Nutrient Master Class for Vegetable Growers

1. Manage Vegetable Crops
for a high-performance
season

2. Agenda
• Introduction to Wolf Trax Innovative Nutrients
• Importance of Micronutrients in Crop
Production
• Three ideas to make the most of your fertilizer
application this season

3. Introduction to Wolf Trax
Innovative Nutrients

4. Why Wolf Trax products help growers
• Innovations that Deliver Nutrition
• Extensive Testing and Evaluation
• High Quality Fertilizer
• We Stand Behind our Products
…Growing Forward®

5. What We Sell - Wolf Trax Innovative Nutrients
• DDP® Nutrients
• Seed Nutrition
• Available soon…
What makes our innovations unique?

6. #1 - Innovative PlantActiv™ Formulation
• DDP Nutrients have been designed for optimum plant
availability
• Chemical Formulation
• Dual-Action™ formulation
• Resist Soil Tie-Up
• Physical Formulation
• Ideal particle size for uptake
DDP = “Dry Dispersible Powder”
Technology

7. #2 - Innovative EvenCoat™ Technology
• A more efficient application option
• Patented Coating Technology
• Each and every fertilizer granule is coated
• Improves distribution in the field
• Use less nutrient to get better uptake
Fertilizer coated with DDP

8. #3 - Innovative FlexUse™ Design
• Wolf Trax DDP nutrients can also be applied in
a liquid or foliar system
– B, Mn are highly soluble
• Flexibility to feed the crop when it needs it
– Maintain the right rate throughout the growing season

9. Wolf Trax® Innovative Nutrients
– Zinc DDP (62%)
– Copper DDP (57.5%)
– Magnesium DDP (20.0%)
– Manganese DDP (33%)
– Boron DDP (18.5%)
– Iron DDP (47%)
– Calcium DDP (27%)
• CropMix DDP
“Wolf Trax nutrients are
unlike any other in the
market. They really are
in a class of their own.”

10. Importance of
micronutrients in crop
production

11. About Micronutrients…
• Needed in very small amounts
• Play a vital role in plant growth
• Early season deficiencies can lower yield
potential
• Soil factors impact availability

12. Watch outs!
High P
Low Zn
High pH

13. How much of each nutrient does a plant need?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
N P2O5 K2O Ca Mg S B Zn Mn Fe Cu
Pounds of nutrient removed for every bushel of
yield
Corn
Soybeans
Wheat

14. How much of each nutrient does a plant need?
Ca Mg S B Zn Mn Fe
Corn 0.2 0.16 0.01 0.029 0.068 0.07 0.008
Soybeans 0.45 0.45 0.004 0.005 0.0125 0.0175 0.0025
Wheat 0.24 0.23 0.0011 0.0046 0.0075 0.01 0.0012
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0.35
0.4
0.45
0.5
Pounds of nutrient required per bushel of
yield

15. What role do they play?
• They ignite life processes in the
plant
– Photosynthesis
– Respiration
– Protein synthesis
– Growth regulation
– And many others!

16. Manganese deficiency
• Symptoms do not occur
on old leaves
• Yellowing between
veins regularly appears
on fully expanded young
leaves

17. Manganese (Mn)
• Manganese is central to SPLITTING WATER MOLECULES – a key process in
photosynthesis

18. Manganese (Mn)
Response of Mn supply withdrawal on
photosynthesis of clover (Nable et al 1984)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Days without Mn
PercentO2evolution
Photosynthesis
• Rapid reduction in
photosynthesis if
supply is impaired

19. Manganese (Mn)
Response of Mn supply withdrawal on
photosynthesis of clover (Nable et al 1984)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Days without Mn
PercentO2evolution
• BUT If deficiency is
corrected,
photosynthesis is
restored within hours

