Tim Chitwood
At QLF Agronomy, ongoing research aims to better understand how carbon-based nutrient products can improve crop performance under field conditions. Over the past two years, trials in Washington’s Palouse region have examined the role of liquid carbon-based fertilizers (L-CBF), including Amino15™ (15-0-1) and BOOST™ (4-0-3), in enhancing winter wheat growth, recovery, and yield. These products are formulated with molasses and L-amino acids to improve nutrient uptake and stress tolerance through foliar application.
Collaboration with Scott Cook of Hubbard Ag Science has provided valuable data on how L-CBF products interact with conventional fertilizer and herbicide programs in the unique conditions of the Palouse.
“The UAN32 plus Talinor® treatment caused noticeable burn in the winter wheat. What surprised me was that the BOOST™ plots showed less damage and recovered in just 7–10 days, compared to 14 to 21 days for the UAN32 plus Talinor® treatment.”
— Scott B. Cook, Hubbard Agricultural Science
Year One: Effects on Phytotoxicity and Early Yield Response (2024)
The 2024 trials focused on how BOOST™ and Amino15™ influence crop tolerance to herbicide stress. Both were applied as foliar treatments alongside Talinor® and UAN fertilizer.
Compared to the untreated control, BOOST™ reduced visible leaf burn from 12.5% to 7.5% seven days after treatment. By day 14, injury levels in BOOST™ plots had decreased to 8.3%, while the control remained at 14.2% (Figure 1). These findings suggest that carbon-based formulations may help mitigate herbicide-induced phytotoxicity, likely by supporting leaf metabolism and repair.
Figure 1. Effect of BOOST™ and Amino15™ on leaf burn in wheat 7 and 14 days after Talinor® plus fertilizer application. One-way ANOVA; bars with different letters indicate significant differences (P ≤ 0.05).
Yield data reflected similar trends. BOOST™ increased yield by 2.1 bu/ac, while two applications of Amino15™ at 2 gal/ac resulted in a 6.4 bu/ac increase (Figure 2). These responses indicate potential physiological or nutritional benefits under combined herbicide and fertilizer stress.
Figure 2. Yield and ROI after foliar application of BOOST™ and Amino15™ on winter wheat. ROI calculated using an average wheat price of $5.45 for November 2024.
Year Two: Application Timing and Nutrient Efficiency (2025)
The second year of research (2025) explored how timing and frequency of L-CBF applications affect yield. Treatments were applied at 2 gal/ac at green-up and stem elongation.
BOOST™ increased yield by 7.9 bu/ac, while Amino15™ produced a gain of 12.5 bu/ac (Figure 3). Only 100 lb of pre-plant nitrogen was applied, yet both treatments improved performance beyond the control yield of 132.8 bu/ac. These results suggest that L-CBF products can complement lower fertilizer programs by improving nutrient use efficiency.
Figure 3. Yield response to BOOST™ and Amino15™ applied twice at 2 gal/ac at green-up and stem elongation. One-way ANOVA followed by Student-Newman-Keuls (P ≤ 0.05). Different letters indicate significant differences. ROI calculated using an average wheat price of $6.25 for August 2025.
A separate trial examined the effect of Amino15™ timing at key wheat growth stages — green-up, stem elongation, and flag leaf. Each single application increased yield by 4–5 bu/ac relative to the control (136.5 bu/ac), with the flag leaf timing showing the highest return. Multiple applications produced additive effects, yielding 10–13 bu/ac increases (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Yield response to Amino15™ applied at different growth stages in winter wheat, Palouse, WA. One-way ANOVA with Student–Newman–Keuls post-hoc test. Means with different letters are significantly different (P ≤ 0.05)
Across both seasons, L-CBF applications were associated with reduced herbicide injury, improved crop recovery, and modest yield increases under moderate nitrogen input. While additional research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms involved, these results highlight the potential role of carbon-based foliar products in integrated nutrient management systems.
Future studies will continue to evaluate the interaction of timing, rate, and environmental conditions to refine best management practices for Palouse wheat production.