Following success in trials, Timac Agro has launched Infolen to the UK market. It is a liquid nitrogen foliar fertiliser, which the company states can maximise yields in various crops.
David Newton, technical product manager at Timac Agro UK, says that there is growing interest in foliar feeding in the UK and says that the product, which is made up of nitrogen, phosphate, sulphur and magnesium, has been trialled by both the Maize Growers Association (MGA) and Ceres Rural.
“The MGA trials took place at Morely Research, Norfolk, and demonstrated a 11% yield increase in dry matter (DM) content.
“These results also showed that the amount of metabolisable energy (ME) in the crop increased by 17.3KMj per hectare.
“A figure like this could potentially produce an impressive additional 3,200 litres of milk yield per hectare for dairy farmers.”
Boosting potatoes
Infolen was also trialled on potatoes in Cambridgeshire, with results showing an increase in yield comparable with those seen in other countries where the product is available.
“At £250 per tonne, Infolen has produced a net return of £1600-£2170 per hectare, displaying a strong economic performance and proving its place within the UK fertiliser market,” David says.
He adds that the success in maize and potatoes is transferable to nearly every crop grown in the UK, thanks to Infolen’s fast-acting formula.
“It’s perfect for later growth stages as it’s designed for rapid foliar absorption and metabolism, differing from other foliar products and more traditional soil-applied approaches, both liquid and solid, which can become less available in the soil later in the season.”
He believes that late-stage cereals will benefit inparticular, as these often struggle to uptake nutrients from the ground due to a lack of moisture.