| LAMMA
Save on costs and reduce compaction with
CRFs at LAMMA ‘18
Farmers looking to save on labour, operating and maintenance costs, while
minimising compaction and improving sustainability, should look no further
than LAMMA 2018, to find out how Controlled Release Fertilizers (CRF) can
help to streamline operations.
his innovative technology will
be showcased by ICL
Speciality Fertilizers on stand
723 at the event, and the team
will be on hand to demonstrate
the benefits.
“CRFs work in a very simple way, that’s
proven to be successful,” says Scott Garnett,
ICL senior agronomist. “Each granule has a
special coating, which controls the release of
the fertilizer to the plant, working in conjunction
with the soil temperature, to release nutrients
only when required by the crop.
“Recent trials have compared the difference
between two onion crops, one treated with a
single application of CRF - Agrocote, and the
other with a course of three standard nitrogen
applications throughout the season,” he
explains.
“The trial has shown significant cost savings
associated with application, a reduction in
compaction, as well as a yield increase in the
crop treated with the CRF.”
Scott explains that while this trial was in an
onion crop, similar results can be applied to
most arable and vegetable crops.
“As only one CRF treatment is required
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36 | Farming Monthly | December 2017
during the season, farmers shouldn’t need to
go back onto the fields for further applications
later down the line, saving them time, or the
cost of employing a contractor,” he says.
“And those looking to reduce compaction, or
that have trouble getting onto wet fields later in
the year, will benefit greatly from only having
machinery on the land once, early on in the
season.”
It is also important to note that, on top of
these cost savings, CRFs can help to relieve
issues that can are often caused by poor
management of conventional nitrogen
programmes, including leaching, volatilization
and denitrification.
“Because nutrients are released, only when
required by the plant, there is minimal excess in
the soil. This means that the risk of nitrates
leaching into watercourses is reduced, as is the
volatilisation of ammonia into the atmosphere,
and the efficacy of the fertilizer isn’t
compromised through denitrification,” explains
Scott.
Those interested in finding out more about
CRFs can head to the ICL stand (723) and meet
the team at LAMMA on 17 and 18 January 2018
Scott Garnett
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk