HIGH FERTILISER PRICES FOCUS ATTENTION ON N INPUT EFFICIENCY AND SOIL HEALTH. Written by David Newton – Technical Manager, Timac Agro UK The current fertiliser production and supply issues are leading to producers examining their inputs and expenditure, looking at the returns on their investment and the opportunity to enhance the effi-ciency and return from every kilo of input.
One way to help the soil regain balance is by using a soil conditioner. These are often based on the addition of calcium to soils, sometimes mistaken for liming, along with other trace elements and biological stimulants to help the soil heal itself. Liming is the addition of Calcium Carbonate to mop-up excess hydrogen ions-acidity, whereas soil conditioning, while buffering pH on a local level, also aims to improve soil structure, air and water flow, soil biological activity and, through this, nutrient availa-bility. Two such products are Physiolith and Humistart, both based on a marine calcium base “Calcimer”; a highly reactive source of soluble calcium carbonate rich in essential trace elements that rapidly buff-ers any surface acidity, binds clay and humus to strengthen structure and regulate water flow, pro-vides a safe haven for soil microbes and can counter excess Mg & potash effects. Add into this a sea-weed-based rooting cytokinin and you have Physiolith; a great stimulator to improve crop establish-ment and rooting. The biostimulant in Physiolith also opens up nutrient uptake pathways generating more vigorous growth and healthier plants to strengthen establishment and return value for money. In more established crops, or situations with potential for utilising OM, (min/
76 DIRECT DRILLER MAGAZINE
no till, manure/compost additions, long-term grassland) Humistart may be more applicable. In this product the biostimulant is aimed at feeding soil life and stimulating fungal growth. The Minactiv biostimulant, again seaweed derived, targets the mineralisation of organic nutrition, especially where any tough, lignified material is involved. So breaking down cover crop, straw-based manure, wood-chip or high C-N ratio compost at temperatures down to 2oC to release “free” nutrition. “In these times when we are examining every input, a soil conditioner can complement a lower input regime to reduce compaction, stimulate soil health, buffer pH and generate good returns” says David. “But I have a calcareous soil! Why would I add more Ca when it is locking up nutrition?” It is all down to reactivity and roots! The highly reactive Ca in Calcimer works to produce stable aggre-gates even in calcareous soils, improving structure and reducing salt build-up. “at Timac we have done research into the effect of root density on local pH” says David: “Root exudates are mildly acidic, so it follows that if you increase root density you increase the concentration of exudates reducing the pH of the rhizosphere, this can be up to 1 pH point, so releasing locked up nutrition such as phosphate, so stimulating root growth not only finds more nutrition, it releases more from the soil” “Soils have taken a battering, much like the agricultural industry for many years now, it isn’t the farmer’s fault, they have just been following the best advice of the time” says David, “however awareness of soil biology and interactions has improved so we need to farm differently now, the fertiliser price increases have forced growers to look at their input and consider their practices, hence the
growth of regenerative farming, min/notill practices and soil conditioning”
What is the current situation? The commonly used fertiliser materials that, in recent years, have been in plentiful supply and relatively cheap: Ammonium Nitrate, DAP, TSP, MOP work on a principle akin to the “carpet bombing” approach of the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s warfare; i.e. throw enough nutrient into the system and some of it will hit the target species. Unfortunately, as with Carpet bombing there is “collateral damage” of soil health, plant health, weed growth and reduced fertility that have led to a dependency on further chemical solutions. To mix metaphors, nitrate fertiliser is the “gateway drug” to dependence on the fungicides, herbicides and growth regulators that have been profitable for the Agronomy industry over the last 40 years. The focus on sustainable productivity, Carbon footprint reduction and the rise in input prices lead us to question this approach and look at ways to a more “precision strike” method of nutrition.
Is it time to try something different? Fertiliser formulation has moved on from the simple commodities to include extra technology to en-hance nutrient uptake efficiency, plant physiology, the delivery of the nutrients involved and enhance soil health to add sustainability into the nutrition system. For the last 40 years Timac Agro have been at the forefront of this enhanced fertiliser offering, developing soil conditioning phosphate and nitro-gen solutions that protect and improve (rather than disrupt) soil health with their soil conditioners, Physalg, N-process and a totally new phosphate, Top-phos ranges. These products utilise natural seaweed and humate technology to package nutrition in ways that pro-tect it from ISSUE 16 | JANUARY 2022
