PRECISION PLACEMENT OF FERTILISER FOR OPTIMISING THE EARLY NUTRITION OF VEGETABLE CROPS €“ a REVIEW OF THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE YIELD AND QUALITY OF CROPS, AND THEIR NUTRIENT USE EFFICIENCY

Abstract

The research outlined in this paper highlights the importance of the early nutrition of vegetable crops, and its long-term effects on their subsequent growth and development. Results are also presented to demonstrate how the nutrient supply during the establishment stages of young seedlings and transplants can be enhanced by targeting fertiliser to a zone close to their developing roots. Three different precision fertiliser placement techniques are compared for this purpose: starter, band or side-injected fertiliser. The use of each of these methods consistently produced the same (or greater) yields at lower application rates than those from conventional broadcast applications, increasing the apparent recovery of N, P and K, and the overall efficiency of nutrient use, while reducing the levels of residual nutrients in the soil. Starter fertilisers also advanced the maturity of some crops, and enhanced produce quality by increasing the proportions of the larger and/or more desirable marketable grades. The benefits of the different placement techniques are illustrated with selected examples from research at Warwick HRI using different vegetable crops, including lettuce, onion and carrot.

Application of the “4R” Nutrient Stewardship Concept to Horticultural Crops: Getting Nutrients in the “Right” Place

“…Pop-up and starter fertilizer may increase early growth with considerably less fertilizer than broadcasting because the nutrients are located directly near the plants. These fertilizers generally contain low amounts of soluble N and high amounts of P. The N improves P uptake, particularly during the spring when soil temperatures are cooler, and the P promotes root growth and plant vigor (Burns et al, 2010). A good response in establishment and early growth has been shown in carrot (Daucus carota var.…”

Opportunities for improving phosphorus‐use efficiency in crop plants

“…Crop management options may be able to deal with this by separate production of seeds under higher P fertilization rates, and/or by ensuring high P availability for seedling growth through seed coating technology or fertilizer placement (Pariasca‐Tanaka et al. , 2009; Burns et al. , 2010; Sekiya & Yano, 2010).…”

Diverse concepts of breeding for nitrogen use efficiency. A review

“…At the crop level, the aim is to improve N management through various complementary fertilization strategies and soil management regimes such as precision fertilization through split fertilizer strategies (Van Alphen and Stoorvogel 2000;Hirel et al 2011) or fertilizer placement strategies (Burns et al 2010). Modeling the N demand during crop growth is one of the tools to support precision fertilization to adjust application timing and placing of N based on measurements of plant material (such as petiole tests), measurements of soil conditions (available N), or both (Sibley et al 2009(Sibley et al , 2010Schröder 2014), together with predictions of future gain in dry matter (De Koeijer et al 1999).…”