IS THE WHEAT HUNGRY? WHEN AND HOW MUCH TO FERTILIZE?
You can get answers to these questions by the Meteobot® Nitro precision fertilizing system. It takes into account the most important factors, affecting nitrogen uptake and respectively – the yield and grain quality:
- Leaf chlorophyll;
- Rainfall;
- Soil moisture;
- Soil temperature;
- Air temperature;
- Wheat variety;
- Soil type and contents.
On this basis, the system gives recommendations about the amount of nitrogen that is necessary to achieve the planned yield and grain quality with the minimum possible cost for nitrogen fertilizers.
WHAT IS METEOBOT® NITRO?
Meteobot® Nitro consists of several components:
1. METEOBOT® NITRO CHLOROPHYLL METER
Chlorophyll measurement shows how much nitrogen have the plants taken up, and how much more they need to achieve their maximum yield potential.
The measurement is made with a Meteobot® Nitro optical chlorophyll-meter – directly in the field. It is not necessary to pick leaves and send them to a laboratory for chemical analysis. The measurement is carried out right before fertilizer application. This way you get the most accurate information how much nitrogen to apply.
2. METEOBOT® MIni COMPACT WEATHER STATION
The main factors, which influence nitrogen uptake (and hence – the yield), are rainfall and temperature. With the Meteobot® Mini weather station you get real-time data about rain, air temperature and humidity, soil moisture and soil temperature – directly on your smartphone. The station is fully autonomous and is powered by a solar panel. The small size and the built-in GPS for security and tracking make it possible to install Meteobot® Mini in the field. Moreover, you get a local weather forecast for 10 days ahead for the location of the weather station.
3. VARIETAL SPECIFICS
The nitrogen fertilizing recommendations from Meteobot® Nitro have been calibrated for different wheat varieties. As you may know, some varieties are visibly greener (i.e. they have more chlorophyll), but this does not necessarily mean, that they produce higher yields. To take into account these specifics, we have been carrying out field trials with many wheat varieties:
- Airbus (Limagrain);
- Alcantara (Limagrain);
- Alhambra (Limagrain);
- Anapurna (Limagrain);
- Apilco (Limagrain);
- Avenue (Limagrain);
- Basmati (KWS Momont);
- Enola (Wheat Institute, Bulgaria);
- Falado (Syngenta);
- Forcali (KWS Momont);
- Lazuli (KWS Momont);
- Modern (KWS Momont);
- Moisson (Syngenta);
- Silverio (KWS Momont);
- Sofru (Caussade Semences);
- Solehio (KWS Momont);
- Sorrial (Caussade Semences);
- Stromboli (KWS Momont).
This way we have developed calibrated fertilizing algorithms for the trialed varieties, and a universal algorithm for the others.
4. SATELLITE MONITORING OF CROPS AND VARIABLE RATE APPLICATION
If the field crop is uniform, it is enough to measure chlorophyll at a single location. If there are non-uniform zones, it is necessary to make one measurement in each zone. This way you will know what nitrogen rate is needed in each zone and be able to apply nitrogen variably across the field. If you are going to apply a fixed rate, you can use the average for the whole field.
How to differentiate zones? The easiest way to do so is on satellite images – for example in Onesoil or At.farm.
5. SOIL ANALYSIS
The analysis shows your soil’s ability to retain moisture and nutrients, the risk of nitrogen leaching, etc. Next to that you get data about pH, organic matter, availability of sulphur, phosphorous, potassium, and microelements, which directly affect nitrogen uptake and hence – the yield.
6. FERTILISER RECOMMENDATIONs from the meteobot® nitro app
On the basis of chlorophyll content, rainfall, soil moisture, soil temperature, air temperature, soil type and content, weather forecast and wheat variety, you get a customized nitrogen fertilizer recommendation from the Meteobot® Nitro mobile app.