25.3.2021
Wheat prices are currently going through the roof. In addition to stock market speculation, this is also due to poor harvest results last year. In France and Great Britain in particular, harvest volumes fell short of expectations. In Germany, the harvest was average — although some locations had to deal with adversities due to drought. What all results have in common is that there is a lack of protein content. With adapted and site-specific fertilization, you have control over your results yourself and can actively control the protein content. We'll tell you how you can best proceed here.
After freezing temperatures and masses of snow in February, nature is slowly coming back to life — winter wheat is in the middle of the trees in many places. At this stage of development (EC stage 20-29), the plant forms secondary shoots. The initial fertilization has been completed and farm manure may have already been applied. From around mid-April, the plants start to stretch (EC stage 30-39) — the perfect time to plan a second dose of mineral fertiliser as needed.
As an addition to your many years of experience and expertise, the use of a sensor is a good idea at this stage. Because every area is individual and with the help of clever sensor technology, you can supply your crops individually with nutrients and nitrogen. Why is that so important? Heterogeneities within an area often lead to undersupply and oversupply of individual areas — this often means loss of yield and loss of quality for you. Site-specific fertilization can be a tool for optimizing the N balance. This primarily depends on how much the farmer enters during calibration. The N distribution within the partial surfaces is then optimized.
With a plant sensor, you are able to gently analyze your crops even at the start of the lap and collect data every time you travel. Depending on the size of the company, different systems are available for this purpose. The plant sensors ISARIA PRO Compact and PRO Active You can also connect directly to your fertiliser spreader. This saves a crossing and is particularly efficient. Based on the biomass and nitrogen supply index, the sensors can identify to what extent your plants still need support. Once you have connected your fertilizer spreader to the sensor directly via the terminal, you immediately apply the fertilizer site-specific based on the sensor data. Another option is to use satellite maps. Taking into account past data, ISARIA CONNECT — your central platform for data management — precise fertilization maps are created. This can also be particularly interesting with the third application of fertilizer (also known as quality application) — especially if you want to improve the protein content.
If you choose homogenizing variants for shooting, you can promote balanced biomass development within the stock. However, if you want to make optimal use of the potential of your stocks with ISARIA, the yield-oriented fertilization strategy is recommended. In this way, areas with good stocks are better supplied. Sections with weak biomass development, such as sanddomes or shaded sections on forest edges, are supplied with lower amounts of nutrients. To ensure quality, yield-oriented fertilization should definitely be selected, because this is the only way to achieve the optimal protein content in all areas, because a well-developed wheat stock also needs a higher supply of N to achieve good grain quality.
In the end, you have the choice of which strategy you find appropriate on your land and under your conditions.
The EC stages describe the growth of grains. The growth stages are divided into nine macrostages and these in turn into nine microstages. What are the EC stadiums used for? The division helps you find the optimal time for fertilization and plant protection measures.
