Are You Missing Nitrogen? Hot Streaks Can Tell You
Nitrogen is one of the most critical nutrients for achieving optimal corn yields. However, determining the right amount of nitrogen to apply and identifying when nitrogen is the limiting factor can be challenging for farmers.
One effective tool for addressing this challenge is the use of nitrogen hot streaks—strips of high-rate nitrogen intentionally applied within fields. These diagnostic zones help farmers assess whether nitrogen is the limiting factor affecting crop performance in other areas. When properly implemented, nitrogen hot streaks provide valuable insights into nitrogen management, improve yields and enhance resource efficiency. A nitrogen hot streak is essentially a strip or pass of higher-than-standard nitrogen rates applied across the field. Running these strips through areas with varying soil types and elevations can help farmers understand how nitrogen requirements
differ across the field.
It is best to apply nitrogen hot streaks early, during pre-planting, so they can be monitored throughout the growing season. By doing so, farmers can detect potential nitrogen deficiencies in areas outside the hot streak.
These tools can help farmers determine whether areas outside the hot streak are deficient in nitrogen at any point during the growing season. If a deficiency is identified, in-season nitrogen applications may be used to maintain adequate levels until the crop reaches maturity.
The primary goal of implementing nitrogen hot streaks is to track their location and conduct yield analyses at the end of the season. Yield data can be collected using software such as Climate FieldView, John Deere Operations Center and similar platforms to evaluate differences between the hot streak and the rest of the field. If the hot streak consistently shows higher yields, it may indicate a need to adjust the field’s base nitrogen application rate.
It is important to consider seasonal weather when analyzing hot streaks for a given year. For example, in the last two years, specifically on Carl’s farm, we have had above average yields and no real difference in yield between in or out of our hot streaks. This means nitrogen was not our limiting factor. I believe this is due to our high organic matter soils producing free nitrogen due to mineralization. Mineralization happens when organic materials in our soil have the right amount of water and temperature to break down and make nitrogen available to your crop. Below is a map from Iowa State where they display a map showing the amount of mineralization in given areas of our region on a two-week basis. There are areas where growers are getting around a pound of nitrogen per day for this two-week period.
Treat this information as part of a larger dataset. Collecting data over multiple years and across various fields with different weather conditions allows farmers to fine-tune nitrogen application rates and improve efficiency over time. If you would like more specific details on how to implement hot streaks on your farm, reach out to our agronomy team at Peterson Farms Seed.
Key Management Strategies
Several tools can be used to monitor hot streaks during the season, including:
1. Soil testing: Evaluating nitrate levels inside and outside the hot streak.
2. Satellite imagery: Using near-infrared imagery and NDVI to identify visual differences in the crop canopy.
3. Drone imagery: Capturing high-resolution images to detect differences in crop performance.
4. Tissue testing: Measuring nitrogen concentrations in plant tissues.
