02/08/2013
N-Broadacre
Richard Quinlan - Planfarm
Growers, Consultants, Agronomists and Researchers now have access to an easy-to-use App for determining in-season nitrogen applications: ‘N-Broadacre’.
N Broadacre allows users to quickly determine how much nitrogen crops require to achieve a specified yield, and grain protein content. It is calibrated to be used for Wheat, Barley and Canola and helps users avoid over- and under-use of fertiliser nitrogen. N Broadacre has been produced with funding from the Council of Grain Growers Organisations (COGGO) by consultancy company Planfarm PTY LTD.
The user selects the soil type which represents his paddock and then enters:
* Organic Carbon % (from soil test results)
* Nitrate and Ammonium (from current year soil test results)
* Rotation history for the last 3-4 years
* Fertiliser already applied to the paddock
N Broadacre then calculates how much crop available nitrogen is in the soil profile and what crop yield this nitrogen will support. There is also a separate tab in N Broadacre where growers can calculate the yield potential the paddock is capable of from the rainfall it has received. Using these two results growers can then calculate how much extra N the crop will require to reach the target yield potential. N Broadacre can use soil tests from any lab and the results are independent of your fertilizer company.
Mr Quinlan says PlanFarm used SYN for more than a decade before developing the N Broadacre App. SYN is a more powerful tool for calculating crop N requirements, but N Broadacre is easier to use. It can be used out in the field while looking at the crop which will help growers better estimate yield potential.
Over the last 5 years Planfarm have calibrated the spreadsheet that the N Broadacre model was built from by using real paddock yield and protein results and assessing whether N Broadacre came up with the same yield and protein. With the explosion of app-based software the next logical step was to translate the spreadsheet into an app to make it fully mobile.
N-Broadacre works well in conjunction with Yield Prophet. Mr Quinlan says users can identify potential grain yields with Yield Prophet or any other yield potential calculator they choose and then plug these target yields in N Broadacre to determine the amount of nitrogen required to achieve the desired yield potential.
The app is now available from the Apple Store for $99.99.
For more information on N Broadacre or a demonstration of the App for your business please contact Richard Quinlan rquinlan@planfarm.com.au or mobile +61428648828