Yara crop nutrition

14
NUTRIENTS
Yara crop nutrition
Efficient use of crop nutrients supports
farm output. In high demand:
Application knowledge and nutrition
efficiency – improving crop yields,
reducing environmental impacts.
Notice the name: Yara Crop Nutrition is a novel, knowledgebased
concept. Bringing local answers to global challenges,
it offers growers a unique package of products and services
based on three elements:
Crop knowledge We possess extensive crop nutrition
knowledge, which we use to create a win-win situation
with successful growers.
Portfolio combinations We offer a comprehensive product
portfolio that meets the needs of all crops, different growing
conditions and application methods.
Application competence We apply a just-in-time approach to
application that matches the exact needs of crops, supported by
an array of decision-making tools.
yara.com for yara’s products and services
Technology is the tool.
Knowledge is the key.
#08
THERE IS AN AVOIDABLE GAP between actual
and optimal fertilizer application rates. Yield
increases depend heavily on the application of
mineral fertilizer to supplement organic material,
along with knowledge transfer and innovation.
YIELD INCREASES
REQUIRE
FERTILIZER,
KNOWLEDGE
AND INNOVATON
Yield
e.g improved e.g improved crops crops
Yield
Innovation
Innovation
Knowledge Knowledge
transfer transfer
e.g. new e.g. new nutritional nutritional
concepts concepts
Fertilizer Fertilizer rate rate
Crop nutrition nurturing sustainable agriculture
All food derives from
plants. To grow, plants
themselves need nutrients.
Mineral fertilizer is a major
source of crop nutrition,
crucial to food security.
Any crop requires a complementary
diet of a mixture
of minerals. A sustainable
agri culture is best
served with balanced fertilization.
As far as possible,
organic inputs including
crop residues should be
utilized. Still, mineral
fertilizers are needed to
provide sufficient nutrition,
ecuring optimum yields.
Optimum fertilizer efficiency
requires extensive
knowledge for application
of nutrition to match the
exact needs of the plants.
Precision application
of fertilizers, including
controlled release and
deep placement technologies,
adds to the efficiency
of the nutrients, reducing
the ecological footprint.
Nitrogen (N) is the main
crop nutrient, essential
to increase yields. About
48% of the world’s food
production is the result
of mineral N fertilizers.
Fertilizers are not always
used efficiently. Crops
normally take up only
about 50% of the nutrients,
meaning that improved N
use efficiency (NUE) has
economic rewards on top
of environmental ones:
reducing the cost of excessive
application, as well as
reducing N 2 O emissions,
leaching and volatile losses.
There are well-tested
methods to improve NUE,
especially in the way of
precision fertilization,
based on fertilizer best
management practices.
For optimum application,
remote sensors and other
decision-making tools
are employed. Timing
matters; placement even
more: N should be applied
close to crop roots to
ensure maximum uptake,
and reduced loss. 92
In Europe, the efficiency
rate has risen from approx.
35% to nearly 65% over the
last 25 years. Decreased
N 2 O emissions from farm
soils in Europe demonstrate
that intensive agriculture
with high fertilizer use
efficiency helps reduce
GHG emissions. 93
The fertilizer industry
recommends that crop nutrient
application per unit
of product should be kept
as low as feasible without
harvest loss. However, rates
should not be reduced in
the case of N use deficiencies,
or where the total N
pool in the soil is mined. 94