Nutrient Management Strategies For Improving Efficiency. Natalie Wood, Yara UK

Transcription

1 Nutrient Management Strategies For Improving Efficiency Natalie Wood, Yara UK

2 Introduction Nutrient Use Efficiency Short-term management strategies 1-3 years Long-term management strategies 4-10 years Which to choose? Dependent on the future financial prospects for your business but it s vital to make a decision which will maintain efficiency and provide optimum yields 2

3 Nutrient Use Efficiency Nutrient use efficiency comprises of 3 elements: 1. Size of the root system 2. Source of the nutrient 3. Movement within the plant from root to leaf to grain As a grower you can have a direct effect on two of these 3 elements to help get the maximum nutrient use efficiency from applications The third is harder to effect as you can t alter the rate of translocation within the plant but you can understand the nutrient in terms of mobility and how this will affect application timings 3

4 Increasing Size of Root System Establishment is key Use of nutrient-based seed treatments such as YaraVita Glytrel MnP Placement of nutrients at drilling where possible either NPK or P&K depending on crop, NVZs Spring-applied phosphate in a plant-available form Correct timing to meet the nutrient requirement 4

5 Using the Best Source of Nutrient You can make a good NMP but if you choose the wrong source of nutrient then you can undo good preparation Good quality products, compounds not blends Nutrients are in a plant-available form 5

6 Source of Phosphate An efficient form of phosphate should be used to ensure season long availability and help prevent lock-up with other nutrients Orthophosphate, DCP and polyphosphates all have a roll in maximising availability throughout the growing season 100 ~10% ~90% >90% ~90% ~70% ~10% ~30% ~50% ~20 ~30% reactive P rock* MAP/DAP/TSP NPK Granular YaraMila Granular YaraMila Prills Ortho Phosphates Poly Phosphates DCP Apatite 6

7 Short-term Strategy 1-3 years, field-by-field crop focus Risk is built in by not building a buffer of nutrients within the soil for resilience To minimise this risk it is even more important to focus on the source and timing of all nutrients applied due to lack of buffer in the soil How to minimise this risk? Build a large root network early on in the season and maintain it in the spring Seed treatments such as Glytrel MnP Placing P&K at drilling (if possible) 7

8 Prevention Rather than Cure! Crop-specific autumn foliar applications of micronutrients, followed up in the spring 8

9 Using UK Trends and Farm Data On-farm knowledge of soil and cropping history is essential for nutritional management Knowing what to expect, such as inherent low levels of particular nutrients, means you re less likely to have deficiencies catch you out Using UK trends from a large data-set to implement on your farm In 2016 there was a nationwide trend of boron deficiency seen in winter wheat Utilising this kind of data can help you make decisions for your farm and help to prevent potential yield loss 9

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11 Spring Management Tissue testing to see where deficiencies may lie Correcting these deficiencies with straight products to minimise yield losses Phosphate and sulphate can be effectively managed through foliar applications Interactions within the soil with other nutrients and particles can affect uptake therefore foliar applications can be efficient Earlier applications of nitrogen in the spring builds shoot and root biomass This in-turn builds more resilience against potential stresses such as drought 11

12 Spring Management Continued Phosphate timing is important Only apply when the crop requires it Maximise return by using when nutrient availability is at its lowest due to low soil temp and high water content P 2 O 5 uptake (kg/ha) of winter wheat % of P uptake in 4-8 weeks! 0 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Establishment Dormancy Tillering Shooting Anthesis & Maturity 12

13 Amount of Phosphate and Potash Minimum amount of P&K required would be 35-50kg/ha This should be a routine, annual application in the spring when the crop requires it However high rates should be used if building indices or working off crop removal values Strategic planning means P&K can be managed at Index 1 13

14 Long-term Strategy 4-10 years, field-by-field soil focus Built in resilience rather than risk due to soil reserves. Achieved by building organic matter through use of organic manures/wastes, cover crops, digestates and other organic products If you re already investing in this then you are thinking long-term as organic matter takes a long time to build Maintaining the optimal ph through correctional actions such as liming 14

15 What is your P and K strategy? P&K removed by crops should be replaced! BSFP 2015 data suggests this is not actually happening Phosphate application rates 28 kg P 2 O 5 / ha Potassium application rates 34 kg K 2 O / ha Average offtake Wheat (grain only) = 62 kg P 2 O 5 / ha and 45 kg K 2 O/ha Wheat (grain plus straw) = 67 kg P 2 O 5 / ha and 83 kg K 2 O/ha Oilseed (grain only) = 49 kg P 2 O 5 / ha and 39 kg K 2 O/ha Again, only apply when the crop requires it for maximum efficiency 15

16 Building on-farm trend data for nutrients Long-term farm knowledge of your soil gives you an idea of which deficiencies will need rectifying each season Building trends from your own farm data to plan nutrient applications This means you re less reliant on external data sets Less likely to be caught out by specific nutrient deficiencies Using prevention rather than cure to treat your crops Spring tissue tests are routine to clarify your crop s status and pick up on any season-specific deficiencies 16

17 Measure! It is important to measure where possible Data set goes towards building trends Track your strategy to see if your long-term goals are achieving what they were set out to do Soil and tissue analysis as a routine, including organic matter and soil health 17

18 Nitrogen Management Nitrogen management is much the same as for the short-term strategy Apply early! End of February Dry springs are normal March and April are generally the driest months and always have been! Nitrogen source is also important 18

19 Managing Blackgrass If managing blackgrass then nutrition becomes even more important Many are delaying drilling Colder, wetter soils means lost potential yield Utilise a nutrient management strategy to help recover some of those losses Early applications of NPKS in late February when these nutrients are at their lowest availability within the soil 19

20 Managing Blackgrass Choosing a source of phosphate that will deliver available P throughout the time the crop requires it within the season Utilising foliar phosphate (not phosphite) to give the crop an added energy boost, accelerating early spring growth Using a higher rate of N at the early timing to give faster leaf and tiller development to help recover the biomass lost from delayed drilling Neither of these processes are extra actions as a uniform application of NPKS compound can be used and the foliar application can be tank mixed with other CPPs 20

21 Summary Neither strategy is right or wrong whichever suits your situation best Nutrition plays a vital role when planning both short and long-term Establishing a good robust root system early on is key biomass! Timing and source of nutrient is vital to achieve desired results Nutrition has a part to play in tackling Blackgrass 21

22 Thank you