Nitrogen management is one of the most important tasks no-tillers face each growing season, due to both the expense and the nutrient’s importance to plant growth. 

No-tillers and strip-tillers in particular have devoted more attention to improving nitrogen (N) efficiency by tissue testing, splitting applications, creating in-field test strips to measure optimal rates, and even changing up the form of N applied to balance economics and yield response.

But in recent years, a previously little-reported process involving soil biology is providing farmers with the knowledge to produce cash crops with a reduced N rate with little or no yield loss. 

This process — which emerged mostly through the research work of James White, plant biologist and pathologist at Rutgers University — is called the rhizophagy cycle. The founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture, John Kempf, says this cycle is a complete revolution in the industry’s understanding of agronomy and plant nutrition. 

What’s in a Name? 

So what exactly is the rhizophagy cycle? According to…