SLTEC® Corn Popup™ Driving Crop Yields in 2020 Farmer Trial
Farmer: Steve Lanyon, Boort
Product: Corn Popup™ rate demo at 300 L/ha, applied via furrow jets with 20 inch spacings
Sown: 20th Nov 2020 at 90,000 seeds/ha, harvested 30th June 2021
Variety: PAC 440
Background:
Steve Lanyon has been trialling liquid pop up products on his farm for many seasons. Over that time, he has witnessed significant yield and vigour responses from the addition of SLTEC Corn Starter products. Coming into the 2020 season we had discussed with Steve the possibilities of ‘pushing the boundaries’ on the starter concept to see just how high a rate we could apply to the seed to increase growth and yield responses without damage. Steve’s standard application rate of popup fertiliser is 150 L/ha, and the trial question was could we double it?
The demo was simple; the only variable would be the volume of SLTEC® Corn Popup™ liquid injected in a side-by-side demo. The demo was sown with a Spot On AG™ precision planter in 60-metre strips.
Plots of Corn Popup™ at 150 L/ha was compared against plots at 300L/ha. In the same paddock, some nil and 60 L/ha strips were also planted to exhibit at a proposed field day that unfortunately could not take place due to COVID-19.
Pre-plant fertiliser was drilled prior to planting (200kg of MAP and 500kg of Urea). Steve also applied two 200 L applications of SLTEC UAN via Y-Drops™.
Scott Palmer from SLTEC® Fertilizers inspected and assessed trial progress every 2 – 3 weeks, taking hand cuts from 3 plants per treatment and measuring wet weight, height and visually recording the individual plants and their plots. Once cobs were developed, they were weighed and photographed.
The first assessment was made on the 8th December 2020. The higher rates of Corn Popup™ consistently showed a trend towards more weight and early height compared to the 150 L/ha treatment.
Figure 1. The 300 L rate (right) is more developed and has greater vigour than lower rates. Photo taken approximately 18 days after planting.
On the 11th of January 2021, an assessment of treatment wet weights showed the average weight of the 150 L/ha plant was 716 g, whereas the 300 L/ha treatment was 800 g per plant. This corresponds to a 12% increase in wet weight per plant or about 7,000 kg more growth per ha.
Figure 2 (below) was taken on the 11th of January (approximately 52 days after planting).
Figure 2. Wet weight assessments of Corn Popup treatments were taken on 11th January 2021 (52 days after planting). The 300 L/ha treatment was 12% heavier than the 150 L/ha treatment.
Cob weights showed similar trends, with cobs from treatment plots always heavier than the Nil and consistently larger (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Harvested cobs of Nil, 60, 150 and 300 L/Ha Corn Popup treatments on the 29th April 2021. All popup treatments showed consistently larger cobs. Final commercial harvest was not until the 30th June 2021.
Final harvest was not until the 30th June 2021 (Figure 4). Steve harvested the plots and the harvested grain was weighed in a stationary chaser bin with scales. The harvest results showed an impressive yield increase for the 300 L/ha treatment (Table 1). Using a value of $300 per tonne for the grain, and a cost of $2 per L for Corn Popup™ (bulk pricing, delivered to farm), the extra return to Steve for increasing his rate to 300L from 150 L/ha would be approximately $600/ha. This demo also showed that SLTEC Corn Popup™ is safe to apply at 300 L/ha direct to the seed on 20 inch spacings using Furrow Jets™.
Figure 4. The harvested plots at Boort, Vic. Photo taken 30th June 2021.
Table 1. Grain harvested (t/ha) on 30th June 2021 from the treatment plots.
| Corn Popup™ treatment | Harvested grain (T/ha) |
| 150 L/ha | 13.34 |
| 300 L/ha | 16.00 |
SLTEC® Corn Popup™ is not just a liquid phosphorus product; it has been developed to optimise yield potential by improving maize seed germination, early vigour and root growth.
SLTEC® Corn Popup™ has a balance of phosphorus (11.1 %), nitrogen (8.8 %), zinc (1.9 %), boron and molybdenum. With a neutral pH and low salt index, it is an ideal liquid product for use at corn planting.
SLTEC® Corn Popup™ is also compatible with other nutrients and stimulants, such as SLTEC®’s Bio Kelp 20™ and Tri -Culture™. SLTEC® Tri-Culture ™ contains three forms of Bacillus to encourage root growth, allow for nutrient uptake and increase yield. In 2019 Steve also conducted trials with Tri-Culture™ which resulted in a yield increase of approximately 1 tonne per hectare. The Tri-Culture™ demonstrations were replicated in 2020, however, at the time of writing, harvest results were not available.
More information on SLTEC® products can be found here.
Information for Spot On AG™ planters, furrow jets, and Y drops can be found on the Spot On AG™ website.
SLTEC® are members of the MAA and proud sponsors of the Australian maize yield competition.
Contact SLTEC® to speak to your local representative.
Other links;
SLTEC® Corn Popup Fact Sheet
SLTEC® Tri-Culture Fact Sheet
SLTEC® Maize Nutritional Guide
