GrowSmart Hub

Soil pH

• Optimum soil pH is 6.3 for grassland & clover pH 6.5 to 7.0
• Maintaining soils at optimum soil pH can releases up to 70kg N/ha/year
• Regular Soil testing and Lime application will optimise NUE

Target Soil P & K Index 3

• Build soils to Index 3 for P and K
• This will improve N uptake and crop yield for improved NUE

Sulphur (S) promotes N efficiency and conversion to protein

• Apply S in grazing at a rate of 1 unit S to every 10-12 units nitrogen applied.
• Silage ground requires 16 units S/ac for each cut.

Protected Urea

• Reduce N losses as nitrous oxide (GHG) or ammonia. Reducing N losses improves NUE by switching Urea and CAN to Protected Urea.
• At present 18 product options are available from six fertiliser manufacturers.
• Find out more here »

More about Nitro-Guard Protected Urea

Clover Use

• Animal
  Increased dry matter intake + 1.5 kg DM/cow/da
  Increased milk solids production + 30 kg MS/cow/year
• Sward
  Increased dry matter production – + 800 kg DM/ha
  Potential to reduce nitrogen fertiliser with white clover contents >25%

Slurry application method

• Use LESS technology to improve NUE by reducing N losses
• The N fertiliser replacement value of slurry increases by 50% when using LESS methods compared to splash-plate
• Spring application of slurry will increase N recovery by 0.4kg N/m3
• Increase the fertiliser replacement value of slurry by using LESS + €1.50 to 2 in N fertiliser replacement value per 4.5 m3 of cattle slurry (figure 1)

Figure 1. Equivalent N-P-K fertiliser value of 4.5m3 (1.000 gallons) of cattle slurry when applied using splash plate and low emission slurry spreading (LESS) methods.

Reseeding

• Increasing % rye grass in swards increases the uptake and utilisation of applied N.

Fertiliser Planning

• Create a fertiliser plan to target the required nutrients to the appropriate sample results.
• Target nutrients that specifies the rate, timing and product to be applied on each field based on the individual farm systems.