Accelerate Crop Residue Breakdown with TillZyme

There’s Value in What Harvest Leaves Behind

The stalks, leaves, and stubble remaining after harvest contain valuable nutrients.

In “There’s More Value in Your Corn Residue Than You Think,” ZymeCO cites University of Nebraska–Lincoln figures showing that a 185-bushel corn crop can leave approximately 4.6 tons of residue per acre. Each ton contains an average of:

• 17 pounds of nitrogen
• 4 pounds of phosphate
• 34 pounds of potash
• 3 pounds of sulfur

Those nutrients are a resource worth considering in your fertility plan. How much becomes available—and when—depends on weather, soil conditions, microbial activity, and the rate of decomposition. Nutrients in residue should not be treated as a direct replacement for planned fertilizer applications.

Help Break It Down with TillZyme

New Horizon Ag Solutions now carries TillZyme by ZymeCO, an optional addition to your fall management plan designed to accelerate crop residue decomposition.

Crop residue contains lignin, a tough protective material that makes stalks and other plant tissue resistant to breakdown. TillZyme uses laccase enzyme technology to help weaken that barrier. The enzyme uses oxygen to react with lignin, allowing naturally occurring soil microbes to reach the carbohydrates inside and continue the decomposition process.

According to ZymeCO, this can support more complete residue breakdown, return organic material to the soil, and help make fields more manageable ahead of planting. Learn more about how TillZyme works.

As ZymeCO explains in “Break It Down with TillZyme,” actively managing residue can also support nutrient cycling, organic matter, and soil structure while helping prepare a favorable seedbed for next season.

Contact our team for pricing, availability, and product recommendations for your acres.