Too much nitrogen and sulphur can reduce the ability of wheat crops to attain high protein levels which are specified and demanded by end users, particularly for the higher quality milling wheats.
An understanding of the process and type of protein formed in the grain has enabled the fertiliser manufacturer Law’s to develop a non-nitrogen foliar feed which will be the first new technology for protein enhancement for over 25 years.
Managing Director of Law Fertilisers, Mark Law points out that even high nitrogen fertiliser, well above crop need, does not necessarily guarantee the protein status of the crop. "A review of wheat crops and the latest crop physiology research has identified a consistent imbalance in secondary nutrients in the mid to late growth stages such that amino acid concentrations are increased to toxic levels as protein synthesis is inhibited. A depression of RNA production, the chemical compound of amino acids that helps create proteins, can be reversed by applying Law’s Protein Plus."
He claims that extensive commercial trials on the foliar formulation of Law’s Protein Plus in the spring of 2008 is to be extended to granular solutions in the seedbed based on a biennial basis. "This may not be appropriate where malting barley is grown in the rotation where N dilution products are also available from Law’s," he says.
For further details or comment on Law’s Protein Plus, either foliar or granular, please contact Mark Law, Managing Director, Law Fertilisers Ltd on 01354 740740 or on 07710 324463 (mobile)