For
more information contact Mike Rankin
Mike Rankin
Crops and Soils Agent - Fond du Lac County
University of Wisconsin - Extension
Several years ago, a product called Amisorb was introduced by the Amilar Corp. of Chicago, Illinois as a soil additive to enhance nutrient uptake and increase crop yield. The compound was originally used to prevent scale in boilers and is chemically related to Nutrasweet. According to the company, Amisorb increases nutrient uptake by artificially increasing root branching and root hair development. Recommended rates with the product are 1 - 2 quarts per acre mixed with liquid fertilizer, impregnated on dry fertilizer, or applied directly to the soil. Recently, Keith Kelling, UW Soils Extension Specialist, summarized all of the research to date on Amisorb and the results are presented here.
Research results to date
Early research with Amisorb in a hydroponic greenhouse environment showed positive results with both increased nutrient uptake and tillering in wheat.
During the past three years, a number of field research trials (nearly 100 site-years) have been conducted on corn, soybeans and winter wheat. Although yield increases were observed in about 27% of the corn and wheat experiments, the overall yield change from the addition of Amisorb remained relatively small (+1.75 bu/a for corn and +1.07 bu/a for wheat). Average responses for the with or without Amisorb in the various corn experiments ranged from -8.1 to +13.6 bu/a. Wheat responses ranged from -5.7 to +4.6 bu/a. Results with soybeans have been less encouraging than with corn or wheat.
Amisorb is not a cheap product to use at a price of around $7 to $8 per quart. Because research to date cannot adequately define when growers are likely to see a significant yield response, it is probably prudent to save your input dollars or use the product on a limited basis where yield comparisons can be made.
For
more information contact Mike Rankin