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 program

In the near future, this section will provide an overview of this technology's success in various contexts, details on partners offering technical support, training, and implementation monitoring, along with other valuable insights for your projects and programs. These details will be added progressively.

In the meantime, use the 'Request information' button if you need to contact us.

0.3—0.5 ton/ha

Grain yield increase

30 %

N uptake increase

57 %

P uptake increase

IP

Trademark

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 8 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: tested

Level of use 9 out of 9

Common use by intended users, in the real world

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

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

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Kenya	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Rwanda	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Zambia	–No ongoing testing	–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.