Irish tillage farmers can now avail of the latest version of the handheld Yara N-tester to fine-tune their nitrogen applications in cereals.
The handheld Yara N-tester BT allows farmers to take non-destructive readings in a growing crop in order to establish its nitrogen content.
The sensor uses light reflectance to detect chlorophyll levels within the leaves of a growing cereal and equates this to the current nitrogen levels in that crop.
Around 30 clippings are required to generate a recommendation. / Yara N Sensor
It can work as a stand-alone system to fine-tune nitrogen applications or can be used in conjunction with the Yara tractor-mounted N sensor.
Taking a reading
A reading can be taken at two stages, around GS32 before the second split of nitrogen and before the final application.
Readings are collected in an area of around 10ha. To take a reading, insert the freshest fully formed leaf of the cereal plant into the clip and press. Repeat this process around 30 times in the area.
The data is sent to the Yara Irix mobile app via bluetooth. The app then generates a nitrogen recommendation depending on the crop, the variety and the amount already applied.
The N-tester is available on subscription in Ireland with 12-month contracts starting from €19/month.
Last week, the Irish Farmers Journal spoke with head of agronomy for Yara UK and Ireland Mark Tucker about the latest version of its crop nitrogen handheld sensor.
Listen to the full interview here:
Read more
Listen: farming organic dairy, cereals and sugar beet across 3,000ac
Listen: reducing farm inputs by 50% with the help of companion cropping
Irish tillage farmers can now avail of the latest version of the handheld Yara N-tester to fine-tune their nitrogen applications in cereals.
The handheld Yara N-tester BT allows farmers to take non-destructive readings in a growing crop in order to establish its nitrogen content.
The sensor uses light reflectance to detect chlorophyll levels within the leaves of a growing cereal and equates this to the current nitrogen levels in that crop.
Around 30 clippings are required to generate a recommendation. / Yara N Sensor
It can work as a stand-alone system to fine-tune nitrogen applications or can be used in conjunction with the Yara tractor-mounted N sensor.
Taking a reading
A reading can be taken at two stages, around GS32 before the second split of nitrogen and before the final application.
Readings are collected in an area of around 10ha. To take a reading, insert the freshest fully formed leaf of the cereal plant into the clip and press. Repeat this process around 30 times in the area.
The data is sent to the Yara Irix mobile app via bluetooth. The app then generates a nitrogen recommendation depending on the crop, the variety and the amount already applied.
The N-tester is available on subscription in Ireland with 12-month contracts starting from €19/month.
Last week, the Irish Farmers Journal spoke with head of agronomy for Yara UK and Ireland Mark Tucker about the latest version of its crop nitrogen handheld sensor.
Listen to the full interview here:
Read more
Listen: farming organic dairy, cereals and sugar beet across 3,000ac
Listen: reducing farm inputs by 50% with the help of companion cropping
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: