Save 240 kg of fertiliser per hectare with the right manure technology

23 May 2022

Fertiliser is extremely expensive and, in some cases, no longer available. With today's high fertiliser prices (KAS 27 N € 97.30 per 100 kg, 25 March 2022) it is very important to use the nutrients from the organic manure efficiently.

Due to these high fertiliser prices, it is worthwhile investing in slurry incorporation technology now. The savings from this technology make it very interesting for farmers to make better use of their own slurry. Slurry is a high-quality nutrient that is available on the farm and does not have to be bought in at a high price!

Low-emission slurry injection techniques pay off

A good slurry incorporation technique reduces emissions* so that plants can use more nitrogen. By incorporating the slurry in the soil instead of spreading on the soil, the slurry hardly comes into contact with the air. This reduces emissions and more active nitrogen is made available to the plant.

The ammonia losses of slurry incorporation technology are significantly lower compared to methods that spread slurry on the soil. And on the positive side, the nutrient yield is good because the nutrients are brought directly to the roots of the plant. Spreading slurry on the soil (e.g. with dribble bar or trailing shoe) gives higher emissions.

Advantages of the low-loss slurry incorporation technique- arable land **

25m3 per hectare with 4 kg N per m3

The amounts mentioned here are only the savings in kg N. Add to this the savings of operations in terms of time, resources and money!

Advantages of the low-loss slurry incorporation technique – grain fields and grassland **  

25m3 per hectare with 4 kg N per m3

The amounts mentioned here are only the savings in kg N. Add to this the savings of operations in terms of time, resources and money!

Low-loss slurry incorporation techniques

Low-loss techniques include slurry incorporation with grassland injectors, arable land injectors and disc injectors. The advantages of these incorporation techniques are:

• Savings on working passes:
  • No need to buy or apply fertiliser
  • On arable land: manure incorporation and soil cultivation in one pass
  • Fewer passes prevent soil compaction
• Lower emissions:
  • Due to high fertiliser prices, injecting has become cheaper -> nutrients are brought directly to the roots of the plant
• No burning and pollution of plants
• Optimum crop yield with minimum use of mineral fertiliser
• Larger working width with low weight makes tramline possible
• More plant-available nitrogen within the permissible application rates of organic fertiliser.
• It is forbidden to compensate for the loss of kg N due to non-optimal slurry incorporation techniques with fertiliser
• Higher crop yield through optimal utilisation of the user restrictions. More nitrogen ensures better growth

No pollution of plants

Evers offers a wide range of slurry injectors for low-loss slurry incorporation, read more: Evers slurry injectors

* Emissions

Emission is an evaporation process through which usable nitrogen is lost. Weather conditions have a major influence on nitrogen losses with all application techniques. Therefore, it is important that the slurry is used effectively. When the manure is injected in the soil, the nutrients come into minimal contact with the air. The less ammonia is produced, the more effectively the nitrogen is available to the plant. With a better supply of nitrogen, the plant develops better. Emissions make the difference.

** The calculations are based on the following table

25 m3 / ha | 4 kg N per m3 | 100 KG KAS 27N - €97.30 (25-03-2022)

Losses NH3	%	Grainfields & Grassland	Arable land
Slurry technique	Losses kg/n	KAS 27/N | kg	KAS 27/N | KG
Splash plate	70	222	241
Dribble bar	50	148	167
Trailing shoe	30	74	93
Grassland injector	10	0	19
Arable land injector	5		0

***Sources:  

De Haan et al, 2009

Lorenz & Steffens, 2011