The application of herbicide formulations to dry fertilizer blends (known as dry fertilizer impregnation, or DFI) enables simultaneous fertilization and weed management within a pasture in a single pass, with an improved sustainability profile and reduced input costs (such as fuel and time) compared to foliar treatment methods. Although DFI is a long-standing cultural practice in the United States, there is limited understanding of critical process parameters that impact the quality of impregnated fertilizer as it relates to pasture applications. Additionally, raw material considerations and potential interactions between the active ingredient(s) and fertilizer blend components are often not fully evaluated. This work establishes a scale-down model of the typically multi-ton process, implements an accessible and low-cost panel for testing impregnated fertilizer, examines the impact of drying aids on fertilizer flow, and explores potential fates for active ingredients in a formulated herbicide product applied to a dry fertilizer blend. By utilizing these methods, DFI failure modes such as segregation of active ingredients and fertilizer components, bulk caking, and color variability were investigated.

Quality-by-design in dry fertilizer impregnation (DFI) processes for pasture applications

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