	Ca	Mg
18	2.3	3.3	2.4	0.5	1.4

 

 

Source: The Australian Soil Fertility Manual (2000) Appendix 1.

 

 

Figure 1: The growth cycle

Source: Vanderlip, RL (1972) ‘How a sorghum plant develops’

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For further information, contact your local Incitec Pivot Fertilisers’ Distributor or freecall 1800 009 832.

www.incitecpivot.com.au

This is a guide only, which we hope you find helpful as a general tool. While Incitec Pivot Fertilisers has taken all reasonable care in the preparation of this guide, it should not be relied on as a substitute for tailored professional advice and Incitec Pivot Fertilisers accepts no liability in connection with this guide. Talk to your local Incitec Pivot Fertilisers Distributor Agronomist about soil testing and arranging a specific fertiliser recommendation that best suits your needs.

® EASY Liquids, EASY N, EASY ATS and EASY U Sol are registered trademarks of Incitec Pivot Limited. ™ EASY NP, EASY NP + Zn and EASY NPK 27 are trademarks of Incitec Pivot Limited. ® Zincsol is a registered trademark of Top Australia Limited.

Incitec Pivot Fertilisers is a business of Incitec Pivot Limited, ABN 42 004 080 264.

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