20. Zinc deficiency
• Yellowing/light green
between veins
• New leaves are
smaller than normal,
- internodes are
short

21. The roles of zinc in the plant –
too many to count!

22. Zinc (Zn)
Example – effect of withdrawing and then
resuming zinc supply to dry beans

23. Impact of zinc withdrawal and resumption
(3 days)
Zinc Supply
Tissue Zn
(ppm)
Amino acids Protein Tryptophan IAA
Enough 52 82 28 0.37 240
“Withdrew
the zinc”
13 533 14 1.32 122
“Resumed the
zinc”
141 118 30 0.27 180
(Cakmak et al, 1989)

24. Boron deficiency
• No boron leads to inability
of the crop to “glue” cell
walls together

25. Boron (B) – essential for the crop to be
able to “glue” cell walls together
• Boron helps the crop make the
“mortar” that glues plant cells
together!
• Called rhamnogalacturan II or
RG-II, it is found in plant cell walls
• Normal plant growth depends
on the ability of RG-II strands to
cross-link with boron and form a
network in the cell wall matrix

26. Role of copper in plants
• Drives photosynthesis and respiration
• Helps convert amino acids to proteins
• Formation of lignin in plant cell walls
which contributes to the structural
strength of the cells, and the plant
• Copper also affects the flavour, the
storage ability, and the sugar content of
fruits

27. Three nutrient ideas to help you
manage your vegetable crops for
a high-performance season

28. Three ideas for a high-performance
season
1) Drive rapid, early and even plant emergence
2) Feed the crop early in the growing season
3) Time in-season applications to meet crop
needs

29. CONSIDER A SEED-APPLIED NUTRIENT PACKAGE FOR
RAPID, EARLY AND EVEN EMERGENCE
Idea #1

30. • Patented, seed-
applied fertilizer
– Zinc, Manganese, Iron
• Safely delivers
essential nutrients
directly to the seed
• Nutrients available as
soon as the seed
germinates

32. Rapid, even emergence
Head Lettuce
Earlier emergence as well as better stand
uniformity at germination

33. Rapid, even emergence
Artichokes
Much higher stand count and
uniformity at germination
8 plants/2 m row 16 plants/2 m row

34. Rapid, even emergence
Green Leaf Lettuce
Earlier Stand Emergence
5-6-13
55 plants/m row 60 plants/m row

35. More even plant stand
6.25.13
Artichokes
More crop uniformity =
Better Stand

36. More even plant stand
5-21-13
Head Lettuce
More even emergence means better stand uniformity
PROTINUS treatment resulted in consistent 22 – 23 plants per m row

37. No Clogging or Impeding
of Vacuum planter with PROTINUS

38. DELIVER NUTRIENTS TO YOUR CROP
AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE
Idea #2

39. Your crop = factory
• Job is to collect
sunlight and make
sugar
• How to make factory
run faster, earlier, run
longer and produce
more

40. Historically – only two options to feed
micronutrients to your crops
1. Apply an ineffective and sparse soil
application with granules
2. Wait until emergence and apply a foliar
product
• Neither of these are ideal…

41. With soil applications, nutrients move naturally from roots to
aboveground plant parts as the plant grows
Zn
PP
PP
P
P
But, the issue
with soil
applied
granular
micronutrients
has been
“scarcity”
Zn

42. With foliar applications, difficult to attain movement from
treated foliar to new growth that arises after spraying

43. DDP Nutrients deliver early nutrition
Highly Effective
PlantActiv™
formulation
+
Better distribution
with EvenCoat™
Technology
=
Earlier delivery of
nutrients
153 granules of fertilizer throughout rooting depth,
all coated with DDP Micronutrients mean better
root interception (15x5x3 inch soil profile)
2 granules of micronutrient
are sparsely distributed and
leave micronutrient
fertilization to chance
DDP Coating of 0.9 lb/ac on 150 lb/ac
34-17 dry blend
Typical granular
micronutrient at 5
lb/ac

44. Field Results with Wolf Trax DDP
Micro levels are higher in the
Wolf Trax treated lettuce

45. Wolf Trax treatment results in
higher zinc content in tissue
Field Results with Wolf Trax DDP

46. Comparison – Zinc DDP versus granular
51.5 52.2 52.6
83.0
60.8
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
Zn Oxide 50%
CNI @ 5
lbs/acre
SST ZN35 AFC SST ZN35
TIPTON
SST ZN DDP1 UTC
Zinc levels at V3 stage of corn
Treatments Rate
Zinc granular 5 lb/ac
Zinc DDP 0.90 lb/ac
Untreated 0

