Improving fertilizer economics
Research scientists from Agriculture Canada and the University of Saskatchewan have confirmed that precision farming with variable rate application of nitrogen can improve the economics of fertilizer use.
These findings came from a three-year study by Hugh Beckie of the Saskatoon Research Centre, in co-operation with Alan Moulin of the Brandon Research Centre and Dan Pennock of the U of S.
The study was done on loam-textured land in the Parkland region south of Prince Albert, Sask.
Variable rate application based on soil organic carbon or topography increased yield more than either uniform application based on soil test recommendations or variable rate application based solely on soil levels of residual nitrogen.
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By tailoring fertilizer rates to soil organic carbon or topography, variable rate application improved yield response to nitrogen fertilizer and resulted in gross returns of about $60 per hectare more compared with uniform application. Lower returns would be expected in more arid regions where less fertilizer is used.
Since the subhumid Parkland region accounts for 85 percent of the fertilizer used in Western Canada, producers in the area may benefit most from the new technology.
In the study, successive years of variable rate application proved precision farming can make better use of nitrogen fertilizer. By more closely matching fertilizer rates with crop nutrient requirements and reducing nutrient losses, producers can increase the profitability of fertilizer use on their farms.
Variable rate nitrogen application need be no more expensive than conventional application, provided that soil sampling reflects nitrogen levels at different slope positions with enough accuracy and that fertilizer rates are manually adjusted within the field.
However, costs of varying fertilizer rates on the basis of topography would rise with grid soil sampling, automatic fertilizer rate adjustment and the use of digitized nutrient application maps in conjunction with a global positioning system or other locational systems.
– Agriculture Canada
