Beet with AD potential fares well in UK trials
New varieties of high dry matter energy-dense beet now available in the UK are making the crop more viable as a feedstock for anaerobic digestion( AD).
| Arable
S o says Francis Dunne of Field Options, who points to the latest UK trials where new varieties have excelled and demonstrated their potential for the renewable energy sector. Independent fodder beet trials carried out in Cambridgeshire in 2017 compared the performance of 14 leading varieties from five different breeders, encompassing the full range of beet types from low dry matter( fodder beet for grazing) through to very high dry matter types.
“ Clean lifting, very high dry matter beet is one of the most efficient feedstocks available for AD,” says Francis Dunne.“ Optimising yield of the crop further increases gas yield per hectare.
“ The variety Acker, bred in Germany by Strube, specifically for the AD market, is set to take greater market share. It stood out in both 2016 and 2017 trials, with top dry matter yield in 2017 producing 8.8t / ha more roots over the control variety, KWS Gerty. Dry matter percentage was almost identical.
“ These very high dry matter types do sit deeper in the soil than more traditional fodder beets, so root cleanliness is a key factor. In the case of Acker, it appears to have relatively clean lifting roots.
“ Establishment vigour of Acker is good and it develops good ground cover. Resistance to leaf disease was excellent in a season when disease pressure was high. It produces very large tops that also help to provide frost protection when harvesting late.”
Field Options provides expertise and access to varieties across the full range of beet, from low dry matter fodder beet for grazing through to very high dry matter energy beet for both livestock feed and AD plants.
Smaller in size than traditional fodder beet but producing more dry matter per hectare, new varieties such as Acker are an ideal feedstock for anaerobic digestors, says Francis Dunne.
Swedish start-up is launching a global satellite analysis to reduce fertilizer usage by 40 %
Vultus, a fast-growing Swedish start-up, is launching a satellite system, which aims to eliminate waste in farming and help farmers grow healthier plants at a lower cost.
T he new technology solves a problem that so many farmers around the world face – the over-fertilization of the crops. Satellite system provides precise information about the fertilization needs of the specific plants, which enables farmers to most efficiently cultivate their crops.
At the time of the launch, the system will be covering 5.5 million hectares and is estimated to save about 2.3 million tons of CO2, which is the same amount of CO2 as 258,000 car trips from Sweden to South Africa.
The company, together with its partners from Russia, Ukraine, the UK, and India is launching a satellite system, which enables farmers to fertilize their crops with much greater precision and at a lower cost grow healthier plants. The global system is suitable for farmers of all sizes, ranging from small plot farmers in developing countries to farmers, who operate on a large industrial scale. Vultus technology will be launched on March 16th, 2018.
The satellite system provides farmers with the precise information about the fertilization needs of their plants. Therefore, rather than spreading the fertilizers evenly across the field, Vultus solution lets farmers know which plants may need more or less fertilization. For a typical farmer, these up-to-date satellite recommendations could save up to 40 % of the fertilizers, whilst increasing yields and crop quality. For a medium sized farmer, who works in a field of 250 hectares, the system would save approximately 15,000 € per year. Eliminating waste in farming
The technology strives to save not just money, but also the environment. Vultus has an ambitious goal – to eliminate waste in farming. It is estimated that currently about 60 % of fertilizers go to waste due to the lack of knowledge of which plants need more or less fertilization. Even more daunting is the fact that over-fertilization contributes to approximately 7 % of CO2 emission in Sweden alone.
“ What really motivates us is the fact that farming was so inefficient, and we saw how it was being left behind by the technological revolution. 60 % waste of a primary input would be totally unacceptable in any other industry.”- William Håkansson, founder of Vultus.
Vultus was founded by William Håkansson( 22) and Robert Schmitt( 20) in 2016. Since then the team has grown to 9 people and the technology has been used by farmers and seed developers, in Sweden, during two growing seasons.
www. farmingmonthly. co. uk February 2018 | Farming Monthly | 13