Enhancing yield and crop quality
Accounting for variations of nitrogen requirements within a field, creates more homogeneous crop stands with less lodging, increases crop yield and quality, diminishes fertilizer input, reduces cost and keeps environmental burden down to a minimum.
What benefit can farmers expect in practice? Can savings be quantified? Field trials conducted by Yara and other can provide an answer.
A series of 240 field trials in France compared fertilization assisted by N-Tester to fertilization according to conventional nitrogen budgets over a period of 8 years. Optimum decisions increased from 38% of cases to 61% by using the N-Tester.
When comparing sensor-controlled fertilization with uniform application in large scale field trials in Germany over 5 years, sensor-controlled fertilization increased yield by 6% and reduced nitrogen application by 12% on average. Revenue increased by 57 €/ha.
Winter rape is a valuable crop and an excellent preceding crop for cereal rich rotations. However, winter rape has a comparatively low N efficiency and can leave high levels of residual mineral nitrogen in the soil upon harvest. The excess nitrogen is prone to leaching. Intelligent N fertilization and precision farming help to reduce the excess N-balance while saving cost.
In a large scale trial on a 100 ha field in the loess-hill area of central Saxony, the interaction of sensor-controlled fertilization and growth redulator application was investigated. In the figure, the zones with lodging can be identified by their brighter color. Parcels marked in green correspond to sensor-controlled fertilization and parcels marked in yellow correspond to uniform fertilization. Lodging could be reduced from 29-32% to 3-5% through sensor controlled fertilization. The yield increased.
Reducing lodging
Over-fertilization during leaf emergence results in increased risk of crop lodging. Late, light lodging reduces yield by 5 to 15% , the falling number by 10 to 15% and the sedimentation value by 5 to 10%. Harvesting costs can increase by 200 to 300% in case of severe lodging. Growth regulations are used to avoid lodging. With the Yara N-SensorTM, haulm stabilizers are applied intelligently: vigorous plant stands need maximum protection and obtain higher doses. Thin, sparse and stressed plants get only slight, if any protection.
Improving threshing
Combine drivers know that sensor-fertilized crop stands are easier to harvest. Large scale field trials, conducted from 2002 to 2004 in Germany, have confirmed the effects of the N-Sensor on the threshing characteristics of cereals.
Sensor-controlled fertilization increases performance of the combine harvester on average by 9 to 33 % compared to uniform fertilization.
In 2004, detailed analysis of the trial results showed a yield increase by 4% and an impressive reduction of the combine’s fuel consumption by 17%. The reasons for this increase in performance are:
- more homogeneous crop density (ears/m²)
- uniform growth height
- better and more even ripening
- better cut
Enhanced threshing performance means higher strike force. At the same time, the harvesting window is enlarged. Sensor fertilized crops can be harvested 3 to 5 days earlier and up to 2 days later. The daily threshing time also increases. Homogenized stands dry more quickly in the morning and moisten less quickly in the evening.
