Fertilizer is one of the largest line items on a grower’s budget, but it can also be one of the least efficient. Every season, significant dollars are spent on nitrogen and phosphorus that never actually make it into the plant. Some nitrogen (N) never gets fixed. Some phosphorus (P) never leaves the soil. Yet both are paid for the same. Even as application rates increase, returns don’t always follow. That gap between what’s applied and what’s actually used is where a lot of profit quietly disappears. In this week’s edition of Growing Possibilities, we look at what can be done to get the most out of N and P, while still turning a profit.
Soybeans and pulse crops remove a surprising amount of N. A typical soybean crop requires roughly 4–5 pounds of N for every bushel produced. That means a 60-bushel crop may need more than 240 pounds of nitrogen per acre over the season (1). If nodules form late or underperform, plants rely more heavily on soil reserves or fertilizer N. Early growth slows. Yield potential drops. And there’s rarely a way to correct it mid-season. It’s not uncommon for poor fixation to cost several bushels per acre. At today’s prices, that’s real money.
P presents a different challenge. In many Prairie and Northern U.S. soils, total P levels are not necessarily low. The major issue is availability. P binds tightly to soil particles and moves slowly through the soil profile. In cool spring conditions, diffusion slows even further, restricting uptake right when young plants need it most (2). That’s why early-season P deficiency symptoms such as slow growth, purpling, weak roots, can appear even in fields that soil test “adequate.” The common response is usually, “just apply more”, but more fertilizer doesn’t always equal more uptake. Which means some of those fertilizer dollars simply stay in the ground.
The part that doesn’t get talked about enough is efficiency doesn’t have to improve dramatically to be profitable. Even modest improvements in N fixation or P availability can translate into measurable yield gains. Extension research has shown that early-season nutrient stress can permanently limit yield potential which even if conditions improve later in the season (3). That means improving early nutrient access often leads to stronger roots. In other words, the crop performs more like the fertility program was intended to. From a math standpoint, gaining just 2–3 bushels per acre can often cover the cost of efficiency tools many times over.
This is why nutrient efficiency has become a practical retail conversation and not just a research topic. Retailers aren’t trying to sell more inputs for the sake of it. They’re trying to help growers get more value from what they’re already spending. When a product helps it should, improve nodulation, unlock tied-up P, strengthen early growth and be easy to explain and easy to stand behind. It fits naturally alongside seed treatments and fertility programs rather than competing with them.
Biologicals aren’t replacements for fertilizer but they’re enhancers and they help nutrients work better. Inoculants support reliable nitrogen fixation while P-solubilizing microbes help convert tied-up forms into plant-available ones. Products like XiteBio® SoyRhizo® and XiteBio® PulseRhizo® help support nitrogen fixation, while XiteBio® Yield+, XiteBio® Tuber+, and XiteBio® Vegi+ are designed to improve phosphorus availability during those critical early stages. For growers, that means better return per acre. For retailers, it means straightforward, agronomy-backed solutions that are easy to recommend. No complicated pitch requires but just better nutrient performance. At the end of the day, we’re simply working toward healthier plants and higher yields.
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