47. TIME YOUR IN-SEASON APPLICATIONS TO
MATCH THE CROP’S NEEDS
Idea #3

48. WHEN do Plants Need a
Micronutrient? . . . Timing?
• Answer: Delivery needs to occur BEFORE needed for
biological processes
• Fixing deficiencies or “just-in-time” applications WILL
rob yield
• The micronutrient is needed WEEKS before deficiency
symptoms

49. Why is Timing Important?
• Most micronutrients DO NOT move well within
the plant or soil
Immobile within PLANT
Boron?
Zinc
Copper
Manganese
Iron
Immobile within SOIL
Zinc
Copper
Manganese
Iron
Phosphorus

50. A new way of correcting deficiencies
• Spoon feeding micronutrients
at several points in the season
• A “multifeed” approach is an
excellent nutrient
management tool

51. Choose all or some of these Wolf Trax “tools” for
delivering nutrients to the crop
FIRST SPOON
FEED TO THE
CROP
Fed to the crop
using a seed
application
SECOND
SPOON FEED
TO THE CROP
Fed to the
crop by
coating the
DDP onto dry
fertilizer or
mixing with
liquid
fertilizer
THIRD + SPOON FEED TO
THE CROP
Fed to the crop using a
foliar application with
liquid fertilizer, or
recommended pesticides
or alone

52. Wolf Trax DDP – A Foliar Solution
• FlexUse™ means that the same Wolf Trax
DDP’s that can be used to coat your N, P, and
K are also easy to use in foliar applications
– Mix easily
– Crop safe

53. Wolf Trax nutrients offer fast and
extended feeding
Containing at least two sources of mineral in each product, Wolf Trax Nutrients and
the patented Dual-Action availability offer fast and extended feeding to your crop.

54. Considerations for Calcium DDP
Even in controlled environment situations,
quality issues can occur
Calcium can’t get to the sink spot due to rapid
growth and plant physiology
Applying Calcium DDP can help alleviate
blossom end-rot and improve yields and quality.

55. Considerations for Calcium DDP
Calcium is a key nutrient in proper tuber
development in potato.
Calcium can’t get to the sink spot due to rapid
growth and plant physiology
Applying Calcium DDP can help alleviate hollow-
heart and improve yields and quality.

56. Field Results with Wolf Trax DDP
Improving Yield and Quality
Calcium DDP, used in a liquid
application enhances tomato
growth and production in Mexico.

57. Field Results with Wolf Trax DDP
Improving Yield and Quality
Calcium DDP applied at 1.3 lb/ac in 2 quarts of
2-0-25 helps solidify cell walls and make fruit
firm for shipping.
California, June 2013

58. Field Results with Wolf Trax DDP
Improving Yield and Quality
• Early fertility is important,
but later season
application can give the
crop the boost needed to
optimize yield.
• This producer used a
fertigation application of
Boron DDP to enhance his
corn yield.
Boron DDP helped fill the ear right to the end.
In this field, the DDP program helped the grower boost
his yield by over 30%
Mexico, 2011

59. BUY A GUARANTEE-BACKED
PRODUCT
Bonus Tip…

60. DDP Nutrients are extensively tested and used!
Mexico
California
Florida
Eggplant treated with :
9 lb Mn DDP, 1 lb B DDP, and
4 lb Mg DDP per ton of fertilizer

61. Guaranteed
• All DDP Nutrients are covered by the Growing
Forward® Guarantee
– Guaranteed to correct deficiency
Wolf Trax is the ONLY nutrient supplier to
guarantee performance!

62. Summary
• Micronutrients are important in fruit and
vegetable production
• Wolf Trax offers unique and innovative
solutions to:
1) Get your seedlings up quickly and evenly
2) Feed your crop early and efficiently
3) Manage your in-season applications to meet
your crop’s needs
…Growing Forward Guarantee