Fertilizer advice based on expected yield

23 June 2021 - Arable farming

In the advice on the report of the fertilization analysis Soil Crop Monitor and Soil Check the expected yield will be taken into account from now on. If necessary, the needs of the crop are adjusted up or down.

The crop requirement is central to the fertilizer recommendation. Until now, the standard approach to calculating recommendations was to use the average yield in the Netherlands. However, many growers achieve higher or lower yields than the average. Yields can also vary from year to year as a result of too much or too little rain, for example. Adjusting the advice to one's own situation was therefore a much-heard wish.

If the soil analysis is known, the plot-specific follow-up is also used to calculate the fertilization advice. This in combination with the advice on variety or crop type level gives an optimal advice tailored to the farm or field. 

Fertilize according to need

By calculating with the farm- or field-specific yield, an optimal advice can be given and the donation adjusted. The practical example in Table 1 shows what this means for ware potatoes.

The new advice makes it possible to fertilize more accurately. Growers now receive tailor-made advice, enabling them to apply just enough extra fertilizer. The new calculation rule on which the additional fertilization advice is based, also has great added value for crops abroad where yields can be different than in the Netherlands.

Table 1: Case study fertilization advice linked to expected yield in ware potatoes, variety: Fontane. Source: Eurofins Agro, 2021

Read more about the time of sampling here.