5 Fundamentals to Improve Plant Health and Operational Potential

As you begin planning for the planting season, you’re no doubt looking for ways to achieve early, uniform plant emergence and maintain outstanding plant health throughout the season so you can turn a profit at harvest.

WinField^® United data shows that every season, farmers may be leaving hundreds of dollars per acre in the field by not leveraging our quality data to support their decision-making. That’s why we’ve assembled The Fundamental Five: five key agronomic actions to support season-long crop management and help you achieve optimal ROI and yield potential. Our industry-leading data set and agronomic expertise enable us to offer these recommendations, which are all backed by research and supported by our product portfolio.  

Fundamental 1: Get the best local seed and trait recommendations and management.

Through the WinField United Answer Plot^® program and R7^® technology solutions like the CHT Tool response-to scores and Top 10 feature, your trusted advisor can guide you to select the right seed for your acres based on your management style or select the seed that will benefit most from your chosen management practice using genetic diversity, data and insights. In addition, your advisor can access both WinField United’s highly localized data and results from any field trials your local cooperative has performed to provide an especially rich data set.

Fundamental 2: Mitigate early plant stress.

Consistent and early stand establishment maximizes yield potential. Pairing a plant growth regulator such as Ascend^® Pro and a seed treatment such as Warden^® CX can help protect against early-season environmental and pest challenges to promote more vigorous, even emergence. That strong start can translate to season-long crop health benefits. 

Fundamental 3: Target spray applications and clean fields.

Encourage unimpeded plant growth from the get-go. For reliable weed control, we recommend using a multiple-mode-of-action preemergence herbicide followed by a multiple-mode-of-action postemergence program. You can also optimize product efficacy by using an adjuvant that’s backed by data and proven to perform. Data supports the value of including a quality product like InterLock^® adjuvant in the tank to keep more spray on target. Ask your trusted advisor how adjuvants can be essential components of your weed-control strategy.

Fundamental 4: Optimize plant nutrition.

Yields can be greatly influenced by the way you manage nutrition throughout the season and balance secondary nutrients and micronutrients to increase availability. Your WinField United retailer can access quality response-to-nitrogen data and leverage the R7 Field Forecasting Tool for field-by-field nutrient modeling with tissue sample validation. WinField United has also invested in the soil sampling expertise and tissue testing analysis provided by SureTech^® Laboratories. SureTech is plugged into our extensive plant nutrition database, giving your advisor the details needed to make the right recommendations about the timing of your crop nutrient applications all season.

Fundamental 5: Maximize plant health.

Diseases and stress reduce kernel fill, weight and standability. Using the right fungicide can help you both manage disease and obtain plant health benefits. WinField United’s response-to-fungicide data has identified specific seed genetics that are highly responsive to fungicide applications regardless of visible disease presence. There are new high-performing fungicides that provide flexibility in application timing to fit diverse late-season plant health strategies. And insights from our trials show that including MasterLock^® adjuvant with a fungicide application can help increase yield and ROI potential. 

We know that many of you already realize the importance of these decisions. But the volume of yield and profit potential that continues to be unrealized leads us to strongly urge you to consult with your local trusted advisor and lean into the data we generate.

Your trusted advisor can provide recommendations to help you retrieve these dollars, often without spending more. Talk with them today about ways to achieve a strong start, and a strong finish, to the season.

All photos are either the property of WinField United or used with permission.
 
Important: Before use always read and follow label instructions. Crop performance is dependent on several factors many of which are beyond the control of WinField United, including without limitation, soil type, pest pressures, agronomic practices, and weather conditions. Growers are encouraged to consider data from multiple locations, over multiple years, and be mindful of how such agronomic conditions could impact results.
 
© 2023 WinField United. Answer Plot^®, Ascend^®, InterLock^®, MasterLock^®, R7^®, SureTech^®, Warden^® and WinField^® are trademarks of WinField United.