Grow the future | Nitrogen and sulphur Grow the future | Nitrogen and sulphur

Applying nitrogen and sulphur together just makes sense

Combining nitrogen and sulphur together increases nitrogen use efficiency so means more for your money with less wastage

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Grain Analysis, Isn’t it just Hindsight?

Grain sampling has been around for a long time, but it’s not been used as part of a sampling routine on a lot of farms. Whilst grain analysis is a ‘look back’ on the season that’s complete that doesn’t mean hindsight can’t be a useful tool.

Knowing which nutrients were low, or even deficient, can help us alter the nutrient strategy for next season – improving overall nutrient efficiency. Having this data can also confirm what we were doing was right too, helping show you’re already working at optimum nutrient levels – this is also useful to know!

Sulphur is a good example of how to utilise the results you get from the analysis of the grain. An N:S ratio of below 17:1 is the target for wheat; if the ratio exceeds this it is an indication that there wasn’t enough sulphur available to the crop when it required it.

It’s not just the major nutrients that are useful, micronutrients are also measured in grain analysis and are, again, a good way to see whether they were at sufficient levels throughout the season. When we team grain analysis with soil analysis too, we can start to build a picture of the nutrient status of the farm and look at ways to mitigate risks or increase efficiencies where we can.

 

More arable agronomy advice

Farmer on a potato field
Establishing potatoes successfully
As with any other crop, good nutrition is key to securing a healthy potato crop, one that will return good yield and high quality and ultimately achieve a better profit margin for you.
Farmer fields in Scotland
Micronutrients: Micro but Mighty
Don’t be fooled by the name - micronutrients are NOT unimportant, we just need less of them than the macronutrients to achieve the best results.
Spring Barley Fields
How to Maximise Spring Barley Productivity
With so many farmers struggling to get onto their fields to drill winter wheat due to the wet weather, many are turning to spring barley as an alternative crop.
Maize Field
Protecting Maize from Abiotic Stress
To achieve your maize crop’s full potential you should be focused on two strategies
Planning for Successful Oilseed Establishment
Planning for Successful Oilseed Establishment
Oilseed rape can be a tricky crop to establish, so attention to detail is critical to overcome various obstacles that can affect early growth and development.
Managing late drilled wheat crops
Managing late drilled wheat crops
Where drilling of winter wheat has been delayed, the crop nutrition strategy should be adapted to help recover the lost yield potential
Do you really need straight nitrogen
Do you really need straight nitrogen
Before ordering your straight nitrogen it is worth considering how much you actually need as it may be you actually need NS or NPKS grades instead.
Don't forget about sulphur
Don't forget about sulphur
Sulphur was often overlooked in the past but today it is recognised as an essential nutrient and considered just as important as nitrogen, so not to be forgotten.
Heavier fertiliser spreads further
Heavier fertiliser spreads further
Some fertilisers consistently spread further and more accurately than others. A heavier and larger fertiliser granule will spread further because the spreader can put more energy into it.
See all agronomy advice

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Recent arable agronomy webinars

Catch up with our recent arable agronomy webinars in case you missed any or see the full list of webinars that includes grassland webinars too.