Jodi Boe

How Much AMS Does Your Spray Water Need?

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AGVISE Laboratories Spray Water Analysis

Hard water is a fact of life for those of us in the northern Great Plains and Prairie Provinces. It is why our homes have water softeners, why our well water tastes funny (or delicious), and one reason we need to add AMS (ammonium sulfate) or UAN to our spray tanks to optimize weed control.

When we talk about conditioning “hard water” for herbicide applications, we are preventing dissolved salts (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and iron) in water from antagonizing, or binding, the pesticide we’re putting in the tank. Dissolved salts bind to weak-acid, salt-formulated pesticides and reduce their efficacy (e.g. glyphosate [RoundUp], growth regulators, ACCase inhibitors [Select, Axial, etc.], ALS inhibitors [Pursuit, Express, etc.], HPPD inhibitors [Callisto etc.], and glufosinate [Liberty]).

A water conditioner like AMS prevents salts in spray water from binding to pesticides. AMS is most often recommended at rates from 8.5 to 17 lb/100 gal spray volume on herbicide labels. This is a wide window, however, and handling dry AMS can be a pain. So, how do you know how much AMS you should add to the tank to overcome antagonism?

A spray water analysis!

An example of an AGVISE Laboratories spray water report

AGVISE Laboratories provides fast and convenient analysis of spray water used for pesticide applications. The Spray Water Analysis package includes calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, pH, salt, hardness, and SAR (sodium adsorption ratio). The spray water report uses NDSU data to determine the recommended amount of AMS required per 100 gallons of water to overcome antagonism. You will want to test each water source you use for pesticide applications. This information can help avoid problems throughout the spraying season.

Give us a call in either Benson, MN, or Northwood, ND and we will send you a water sample kit. Each kit contains a water collection jar and a sample information sheet. Water sample tests are completed within a week and results are emailed to you, so you have information on your water source right away.

Don’t let salts take away from your weed control this summer – get your spray water tested!

Jodi Boe

2021 Plant Nutrient Deficiency Troubleshooting Project

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Plant analysis is a valuable tool for managing plant nutrients and troubleshooting agronomic problems. Being certain that a specific plant nutrient is causing deficiency symptoms is difficult with visual symptoms alone. Many causal agents unrelated to soil fertility can cause symptoms that appear to be nutrient-related. There are also some plant nutrient deficiencies that are impossible to determine visually so we call them a “hidden hunger.” For troubleshooting situations, you will need a pair of good and bad plant samples, along with good and bad soil samples, to discover the real answer to what is happening in the field (nutrient deficiency or something else).

To help you troubleshoot problem areas and get familiar with plant analysis, AGVISE Laboratories is sponsoring the Plant Nutrient Deficiency Troubleshooting Project in 2021. We are looking to work with 50 to 100 customers this summer who see apparent nutrient deficiency symptoms in one of their fields and want to be involved in this educational project. Volunteering in this project will help you figure out if a problem area in a field is caused by a plant nutrient deficiency or something else. If you want to volunteer, contact one of our agronomists or soil scientists in Northwood (701-587-6010) or Benson (320-843-4109) as soon as you have a problem area you want to troubleshoot for this project. Immediacy is key for good data. The results may be inconclusive if you wait to take plant samples 7 to 10 days after symptoms first appear because new problems can arise.

Once you have spoken with one of our staff and described the problem in your field, we will send you the supplies packet to submit good and bad plant samples, as well as good and bad soil samples (0- 6 inch). If you can provide us with good photographs to aid in the problem diagnosis, we will cover the soil and plant analysis fees (two complete tissue analyses and two complete soil analyses; $151.20 USD retail value).

It is important to catch plant nutrient deficiencies early while you still have time to make a rescue fertilizer application. Take advantage of the AGVISE Plant Nutrient Deficiency Troubleshooting Project and solve those problems the right way… right away.

Jodi Boe

New Address for AGVISE Laboratories Canada Receiving Facility

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The AGVISE Laboratories Canadian Receiving Facility has moved across the street from its former location in Winkler, Manitoba. What this means for customers sending samples to our Canadian Receiving Facility:

  • The new address is 380 Kimberly Rd Winkler, MB R6W 0H7
  • If you’ve dropped off samples at the receiving shed in Winkler, the shed is now across the street in the Winkler Construction parking lot
  • We will be changing the address on all future printings of AGVISE documents, such as Purolator shipping labels
  • If you have pre-printed Purolator shipping labels that have the old address (375 Kimberly Rd), you can still use these. The Purolator delivery professional knows where the shed has been moved to. 

If you have any questions, please give us a call at 701-587-6010.