If we can get it right, it will increase crop yields, save money and reduce losses to the environment
by KEITH REID
Variable rate nitrogen is the “Holy Grail” of fertilizer application technology. If we can get it right, it will increase crop yields, save money and reduce losses to the environment through leaching and denitrification.
Three components are necessary for any variable application program – the ability to variably apply, the ability to measure variation, and the “smart program” to interpret the variation to predict optimum fertilizer applications. The first two components we have had for many years, but we haven’t quite figured out the final piece of the puzzle.