Estimation of the Importance of Spatially Variable Nitrogen Application and Soil Moisture Holding Capacity to Wheat Production

Crop growth modelling techniques were used to investigate the performance of a wheat crop over a range of weather conditions, nitrogen application rates and soil types. The data were used to predict long term benefits of using spatially variable fertilizer application strategies where fertilizer application rate was matched to the soil type, against a strategy of uniform fertilizer application. The model was also run with modified soil properties to determine the importance of soil moisture holding capacity in the variability of crop yield. It was found that the benefits of spatially variable nitrogen management when fertilizer was applied at the beginning of the season were modest on average. The range of results for different weather conditions was much greater than the average benefit. A large proportion of the variability of crop performance between soil types could be explained by differing soil moisture holding capacity. Devising techniques for managing this variability was concluded to be important for precision farming of cereals.Agricultural Engineering