Details for To Broadcast or Band: Calculating the Optimal Fertilizer Method for Crop Growth

Lots of moving parts to your question, how are your previous rates determined, uptake vs removal, and different nutrients have different efficiencies, also placement to the seed is a factor, you can put it in a band, but the further away from the seed the less efficient it is

It sounds like you are planning to decrease rates due to the higher efficiency of banding fertilizer. This is possible, but if yield goal is the same and you were fertilizing for that yield goal prior to banding, I would not decrease fertilizer. the same amount of #’s of nutrients is needed for the crop whether banded or broadcast. If you were over applying due to low efficiency before, by all means, there is some savings there. If you would like to get me more info on soil tests I’d be more than happy to help.

Depending on soil texture, carbonate level and annual precipitation, your banding program could be much more efficient than the broadcast. I don't have charts but with more info, I'd say the band could be 30% more efficient. There are several experts on AGvisorPRO who should chirp in on this thread. Good question.