More Crops And A Better Environment (NAPSA)—Here’s food for thought: Scientists have discovered a way to help farmers grow more and better corn, wheat, potatoes and other crops while having less of an effect on the environment. The Science It’s due to an advanced slowrelease technology that lets growers use less nitrogen, a crucial nutrient in determining cropyields. Most commonly used quick-release fertilizers convert most of the nitrogen they contain to usable form in the soil in the first few days after they are applied. New Nitamin fertilizers cause the molecules to bind to the soil and deliver nitrogen to the crops at a rate that they can use throughout the growing season. “It’s like spoon-feeding your crop,” says one plant nutrition expert, John Kruse, of GeorgiaPacific Plant Nutrition. “The result is more efficient use of fertilizer over a longer time andless leaching of nitrogen through thesoil. This helps the grower be more efficient with fertilizer applications, reduces trips across the field, improvesproductivity and is better for the envi- ronment because more ofthe nitrogen is absorbedby thecrops.” The Studies Researchers at the University of Nebraska saw increased yield of up to 29 bushels per acre of corn with this new Nitamin Steady-Delivery product from Georgia-Pacific. In North Dakota State University research trials, spring wheat and barley showed increases in both yield and quality. Similar results have been recorded in fruit and vegetable crops. What’s more, the bacteria and other organisms needed to keep soil healthy are not affected, studies showed. Advanced growing technology and machineslike this corn-harvesting combine are helping provide the food that feeds the world. The Growing Need As Dr. Kelly Nelson, research agronomist at the University of Missouri, says, “We need to chal- lenge production and increase our understanding of fertility mechanisms so we can contribute to meeting the world food demand.” The worldwide demand for food is growing at a staggering rate. Around the world, one in seven people are hungry and some 963 million people do not have enough to eat—more than the populations of the U.5., Canada and the European Union, according to the United Nations World Food Programme. The United Nations also predicts that world population— which is at 6.7 billion today—will grow to over 9 billion by 2050. Experts say that this results in the need for an estimated 50 per- cent increase in yields to feed an already hungry world. Growing more with less is becoming even morecritical. Learn More You can learn more about how America’s farmers and scientists are helping www.nitamin.com. by visiting
