Foliar feeds can supply small amounts of nutrient in a targeted manner to increase fertiliser use efficiency and tailor crop nutrition to growth within a season.
The Farming for a Better Climate Soil Regenerative Agriculture Group put in place a few small trials on their own farms to see if this approach could reduce the spend on fertiliser, reduce number of passes, increase nitrogen use efficiency and so benefit the farm carbon footprint, without any loss of production.
Following on from the positive trial results from the group in 2020, where 100kg/ha nitrogen (N) was applied to range of arable crops, followed by a number of 5kg/ha applications of foliar N, SAC Consulting has secured funding from the Mains of Loirston Charitable Trust to test the effectiveness of this approach in replicated trials. SRUC Senior Researcher Ian Bingham, who is leading the project states “the design of the trials will allow us to quantify how much of the N supplied through the soil and leaf is captured by the crop and contributes to yield”. This update shows how the trial plots are looking in June and July 2021.
All plots:
- Variety – Barrel
- 360seeds/m2
- Following OSR
- 250kg/ha 0.24.24
- Herbicide 3.0l/ha Picona
- Standard fungicide program
- Yara Foliar N (30%)
Base Rates (SRUC, Perth Trial Site, 16.07.2021)
Plots at 16.06.2021
Plots at 16.07.2021
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) images, measuring photosynthetic activity and used as a measure of plant health are taken throughout the season. All plots will be taken to yield and analysed.
Trial sites have been replicated at Edinburgh and Perth, and will be repeated in 2022. Similar trials for N application on spring barley are underway.
