Wolf Trax is about to bring two new products to market. The first, currently labeled with an experimental name, 5300R, is a new form of highly soluble zinc specially formulated for foliar and liquid fertilizer applications. The product is formulated with Wolf Trax's patent pending LeafSorb technology. LeafSorb increases zinc's ability to pass through the leaf cuticle and to travel through the plant.

THIS TALL: Mark Goodwin, Wolf Trax research and development director, demonstrates the difference he sees in early plant grow with the company's new zinc and phosphorus products.

The second, with the experimental name 5400R, is a new dry dispersible powder containing phosphorus, zinc and manganese. Featuring Wolf Trax EvenCoat  technology, 5400R will adhere to seed or dry fertilizer and is designed to replace the usual 30-35 pounds per acre of dry P as a starter fertilizer in or next to the furrow. Because 5400R coats the seed and dry fertilizer, you achieve better distribution and use less products, and it is immediately available to the plant, the company says.

"It's a better way to apply P," notes Mark Goodwin, Wolf Trax research and development director.

Being able to coat seed and fertilizer rather than applying high rates of additional P is especially valuable on soils with medium to high levels of P. Using 5400R would be more economical and efficient than applying an additional 30-35 pounds of P per acre and would reduce the risk of P run-off into surface water, Goodwin says.

LARGER PLANTS are the result of treating seed with Wolf Trax's new 5300R zinc. The company says new formulation is absorbed by the plant and moved through the plant better than conventional zinc. Photo: Wolf Trax

EvenCoat Technology is a key feature of 5400R and Wolf Trax's current line-up of nutrients. These products are designed to coat fertilizer prills or seed, through electrostatic adhesion when blended. The chemical properties of the DDP formulation cause the micronutrient or secondary nutrient to adhere to the dry fertilizer prills. Once coated, a DDP Nutrient does not come off even after blending, handling or transportation.

Because each fertilizer prill is coated with nutrients, the distribution is superior to other methods of applying nutrients, Goodwin says. The fertilizer coating provides up to 50 times the interception points for roots to access micronutrients compared to granular micronutrients.

Unlike granular micronutrients, which are often extracted from industrial byproducts, Wolf Trax makes DDP Nutrients using feed and human grade products.

Based in Winnipeg, Canada, Wolf Trax has conducted company and independent trials on its new products in Canada and the United States. The trials have shown an average 30% increase in early season growth with 5400R compared to no-application of a starter.

To learn more, see www.wolftrax.com