AGROBALANCE Variable Rate Fertilization
The AgroBalance subscription service – Variable Rate Fertilization – ensures crop and soil care over a four-year period, for each year of the subscription, as well as periodic consulting and the development of professional variable fertilization recommendations by the NIK Agro Service agronomy team.
To achieve a specific crop yield, the agronomist calculates the amount of nutrients already in the soil and the amount that needs to be added through fertilizer application to reach the target output. Recommended quantities are always expressed in active ingredients, and the client chooses the type of fertilizer to use. The AGROBALANCE service – Variable Rate Fertilization – allows for cost optimization, the standardization of soil nutrient content, and the achievement of maximum results.
Soil sampling
1. Automated soil sampling for variable rate application (0-30 cm), using a specialized sampling technique and an automated probe. We determine nutrient reserve variations across zones within a specific plot by collecting four times as many samples as required by the ISO standard. Each user has access to information regarding: the exact route of the sampling devices; and the location of the soil sampling zones within the boundaries of each individual plot.
Performing analyses
2. Soil analyses performed in the specialized NIK Agro Service laboratory, accredited according to the BDS standard.
Analysis of the following parameters: soil reaction (pH); nutrients (total mineral nitrogen – ammoniacal nitrogen N-NH4 and nitrate nitrogen N-NO3), assimilable phosphorus (P2O5), exchangeable potassium (K₂O), assimilable forms of calcium (CaO), magnesium (MgO), sulfur (S), sodium (Na₂O), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and boron (B).
Agrochemical maps
3. Development of digital agrochemical maps that contain information on the distribution of the following indicators: soil reaction (pH), nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium – only for the first year of the subscription.
Recommendation maps
4. Development of a balanced fertilization plan The NIK Agro Service agronomic team develops a balanced fertilization plan for each plot and respective crop, based on the principle that in poorer areas a larger quantity of a certain element is applied, while in richer areas, reduced or even zero fertilization can be applied.
5. Development of recommendations for variable rate fertilization – for the application of phosphorus and/or potassium. Development of a digital VRA map that can be imported into a Trimble navigation display.
Control sampling
6. Control sampling during vegetation – one plant sample and one corresponding soil sample from each block. Plant tissue analysis provides information on the current nutritional status of the plants and helps confirm or refute visually diagnosed symptoms. Analysis of control samples to determine the content of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, sodium, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, and boron. The agronomic team monitors crop status and prepares a document with comments on the results obtained and recommendations for further action.
7. Control soil sampling after harvest – 20% of the initial number of samples. Based on the results obtained, NIK Agro Service agronomists develop fertilization recommendations for the next agricultural year.
Recommendations for the next year
8. Development of variable rate fertilization recommendations for the next agricultural year. All AgroBalance service users receive access to the Agrimi crop monitoring platform, where they can view:
- the route and soil sampling points;
- digital agrochemical maps regarding nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and pH content
- of the respective plot, digital maps for variable rate fertilizer application.
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