Organic fertilisation with the plant sensor

Precise initial fertilisation is essential.

Site-specific crop cultivation has to date mainly been known in relation to the use of plant sensors for mineral fertilisation and pest management. But many farms fertilise initially with slurry. This in-season application is also the most important fertilisation stage. It is also necessary to treat the normally very heterogeneous crops with slurry. This strengthens them, and their yield potential is optimised. Proper distribution of organic fertiliser on the field is essential, as slurry improves the soil structure and stimulates micro-organism activity.

Precise manure application in spring is crucial for crop farming success throughout the year. This needs to take into account the long-term effect of the organically bound nitrogen in the slurry: The total nitrogen in the slurry does not correspond to the total N content in the mineral fertiliser. Only about half of the total N is immediately available to the crop. Slurry contains immediately available ammonium nitrogen and organically bound nitrogen, which must first be processed by soil organisms such as bacteria before it is available to the crop (conversion: organically bound nitrogen -> ammonium-> nitrate). If organically bound nitrogen is not converted by micro-organisms, it provides the all-important humus build-up.

Balancing fertilisation is a good strategy for applying organic fertiliser in spring. The background to this is that slurry is very good at improving soil structure on poorer sites. ISARIA plant sensors visualise differences in real time. In contrast to the precision use of fertiliser spreaders, precise application of slurry is often neglected. . Organic fertilisation by cubic metre (m³) is very inaccurate, and can cause considerable harm in crop management (e.g. lodged grain, nutrient deficiency, excessive grain tillering). There are very wide variations in the nutrient content of slurry in final storage, as the components settle. Often the contents do not match the slurry sample.

Organic fertilisation with the plant sensor.

The ISARIA PRO Compact and PRO Active sensors, in conjunction with a slurry tanker with an integrated NIR sensor, are able to optimally distribute the organic matter on the field. hanks to the GPS connection, yield potential maps can also be incorporated into fertilisation.

The Bavarian slurry machinery manufacturer Zunhammer, for example, enables site-specific application with its VAN-CONTROLsystem, which uses near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) to measure the nutrients in the slurry during filling. The system records the total and ammonium nitrogen, as well as phosphorus, potash and the dry matter content. The tanker regulates the application quantity according to the ammonium nitrogen in the slurry and the current N requirement as determined by the ISARIA plant sensors. This means that fertiliser can be applied precisely according to nutrient requirements. The documentation of fertiliser maps, as well as the incorporation of yield or soil maps, can be handled in the same way as the familiar mineral fertilisation. All data can be administered in the ISARIA CONNECT data management system.

The advantages are:

• Optimum utilization of yield potential
• Optimised N balance
• Reduced fertiliser cost (slurry partly replaces expensive mineral fertiliser
• Compliance with legal requirements
• Improved soil structure on poor sites