Yara supports the view that adopting a ‘measure to manage’ approach to nitrogen will allow farmers to enjoy a healthy harvest and avoid over-fertilization, to keep costs in check and protect the environment.
Many years of research and development have highlighted that using soil and crop measurements in combination will give the most accurate nitrogen recommendations.
Soil nitrogen measurements (SMN) give a guide as to the likely optimum nitrogen rate required and forms the basis of the nitrogen plan. Such an approach is well adopted/accepted being the one used in the current RB209. The final / actual seasonal rate of application can then be fine-tuned as the year progresses by utilising crop canopy measuring tools such as the N-Sensor, N-Tester and ImageIT. These tools help to manage the recommendation, helping to account for the variation in soil nitrogen supply and uptake (Nitrogen Utilisation Efficiency) that occurs from field to field and season to season.
Yield cannot be safely predicted during the nitrogen application window so using it as part of the recommendation can be problematic leading to over fertilisation and a lower Return On Investment (ROI).
Ultimately, whatever tools you use to calculate your nitrogen requirements, Yara would always encourage you to measure what you can and act on those results. Only by measuring do we know what soil and crops need, this information will allow you to make well informed and effective decisions.
View and download Yara’s guide to Interpreting RB209 The Fertiliser Manual as a PDF (400KB)
