Pre-plant blended fertilizers and nitrogen topdressing for maize

Unlock Maize Potential with Balanced Fertilizer Bliss!

Pre-plant Blended Fertilizers for Maize consist of carefully blended solid granular fertilizers, including urea, calcium ammonium nitrate, potassium chloride, and others, tailored to meet the specific nutrient requirements of maize crops. Nitrogen topdressing involves applying nitrogen fertilizers like urea or calcium ammonium nitrate at a specific growth stage when maize plants have 8 to 10 fully developed leaves.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

8•9

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 9/9

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive low

Under 18: Positive high

Women: Positive medium

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: Same amount of carbon released

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

Problem

Inadequate Nutrient Supply: Traditional fertilizer application methods often lead to uneven nutrient distribution, resulting in weakened root systems and reduced crop performance.
Suboptimal Fertilizer Application Practices: Improper dosages and application schedules of mineral fertilizers are common, leading to unsatisfactory grain yields and low profitability for farmers.
Environmental Losses due to Improper Nutrient Management: Inefficient nutrient application practices can lead to environmental losses, including nutrient runoff and leaching.

Solution

Tailored Fertilizer Blends: Providing specific nutrient blends to address inadequate nutrient supply for healthier and more productive maize crops.
Precision Nutrient Application: Implementing pre-plant blended fertilizers and nitrogen topdressing for precise and efficient nutrient delivery, resulting in higher yields and reduced financial risks.
Environmental-Friendly Nutrient Management: Promoting responsible fertilizer use through carefully formulated blends and split applications, minimizing wastage and environmental impact.

Key points to design your project

The adoption of pre-plant blended fertilizers and nitrogen topdressing for maize technology into agricultural projects offers numerous benefits, including increased grain productivity, fertilizer efficiency, and resilience to drought. This technology also reduces the need for recurrent herbicide use, lowering labor requirements and promoting gender equality in agriculture, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals related to food security and climate resilience.

To integrate this technology effectively, several key steps and prerequisites should be considered:

Identify appropriate formulations of blended fertilizers base upon balanced nutrient demands and soil fertility conditions for a specific maize growing area,
Develop protocols for mixing different single fertilizer and packaging the blend with agro-inputs manufacturers and suppliers,
Broker market entries for specialty pre-plant fertilizer mixes and N top-dress fertilizers at affordable prices and monitor sales,
Carry out farmer demonstration and trials to showcase the benefits of pre-plant fertilizer blends and N top-dressing for maize production compared to other management options, and to refine the formulation and branding campaigns over time as necessary.
Provide financial support to local suppliers and smallholder farmers to encourage investments in pre-plant blended fertilizers.

Estimate the required quantity of technology for the project, including delivery costs to project sites across various countries.

Incorporate the cost of pre-plant blended fertilizers and labor for their application into the project budget.

Allocate funds for training and post-training support to ensure effective utilization of the technology.

Develop communication materials to promote the adoption of pre-plant blended fertilizers.

Form partnerships with agricultural development institutes, fertilizer suppliers, and agricultural service companies to provide support and facilitate distribution.

Additionally, to optimize the use of improved maize varieties, it is recommended to associate with technologies such as Drought tolerant maize varieties (DTMA, WEMA), Imazapyr resistant maize for Striga management (IR), Golden maize varieties (high in provitamin A), Pre-emergence herbicides for weed control.

0.3—0.5 ton/ha

Grain yield increase

30 %

N uptake increase

57 %

P uptake increase

IP

Trademark

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested

Countries where the technology has been tested and adopted
Country	Tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–Not tested	Adopted
Kenya	–Not tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–Not tested	Adopted
Rwanda	–Not tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–Not tested	Adopted
Zambia	–Not tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid	–	–	–	–
Semiarid	–		–
Subhumid	–		–
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 12: responsible production and consumption

Assess Nutrient Needs: Identify nutrient deficiencies and imbalances in the specific maize growing area.
Blend Fertilizers: Mix the single fertilizers using a dry rotary system based on carefully measured formulas.
Application at Planting: Apply the blended fertilizer at the bottom of sowing holes by hand or planting equipment, or broadcast shortly before or after planting.
Topdressing with Nitrogen: When maize crops have 8 to 10 fully developed leaves, apply urea or calcium ammonium nitrate for topdressing.
Consider Foliar Spraying : For fast and efficient nutrient absorption, consider foliar spraying of liquid N fertilizer. Ensure proper application to avoid scorch and leaf damage.
Timing for Topdressing: Apply the second dose of N before a rain event to move the nitrogen into the soil if using dry granules.
Monitor Residual Nutrients: Account for residual nutrient stocks in soils and deficiencies in crops through visual inspection of stands.