Testimonials

Topdressing targets potential yields

Rex Chilman inspects his canola crop that was topdressed with EASY N in 2008.

Port Lincoln grower, Rex Chilman, has been reaping the rewards of topdressing with Incitec Pivot Fertilisers’ granular urea and EASY N liquid fertiliser.

Rex said he applied either 80 L/ha of EASY N or 100 kg/ha of granular urea over the length of the season for his barley, canola and wheat crops last year.

“We target potential yields instead of drought affected yields, because you have to be optimistic about seasonal targets and cater for high yields with topdressing,” he said.

“I feel it’s vital to topdress crops, as the more you put in, the more you get back, and in my experience this only works against you one in five years.”

Rex said he made the switch to using EASY N fertiliser, in conjunction with urea, three years ago due to its ease of application.

“Urea should go out prior to a rainfall event, but this is not as critical with EASY N because it’s less volatile,” he said.

As a result, EASY N was Rex’s preferred option for nitrogen fertiliser in 2007 due to the dry season in the Louth Bay area where he farms 700 hectares.

He said EASY N also allowed him to start applying nitrogen early in the season, with 15 L/ha of the liquid fertiliser generally applied with a post-emergence herbicide six weeks after seeding.

Rex said applying nitrogen with EASY N post-seeding also meant more flexibility when it came to deciding whether to topdress nitrogen in spring using liquid fertiliser at rates between 50 to 80 L/ha.

“Now that we’re in a continuous cropping situation, we need to replace all the nutrients removed for maintenance purposes, rather than trying to build a bank of on farm nitrogen,” he said.

“The beauty of topdressing is that you can manage your fertiliser rates in accordance with the feel of the season.

“This year, we’re not applying all our nitrogen fertiliser at seeding until we see how growing conditions are developing,” he said.

Flexible topdressing

Cropping adviser from Lincoln Rural Supplies, Marc Dickie, said he recommended Rex apply EASY N instead of urea when there was limited rainfall during the optimum topdressing season on the lower Eyre Peninsula.

“EASY N gives us more flexible application options than urea, as it does not require significant rainfall to become incorporated in the soil,” Marc said.

“It allows farmers to target the timing of their applications in accordance with the weather conditions, without totally relying on unpredictable seasonal patterns.

“Applying EASY N appears to be giving us an edge over using urea because crops hold green leaf for longer during a dry spell compared to crops treated with granular nitrogen fertilisers,” he said.

In 2007, Marc suggested two applications of EASY N at rates of 80 L/ha for wheat and canola, and only one application for barley.

He said Rex was able to apply EASY N at higher rates after also making the switch from flat fan to stream jet spray nozzles in 2007.

“Flat fan nozzles can cause leaf burn when applying EASY N at higher rates, so last season I advised Rex to restrict his EASY N applications to 20 L/ha,” he said.

“Using stream jet spray nozzles for topdressing effectively reduces the risk of leaf burn by using streams of EASY N sprayed into the crop canopy, instead of a fine mist of smaller droplets applied over the canopy.”

He said the ability to use existing farm equipment was another significant benefit for farmers topdressing with EASY N.

“Rex could use his existing boomspray equipment, which was hooked-up ready to go for most of the cropping season,” he said.

Marc said EASY N was also delivered on-farm which removed some of the logistical hassles for farmers at a busy time of the season.

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