Smart technology in fertilization to improve nitrogen efficiency

At the decentralized experimental station, smart technologies have been running promising on-farm trials on site-specific or even sub-area-specific nitrogen fertilization with winter wheat since 2022 as part of the Smart-N project. The decentralized experimental station is a cooperation between AGRIDEA, Agroscope, and the cantons of Thurgau and Schaffhausen.

What is site-specific fertilization?

In conventional fertilization, the fertilizer spreader is set to a uniform application per hectare and then this amount is spread as evenly as possible. In particular, if soil conditions vary within a plot, this can lead to an oversupply or undersupply of the individual plants. The approach of site-specific fertilization is to optimally adjust the quantities within a plot to the plant’s needs.

How does this work in practice?

There are different ways to determine the needs of the plant. In the Smart-N project, satellite data in combination with algorithms are used to determine the nitrogen demand of the sub-areas and to create an application map. In this map, the plot is divided into zones in which more or less fertilization is to be applied. If you have a tractor with a steering system and a suitably equipped fertilizer spreader, the application map can simply be stored in the tractor terminal and the spreader automatically regulates the amount applied in the corresponding zone. The project is also testing simpler solutions. For example, uploading an application map to a tablet, where the tractor driver can see which zone he is in and then manually regulate the amount per hectare by adjusting the flow rate at the fertilizer spreader or the speed of the tractor.

What have the results been so far?

The project compares the usual approach to nitrogen fertilization on the farm with site-specific fertilization in winter wheat. On the 15 wheat fields examined so far in two years of testing, nitrogen efficiency improved on average. In some cases, up to 30% less nitrogen was applied than in the operational variant. With a few exceptions, this had no negative effect on wheat yield and protein content. On average across all trial plots, N surpluses were reduced by 22 %.

The evaluations for the 2023/24 growing year are currently underway, and plans are being made for a further season of practical trials.

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