Climate change strengthens the case for fertiliser integration and better management
Global warming and climate change have certainly made farmers a lot more interested in making their fertiliser and water use more efficient.
Fertiliser Integration
Indeed, RLF's field staff are telling me that farmers are now putting into practice fertiliser regimes that are close to RLF's model of Fertiliser Integration.
It's an excellent start to improving efficiency, but there are a range of other measures that could also help overcome these challenging climatic conditions.
Cultivars: The right selection is important for a start. Dwarf varieties with fewer tillers, longer roots and higher root to shoot ratios have better drought tolerance.
By selecting quality seeds and upgrading the seed lot with BSN SuperStrike early vigour and resistance of roots to diseases could also be greatly improved.
Sowing depth: Choosing the correct sowing depth and zero or minimum tillage will also improve yields in the face of declining rainfall.
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AI Gore, Ambassador for climate change urges everyone including farmers to treat climate change seriously and to take whatever steps are necessary to adapt to it. |
It's important to remember that regardless of the cultivars and the seeding techniques you use, there's a lot to be gained by fertiliser integration:
• Early vigour and root growth - BSN seed treatment creates an extra seminal root in early germination.
• The phosphorus in BSN has the seedling searching for soil phosphorus from the start, establishing its first two tillers and programming it for maximum yield.
• Trace elements in BSN produce better root growth and resistance to diseases and tough conditions.
• BSN boosts yields by 5-7% even in normal seasons.
• CSF foliar fertilisers fix trace element deficiencies, maintain nutrient balance and improve root growth, boosting yields by 10-12% from 1-2 applications.
• Foliar fertilising provides crops with nitrogen at the best possible time, reducing copper deficiencies, maximising water use efficiency and filling grains after the flowering stage.
• Maximising the yield from each extra mm of rain.
Key points
If your fertiliser history is good you can use fertiliser integration to reduce your expensive granular fertiliser use by up to 20% while actually improving your yields.
This pays for your investment in BSN SuperStrike and CSF Foliar.
You improved yields mean you’re using water and fertiliser more efficiently – just what you need in the face of global warming.
Best of all you can expect a boost in your annual net income of 10 – 15%.