How hybrids respond differently to foliar feeding

Tissue testing and foliar feeding can combine to help growers fine-tune in-season fertilizer applications to meet the needs of a growing corn crop. But how do the characteristics of individual hybrids influence the fertility rates growers need to apply? On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, host Bernard Tobin catches up with PRIDE Seeds agronomist Stephanie Myslik to report on the second year of an ongoing trial designed to identify how corn hybrids respond to foliar feeding, including the potential yield impact and return on investment. In 2023, Myslik ran a trial to evaluate how tissue testing and foliar feeding could impact PRIDE hybrid A6929G4. Working with Bryan Stennett from NutriAnalytics, Myslik tissue tested at three different growth stages — V2, V7 and VT/R1.

After each test, foliar fertilizer was applied based on NutriAnalytics recommendations. At harvest, the foliar feeding delivered a 14.9 bu/ac yield advantage. Return on investment, after nutrient and application cost, checked in at a positive $31.67 per acre. In this follow-up interview, Myslik and Tobin look at the results of 2024 trials. This time, Myslik tested two different PRIDE hybrids — one racehorse and one workhorse — and also added a fungicide treatment to the trial to help determine whether foliar-applied nutrients and fungicide would produce a synergistic effect and deliver more value to the grower. The 2024 trial showed again that foliar feeding can have a positive impact on yield, but it's unclear whether a synergistic effect exists between fungicides and foliar fertilizer.

It's very clear, however, that hybrids respond differently to in-season fertilizer. In the trial, the workhorse hybrid showed a 28.8 bu/ac response to the foliar application while the racehorse hybrid added only 5.2 bu/ac. "No two hybrids are the same," says Myslik. "They all utilize nutrients differently, they grow differently, they respond differently. That's part of the puzzle we're trying to solve — what does each individual hybrid want and how do we meet those needs." Myslik planted another trial this spring. This time she'll expand it to look at application timing to determine whether any of the three application timings deliver a higher return on foliar fertilizer application. PRIDE and NutriAnalytics will also increase the nutrient applications for the racehorse hybrid to help determine its appetite for fertility and the ROI on that investment.