Watch your yields take off

Fungicides have proven benefits, but MFA’s Gold Advantage Trend-B helps takes their performance to new heights.

Trend-B’s foliar-fed, slow-release nitrogen is combined with boron to provide targeted nutrition when the plant needs it the most. Beyond disease protection, fungicide benefits include stay-green, stress tolerance and standability. Working in synergy with the fungicide, Trend-B boosts these benefits by promoting plant growth, resulting in more gain with higher N efficiency. 

Trend-B not only adds the small amount of available N necessary to help a fungicide improve plant performance, but it also helps maintain optimal boron nutri­tion, which is often needed late in the season. Boron is essential for grain development but commonly deficient in Midwest soils. The issue with boron, unlike many plant nutrients, is that it is very mobile in the soil but not in the plant. Adding boron to a foliar application reduces its need to move from the soil through the plant and ensure it is where it is most needed.

MFA introduced this proprietary product in 2019, and every year since, Trend-B has continued to pay dividends for growers. We’ve seen the positive results of the powerful combination of fungicides plus Trend-B both on the farm and in our replicated research trials. In MFA’s 2024 trials, applications of Trend-B plus fungicide in corn boosted yields by an average of 9 bushels per acre. 

Keep in mind that foliar feeding is not sufficient to meet all the plant’s nutritional requirements and must be part of a sound fertility program. Proper timing is also crucial to maximize the benefits of both fungicides and Trend-B. In corn, applications should be made typically at tasseling, when the plants are rapidly using nitrogen for growth. Corn takes up half its N supply between the V8 and VT stages and needs boron for silking and kernel fill. In soybeans, the combo should also be applied in the reproductive growth stages, from about R2 to R4. That’s when a soybean plant takes up 70% to 75% of its boron, which is important for pod-set and fill stages.

Trend-B contains:

NITROGEN (N) 

• Essential for plant growth, development  and reproduction 
• Needed throughout the growth cycle, especially  from V8-VT 
• Increases duration of photosynthesis 
• Critical for kernel development and ear-fill 

BORON (B) 

• Essential for the growth of pollen tubes 
• Critical for seed and cell wall formation 
• Promotes maturity 
• Necessary for sugar translocation

Also in MFA’s line of foliar micronutrients is Gold Advantage Complete, designed for high-yield soybean, corn and small grain production. Gold Advantage Complete can be combined with a foliar fungicide application, an insecticide application or a tank mix of both. Like Trend-B, the correct timing of this prescription nutrition package will let your crops express their full genetic potential. Download the Gold Advantage Complete info sheet here.