Fertilizer Studies Reveal Largest ROI

Corn growers know how big of an annual budget goes to fertilizers alone. Measuring return on investment for different fertilizer strategies can save growers a significant amount per acre without sacrificing yields. Dan Quinn, a Purdue Extension corn specialist, conducted an intensive management trial in corn at five plots in 2022.

Three of these tests included the application of 5.2 gallons per acre of ammonium thiosulfate at sidedressing; applying zinc, manganese and boron as foliar micronutrients at V6; and splitting nitrogen application after planting between sidedressing at V5 and sidedressing at V10 to V12, vs. one sidedress application. The same amount of nitrogen was applied in both scenarios.

The results showed that using sulfur as a standalone treatment resulted in a 207% increase in ROI. The micronutrient tests resulted in a 200% ROI, while Nitrogen results showed increased yields at three of the five locations with statistical significance at two of the plots, possibly due to dry conditions.

Read more on the input tests and results here.