Use available phosphate for better establishment

Physiologically the best time to plant cereals, for example, would be in September as the soils are warm and have a good level of moisture. However delayed drilling is more often than not now practiced to help combat blackgrass problems. This means that instead of the more conducive conditions of September they are now the cold and potentially waterlogged soils of October or November. 

A nutrient that is particularly important during establishment is phosphorus, in the form of plant-available phosphate. Phosphate has a role in the development of shoots and in particular roots and this is why a sufficient supply is key in the early stages of a crop’s life - establishing that root network in order to access water and other nutrients. The problem here is that phosphate (when fixed) moves less than 1mm in the soil so, unless the seed is very close, it is unlikely to be able to utilise the phosphate that might have been broadcast on the surface. 

Placing some phosphate at drilling goes some of the way towards the crop’s requirement but there is still a risk that it might not get into the plant due to the proximity – therefore a further option is a phosphate seed treatment such as YaraVita Glytrel MnP which contains both phosphate and manganese (helps with disease defence). This combination means that there is a supply of phosphate directly on the seed and therefore will be immediately available to the plant once germinated with some added natural defence against disease from the manganese. These benefits will be vital when you’re faced with cold, wet conditions where you may struggle to apply foliar applications.

Find out more information about phosphate seed treatments.