Fertiliser type
Fertiliser can come in the forms of granular, prilled or small prilled – the latter of which is cheaper to produce but is light in density and has limited spreading capabilities.
When setting the fertiliser spreader rate this is one of the first characteristics required when using calibration charts or phone apps.
This is a very important factor especially on spread widths of greater than 18m.
Bulk density
Granule density affects the ballistic potential of the granule and has a direct impact on the spread width of a fertiliser.
A heavier granule will travel further than a light granule. Urea has a 25% lower bulk density than CAN (0.7-0.75 kg/L vs 1.03kg/L) – and this needs to be considered when setting the fertiliser spreader.
Setting up the spreader to spread sustainably
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April 21, 2021 3:34 pm
Calibrating one’s fertiliser spreader correctly is of key importance to using fertiliser efficiently – and is the subject of the latest video from the Fertiliser Association of Ireland.
The fifth video in the association’s video series on the “Efficient Use of Fertilisers” looks at the importance of setting up and calibrating the fertiliser spreader correctly, in order to apply fertilisers as accurately as possible.
The video can be seen below:
The role of the fertiliser spreader is often underestimated in the delivery of fertilisers (N, P and K), according to the association, with the objective to spread as evenly and as accurately as possible.
Agriculture is a key part of the Irish landscape and has helped in the recovery of the economy over the last decade. Ireland exports the majority of its agricultural produce, with exports valued at over 14.5bn in 2020.
With world population projected to grow between now and 2050, Ireland is well positioned due to our productive soils and damp climate to produce food sustainably for an expanding world population. Agriculture is continuously evolving and will have to continue to evolve over the next number decades to match world food demands.
Currently one of biggest challenges along this road of evolution is climate change and cutting agricultural emissions to reduce such impacts as global warming in the years ahead. Climate change brings many changes to how we farm, eg adapting to changing weather patterns, such extremes as droughts and more frequent heavy rainfall events.
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