High-Performing Applications (HPA) are practices that maximize the value of our fertilizers by improving nutrient efficiency and adapting to real crop needs. This is how you can grow more with less — and how you make the green switch.
Optimizing Nutrient Delivery for Maximum Impact
At Van Iperen International, we believe the application is just as important as the product itself. That’s where High-Performing Applications come in. Whether through fertigation or foliar application, High-Performing Applications are the bridge between potential and performance—they ensure that both fertilizers and biostimulants work to their full capacity, supporting both efficiency and sustainability. To understand how High-Performing Applications optimize nutrient delivery, it's helpful to consider the following strategies:
- Precision Nutrition Applications: Fertigation and foliar applications ensure that nutrients reach crops precisely where and when they are needed. While root applications provide steady, long-term nourishment, foliar sprays offer a quick, targeted boost—especially in critical growth stages or when rapid correction is required.
- Adapting to Local Conditions: Environmental factors like soil type, climate, and irrigation quality impact nutrient availability. Customized application strategies, such as fertigation in high-value crops or localized nutrition for broad-acre farming, maximize nutrient uptake while minimizing waste.
In other words, even the most advanced solution can only reach its full potential when paired with the right application strategy. High-Performing Applications not only improve plant response but also help growers achieve more with fewer resources.
Fertigation: Unlock Growth & Precision Nutrition
Fertigation means delivering nutrients via irrigation systems. It combines irrigation and fertilization in a single step and is especially efficient in modern, irrigated cropping systems. These benefits include:
- Better nutrient uptake, especially of phosphorus and micronutrients.
- Lower overall input use thanks to targeted feeding.
- Reduced labor costs and greater operational efficiency.
- Improved crop growth, yield, and quality.
Here's how fertigation provides a targeted and efficient solution for plant nutrition:
- Instant Nutrient Availability: Fully soluble nutrients are immediately accessible to the plant.
- Minimized Nutrient Loss: Significantly reduces leaching and volatilization.
- Stage-Specific Application: Allows for flexible, split applications tailored to crop development.
- Sustainable Precision: Supports an efficient and environmentally conscious fertilization strategy.
Consider implementing fertigation in these specific scenarios to optimize your results:
- If you use irrigation (open field or greenhouse).
- When maximizing root nutrient absorption is a priority.
- On sandy or light soils with poor nutrient holding capacity.
- When labor or time are significant constraints.
| Factor | Soil Application | Fertigation |
|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Partial | Complete |
| Nutrient availability | Slower | Immediate |
| Application flexibility | Limited | High |
| Leaching risk | High | Low |
| Efficiency | Moderate | High |
Foliar Application: Targeted Nutrition, Fast Response
Foliar application means spraying nutrients directly onto the leaves. It’s a highly efficient way to address specific deficiencies or to complement a soil or fertigation program. These benefits include:
- Fast crop response.
- Flexibility in timing and dose.
- Soft and safe for the crop when used correctly.
- Useful tool to manage stress or improve final crop quality.
Foliar application offers a targeted method for delivering nutrients directly to plant leaves, providing several key advantages:
- Nutrients are absorbed directly through the leaf surface.
- Ideal for quick correction of visible deficiencies.
- Enables nutrient application during critical crop stages (flowering, fruit setting).
- Low dose, high efficiency — with minimal waste.
- Time-Saving Compatibility: Can be combined with fungicides or insecticides.
Specific application scenarios to use foliar feeding:
- To complement root feeding during high-demand growth periods.
- When soil conditions limit nutrient availability to roots.
- For optimal delivery of essential micronutrients.
- As a late-season tool to enhance marketable crop characteristics.
High-Performing Applications in Practice
High-Performing Applications (HPA) ensure that nutrients are delivered precisely where they are needed for optimal plant performance, resource efficiency, and sustainability. For many crops, the best results come from combining fertigation and foliar application, depending on the crop stage and conditions. This is part of the F.F.S. approach (Fertigation – Foliar – Soil). Keys to success:
- Choose the right method for each stage.
- Use high-quality water-soluble or foliar fertilizers.
- Monitor crop needs and adjust in real time.
- Be mindful of water quality and compatibility when mixing.
Our Specialty Fertilizers and Biostimulants – including innovative products like Plants for Plants® and IPE® Technology, alongside our liquid fertilizers and foliar biostimulants – are all HPA-compatible. This means you can enhance crop performance effectively while also contributing to a more sustainable agriculture. Want to explore tailored High-Performing Application advice and support for your specific needs? Click here and see how we can empower growers!
