With a cost of just £8 per acre with an average yield response of 3-8%.
Realising your crop's yield potential by identifying its varying nitrogen requirements is an essential management tool for many cereal growers.
So, why variably apply your nitrogen fertiliser using satellite imagery?
Unlike tractor mounted sensors, remote sensing looks at 100% of your crop where crop canopy variation can be easily identified
In cereals there is no yield benefit from achieving an LAI (leaf area index) of higher than 6.0 - 6.5 at maturity
Crops whose LAI exceed this are at higher risk of disease and lodging
If you variably apply your P & K fertiliser there is no capital investment required to utlilise this service
The Process:
Acquire a satellite image of the whole farm and identify the fields / crops that are to be variably spread with nitrogen fertiliser
LAI (Leaf area index) maps are then created for each field. Taking the growth stage of the crop at the time of the image, the product to be spread and using the HGCA Crop Canopy Guidelines, application maps are then generated for each individual field. The areas of the field that are at the optimum LAI at any given growth stage will receive the planned dose of nitrogen. To change one unit of LAI requires 30 kg of N
Recommendations can be tailored using previous agronomic experience. Safety factors can be built in to prevent excessive N applications in areas of fields that will never perform to their optimum
The Benefits:
No capital investment required to utilise the service
Satellite imagery looks at 100% of the crop
Proven method of Nitrogen management
Suitable for liquid or granular applications
Field imagery useful for other agronomy decisions
Yield driven service with potentially high payback
