Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
2-26-02
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Mark Hanna, Ag and Biosystems Engineering, 515-294-0468, hmhanna@iastate.edu
John Sawyer, Agronomy, 515-294-1923, jsawyer@iastate.edu
Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services, 515-294-7033,
jmcguire@iastate.edu
Time to Do Spring Maintenance on Fertilizer Applicators
Farmers and fertilizer dealers are advised to spend some time now maintaining fertilizer application equipment, saving potential downtime in the spring when fieldwork needs to be done.
Mark Hanna, agricultural engineer, says doing the maintenance now will help producers get the most out of every fertilizer dollar. "Over-applying to compensate for poorly calibrated equipment wastes money and could mean nutrient-rich runoff and potential water quality problems. Maintaining fertilizer application equipment is just good economics."
"For liquid fertilizer application equipment look over the sprayer closely, paying attention to hoses and pipes -- they need to be clean and free of clogs, kinks and leaks," says Hanna. "Check seals for deterioration. In the field, check for even application and be sure to rinse and clean the equipment every day. Check the pump for wear since liquid fertilizer suspension materials can accelerate wear."
"For dry granular fertilizer equipment, inspect the gate opening, the divider position between the two spinners, the delivery point to the spinner, spinner speed and vane-blade angle on the spinner." For pneumatic spreaders, Hanna advises checking for uniform flow to each distribution tube and proper adjustment of trim tabs and deflectors at the exits of the tubes.
Safety is the primary consideration when handling anhydrous ammonia. "Keep a five-gallon water supply available and a six-ounce plastic squeeze bottle in your pocket for immediate treatment of accidental exposure. Also, check the knives -- make sure they can penetrate and distribute anhydrous ammonia evenly."
Hanna says ISU researchers also have a few tips to improve distribution across the applicator's swath. "Connect hoses from adjacent applicator shanks to different regions around the manifold outlet, make sure that the length of each hose to each injection knife is equal and coil hoses that attach to knives near the manifold and secure them horizontally."
Losing nitrogen to volatilization can be avoided with shallow incorporation of liquid urea ammonium nitrate and dry granular urea. Two to four inches is an appropriate depth. Anhydrous ammonia should be injected deeply enough to avoid surface vapor losses. If you smell escaping ammonia or see white water vapor trails, reset the covering discs or 'beaver tail' tabs.
Going over equipment and working out the kinks now ensures your equipment is ready to go when the weather turns favorable.
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