Pre-plant broadcast urea in direct seeding, a logistical return to the past?

Abstract

A study was conducted to compare the crop yield response between fall and spring surface broadcast applications of urea to the industry standard of side-banding urea during the spring planting operation. The results of a four-year study of barley direct seeded (no-till) at Ellerslie, AB, having treatments of fall and spring applications of surface applied urea, with and without urease and nitrification inhibitors, compared to side-banded urea at planting in the spring, showed that the broadcast applications performed well in comparison. There are numerous farm operations that are switching from side-banding to pre-plant broadcast urea applications to reduce the time of planting in the spring.